JP6717072B2 - Information processing apparatus, image forming system and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an image forming system, and a program, and relates to, for example, a technique of forming images of the same color tone by a plurality of image forming devices connected in series.

A tandem type image forming system (hereinafter, simply referred to as "image forming system") configured by connecting two image forming apparatuses in series is known. In this image forming system, an image can be formed on the front surface of the sheet by the image forming apparatus on the upstream side, and an image can be formed on the back surface of the sheet by the image forming apparatus on the downstream side. By performing the process of forming images on the front and back sides of the paper in a shared manner by the respective image forming apparatuses, productivity can be improved as compared with the case where images are formed on both sides of the paper by one image forming apparatus. It can be improved (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In the tandem type image forming system, there is a problem that the difference in color due to the difference between the upstream side image forming apparatus and the downstream side image forming apparatus affects the quality of the image formed on the paper. For example, on the left and right pages of a two-page spread, it is easy to understand the difference in color tone of the images on the left and right pages. Hereinafter, a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming system is referred to as a “printed material”.

Patent Document 1 discloses a color reproduction information generation device that generates information on a common color reproduction area of a plurality of devices from information on color reproduction areas of a plurality of devices (printers). According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the input color data is stored in a common color reproduction area in which all the color reproduction areas of a plurality of printers are overlapped by the information (common profile) of one common color reproduction area. Is mapped. Then, the color data mapped in the common color reproduction area is converted into the color data for the destination device by the destination profile of each printer.

JP, 2004-48815, A

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, in order to generate the information of the common color reproduction area, the common color reproduction area is calculated using the information of the color reproduction area that can be used by a plurality of printers as input data. For this input data, it is necessary to measure and calculate the color after printing a calibration patch as color adjustment work for each printer, and color adjustment work is performed frequently in order to eliminate the difference in tint between printers. There is a need. If such color adjustment work is frequently performed in each printer, the productivity of the tandem-type image forming system decreases.

From the above situation, it has been demanded to eliminate the difference in tint between a plurality of image forming apparatuses without reducing the productivity of the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected in series.

An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a first profile that is a list of information about one or more first color conversion profiles that can be used in a first image forming unit that forms a first image on a sheet. A list of information and information about one or more second color conversion profiles usable in the second image forming unit that forms the second image on the sheet and that is connected in series with the first image forming unit. A comparison processing unit that compares the second profile information list, which is a list, is provided. The comparison processing unit selects the combination of the first is closest information and contents of the second information relating to a color conversion profile for color conversion profile, the first color conversion profile and a second color conversion profile. Further, the first image forming unit is notified of information indicating the first color conversion profile selected by the comparison processing unit, and the second image forming unit is notified of information indicating the second color conversion profile selected. And an output unit for

An image forming system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first image forming unit, a second image forming unit, the comparison processing unit, and the output unit.

According to at least one aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to perform color adjustment for each of a plurality of image forming units connected in series, and a difference in tint between a plurality of image forming units can be prevented without reducing productivity. It can be lost.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming system including two image forming apparatuses connected in series according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the schematic structural example of the two image forming apparatuses connected in series which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of two image forming apparatuses connected in series according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a printer profile information list of a master unit and a slave unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware structural example of a client terminal (PC). FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a color matching operation by the image forming apparatuses connected in series according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of printer profiles of a master unit and a slave unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration example of two image forming apparatuses connected in series according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware structural example of the printer controller which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a color matching operation of image forming apparatuses connected in series by the printer controller according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, examples of modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same function or configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

<1. First Embodiment>
[Overall configuration of image forming system]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming system including two image forming apparatuses connected in series according to the first embodiment.

The image forming system 1 is a tandem type image forming system configured by connecting two image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 in series. First, an image is formed on the front surface of the paper by the image forming apparatus 2 arranged on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction, and then an image is formed on the back surface of the paper by the image forming apparatus 3. In this specification, the image forming apparatus 2 that first forms an image on a sheet is the master unit, and the image forming apparatus 3 that subsequently forms an image on the sheet is the slave unit.

Paper is supplied to the image forming apparatus 2 from a paper feeding device 4 having a large-capacity paper feeding tray, and images are sequentially formed by the image forming devices 2 and 3. The sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 is conveyed to the post-processing apparatus 5 and then discharged to the sheet discharge tray. The post-processing device 5 has various post-processing units such as a sorting unit, a stapling unit, a punching unit, and a folding unit, and performs various post-processing on the conveyed sheet.

Although the image forming apparatus 2 is provided with the operation display unit 10, the image forming apparatus 3 may be provided with the operation display unit 10. In the image forming system 1, the paper feeding device 4 and the post-processing device 5 are not essential. For example, a paper feed tray may be provided inside the image forming apparatus 2 and paper may be supplied from the paper feed tray. Further, a relay device having a sheet conveyance path may be arranged between the two image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

The image forming apparatus 2 and the image forming apparatus 3 ideally have the same or extremely similar color reproduction areas (for example, the same model), but the tint may differ for some reason. The present embodiment eliminates or reduces the difference in tint of a plurality of image forming apparatuses (especially those used in tandem type image forming systems).

[Schematic configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration example of two image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 have the same configuration, and the image forming apparatus 2 will be described here.
The image forming apparatus 2 employs an electrophotographic system that forms an image by using static electricity, and, for example, four color toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Is a tandem-type color image forming apparatus that superimposes. The image forming apparatus 2 includes a conveyance path 21, an image forming unit 30, and an operation display unit 10. The conveying path 21 is provided with a plurality of rollers (conveying rollers) and conveys the fed sheet to the downstream side.

The image forming unit 30 (first image forming unit) includes four image forming units 31Y, 31M, 31C and 31K in order to form toner images of respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black. When the image forming units 31Y, 31M, 31C and 31K are not distinguished, they may be referred to as the image forming unit 31. Each image forming unit 31 has a charging unit (not shown), an LED writing unit (laser light source), a developing unit, and a photosensitive drum. Further, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a sheet of the intermediate transfer belt 34, the secondary transfer portion 35, and the secondary transfer portion 35, to which the images formed on the photosensitive drums of the image forming units 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K are transferred. The fixing unit 36 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction.

On the downstream side of the fixing unit 36 in the paper transport direction, the transport path 21 extends and is connected to the discharge port. Further, a reverse conveyance path 23 is connected to the conveyance path 21 so as to branch on the downstream side of the fixing section 36 and join the conveyance path 21 on the upstream side of the secondary transfer section 35. The reversing conveyance path 23 is provided with a reversing unit 22 that reverses a sheet. The reversing unit 22 reverses the sheet conveyed from the fixing unit 36, and joins the sheet through the reversing conveyance path 23 to the conveyance path 21 on the upstream side of the secondary transfer section 35. The reversing unit 22 can also return the reversed paper to the transport path 21 on the downstream side of the fixing unit 36 and eject the paper as it is.

An operation display unit 10 is installed above the image forming apparatus 2. The operation display unit 10 has a function as an operation unit that gives an instruction to start a print job such as an image forming process. The operation display unit 10 includes an operation unit 11 including a touch panel and the like, and a display unit 12 including a liquid crystal panel and the like. The display unit 12 is capable of displaying the operation contents by the user, setting information, and the like. It is also possible to configure the operation unit 11 with a mouse, a tablet, or the like, and to configure it separately from the display unit 12.

In the image forming mode, the image forming apparatus 2 charges the photoconductor drums included in the image forming units 31 of the respective colors, exposes the surface of the photoconductor drums in accordance with the original image, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drums. To do. Then, toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent images of the photosensitive drums corresponding to each of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black by using the developing unit, and toner images of respective colors are formed. Next, the toner images formed on the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black photoconductor drums are sequentially primary-transferred onto the surface of the rotationally driven intermediate transfer belt.

Next, the secondary transfer portion 35 (secondary transfer roller) secondarily transfers the toner images of the respective colors, which are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 34, onto the paper supplied from the paper feeding device 4. A color image is formed by secondarily transferring the toner images of the respective colors on the intermediate transfer belt 34 onto the paper. The image forming apparatus 2 discharges the sheet on which the color toner image is formed to the fixing unit 36.

The fixing unit 36 is a device that performs a fixing process on a sheet on which a color toner image is formed, which is supplied from the image forming apparatus 2. The fixing unit 36 pressurizes and heats the conveyed sheet to fix the transferred toner image on the sheet. The fixing unit 36 includes, for example, a fixing upper roller and a fixing lower roller which are fixing members. The upper fixing roller and the lower fixing roller are arranged in pressure contact with each other, and a fixing nip portion is formed as a pressure contact portion between the upper fixing roller and the lower fixing roller.

A heating unit is provided inside the upper fixing roller. The radiant heat from this heating unit warms the roller portion on the outer peripheral portion of the fixing upper roller. The sheet is conveyed to the fixing nip portion such that the surface on which the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer unit 35 (fixing target surface) faces the upper fixing roller. The sheet passing through the fixing nip portion is pressed by the upper fixing roller and the lower fixing roller and heated by the heat of the roller portion of the upper fixing roller. The sheet subjected to the fixing process by the fixing unit 36 is conveyed to the image forming apparatus 3 after the front and back sides of the sheet are reversed by the reversing unit 22.

A reading unit 37 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing unit 36 in the sheet conveying direction. The reading unit 37 is provided above the conveyance path 21 and reads the upper surface of the conveyed sheet. For the reading unit 37, for example, a line sensor in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are linearly arranged along a direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction is used. As the line sensor, for example, a CCD type image sensor or a CMOS type (including MOS type) image sensor can be used.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 2, a thermometer 38 and a hygrometer 39 are provided. The thermometer 38 measures the temperature inside the machine, the hygrometer 39 measures the humidity inside the machine, and sends the measurement results to the control unit 40, respectively.

The image forming apparatus 3 forms an image by the image forming unit 30 (second image forming unit) on the sheet having the front and back reversed and conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2, and the sheet is conveyed by the conveying path 21 to the post-processing apparatus 5. Transport to. The post-processing device 5 performs post-processing on the conveyed paper and discharges the paper to the paper discharge tray.

[Functional configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of two image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3, the sheet feeding apparatus 4, and the post-processing apparatus 5 are communicably connected to each other via a network N1. The network N1 is a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The network N1 is connected to the network N2 which is a wide area network. The network N2 is a communication line such as the Internet. The client terminal 6 connected to the network N2 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), and is communicably connected to the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 via the network N2, a router (not shown), and the network N1. There is. The internal configurations (functions) of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 are almost the same, and the internal configuration will be described below centering on the image forming apparatus 2.

The image forming apparatus 2 includes a control unit 40, a main storage device 45, an auxiliary storage device 46, and a network processing unit 47, and are communicably connected to each other via a bus. The control unit 40 is also connected to the operation display unit 10 and the image forming unit 30 via a bus and an interface (not shown). The control unit 40 is also connected to the reading unit 37, the thermometer 38, and the hygrometer 39 via a bus.

The control unit 40 centrally controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 2, and, for example, selects or executes a print job or the like based on an instruction from the user. For the control unit 40, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used. Alternatively, an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) may be used as the control unit 40.

The main storage device 45 is a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs and data necessary for each process.

The auxiliary storage device 46 is a large-capacity storage device that records programs and input data necessary for the control unit 40 to select and execute print jobs and the like. For example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used as the auxiliary storage device 46. The auxiliary storage device 46 stores one or more printer profiles p1 (first color conversion profile) indicating a color reproduction area as shown in FIG. 7 described later. In the example of FIG. 7, five printer profiles (printer profiles p1-1 to p1-5) are stored as printer profiles p1 that can be used by the image forming unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 2. The present invention can be applied as long as a plurality of printer profiles are registered in at least one of the image forming apparatus 2 and the image forming apparatus 3.

The printer profile is also called a destination profile. The printer profile (destination profile) constitutes a device profile together with the source profile. The “device profile” is a model-independent value (XYZ value, L*a*b* value, etc.) associated with a device value (CMYK value, RGB value, etc.) depending on the model. The “source profile” is an LUT (lookup table) that converts a device value into a model-independent value. The “printer profile” is an LUT for converting a model-independent value into a device value. Instead of the LUT, the color conversion profile may use a data structure that represents a color reproduction area with a geometric model. The device value may be a device value for the spot color.

Although the printer profile is used as the first color conversion profile in the description, the first color conversion profile may be applied to the device link profile. The “device link profile” is a combination of the above two LUTs, and has an input device value (for example, YMCK value (Y, M, C, K)) and an output device value (for example, YMCK value (Y , M, C, K)′) are associated with each other.

Further, in the auxiliary storage device 46, as shown in FIG. 3, a printer profile information list a1 (listed as profile information list in FIG. 3) which is a list of information regarding the printer profile p1 is stored. The information about the printer profile p1 is the attribute information of the printer profile p1. FIG. 4 shows an example of the attribute information of the printer profile p1.

Similarly, one or more printer profiles p2 (second color conversion profile) that can be used by the image forming unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 3 are stored in the auxiliary storage device 46 of the image forming apparatus 3 that is a child device. There is. In the example of FIG. 7, five printer profiles (printer profiles p2-1 to p2-5) are stored as the printer profile p2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary storage device 46 of the image forming apparatus 3 stores a printer profile information list a2 (a profile information list in FIG. 3) which is a list of information related to the printer profile p2. The information about the printer profile p2 is attribute information of the printer profile p2. FIG. 4 shows an example of the attribute information of the printer profile p2.

The network processing unit 47 (an example of an output unit) performs data transmission/reception processing with other devices such as the paper feeding device 4 and the image forming device 3 via the network N1.

(Configuration of control unit)
Further, the control unit 40 will be described. The control unit 40 includes a comparison processing unit 41, a profile setting unit 42, a color conversion processing unit 43, and a RIP processing unit 44. The function of each unit of the control unit 40 is realized by the control unit 40 executing a program read from the ROM of the auxiliary storage device 46 or the main storage device 45. The control unit 40 performs color matching of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 included in the image forming system 1 in the color matching mode.

The comparison processing unit 41 first compares the printer profile information list a1 of one or more printer profiles p1 usable in the image forming apparatus 2 and the one or more printer profiles p2 usable in the image forming apparatus 3. The printer profile information list a2 is compared. Then, the comparison processing unit 41 selects a combination of the printer profile p1 and the printer profile p2 based on the comparison result. The condition for selecting the combination is, for example, that the content of information about the printer profile p1 is close to the content of information about the printer profile p2. Information indicating the printer profile p2 selected by the comparison processing unit 41 (which printer profile p2 was selected) is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 3 by the network processing unit 47.

[List of information about printer profile (List of printer profile information)]
Here, a list of printer profile information of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer profile information list of a master unit and a slave unit according to the first embodiment.

The printer profile information list a1 of the parent machine (image forming apparatus 2) and the printer profile information list a2 of the child machine (image forming apparatus 3) have fields of “number”, “creation date/time”, “creation condition”, and “creation condition”, respectively. “Patch output result”.

"Number" is a serial number of the printer profile. The "creation date and time" is the date and time when the printer profile was created. The “creation condition” is a condition when the printer profile is created, and in this example, is the temperature of the thermometer 38 and the humidity of the hygrometer 39 provided inside the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

Further, the "patch output result" is read data (for example, colorimetric result such as RGB value) obtained by reading the color patch image formed from the same color patch data based on the printer profile by the reading unit 37. The patch output result may be the read data itself read by the reading unit 37, or information indicating the feature of the read data (for example, a tint feature) or a predetermined feature amount extracted from the read data. For example, the patch output result may be information indicating how much the read data deviates from the input color patch data. In this case, the tendency of the color shift of the master unit and the tendency of the color shift of the slave unit are compared and the degree of coincidence is checked. Alternatively, as the patch output result, all the RGB values (or YMCK values) of the read data may be focused on, or a specific color may be focused on. Further, in the field of the patch output result, information (linkage area of the auxiliary storage device 46) indicating the link destination such as the read data and the feature amount may be registered. In this case, the comparison processing unit 41 reads the patch output result from the link destination and performs the comparison processing.

Note that the printer profile information lists a1 and a2 shown in FIG. 4 are examples, and the color measurement result of the color patch image formed based on at least the creation date and time, the creation conditions, and the printer profile registered in the auxiliary storage device 46. It may be one that includes one of the above. Of course, attribute conditions not illustrated in FIG. 4 may be included in the printer profile information list.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. The profile setting unit 42 sets the printer profile p1 selected by the comparison processing unit 41 as the printer profile used by the image forming unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 2. The main storage device 45 reads the data of the printer profile p1 set by the profile setting unit 42 from the auxiliary storage device 46 and holds it.

The color conversion processing unit 43 uses the printer profile p1 set in the profile setting unit 42 (held in the main storage device 45) to perform color conversion of the received original image data (print job output data). For example, the color conversion processing unit 43 first performs color conversion by the source profile (for example, YMCK value→L*a*b* value) on the input original image data, and then performs color conversion by the printer profile p1 (for example, L value). *A*b* value→YMCK value).

The RIP processing unit 44 performs rasterizing processing (RIP: Raster Image Processor) on the original image data that has been color-converted by the color conversion processing unit 43 to convert it into image forming data, and outputs it to the image forming unit 30. The image forming data includes, for example, a tag bit plane, a Y plane for yellow, an M plane for magenta, a C plane for cyan, and a K plane for black. These tag bit planes, Y planes, M planes, C planes, and K planes are output to the corresponding image forming units 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K together with the output settings included in the print job.

On the other hand, the profile setting unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 3 sets the printer profile p2 selected by the comparison processing unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 2 to the printer profile used by the image forming unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 3. Then, the color conversion processing unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 3 performs color conversion of the original image data using the printer profile p2, and the RIP processing unit 44 performs rasterization processing on the original image data after the color conversion to form an image. Output to the unit 30.

Although the present embodiment has a configuration in which the data of the printer profile p1 (p2) set by the profile setting unit 42 is read from the auxiliary storage device 46 to the main storage device 45, other configurations may be used. For example, a plurality of printer profiles p1 (p2) are held in the main storage device 45, and the color conversion processing unit 43 reads the data of the corresponding printer profile p1 (p2) according to the setting in the profile setting unit 42. Perform color conversion.

[Hardware configuration of client terminal (PC)]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the client terminal 6 (PC).

The PC 6 includes a control unit 50, an operation unit 55, and a display unit 56. The control unit 50 also includes a CPU 51, a memory 52, an HDD 53, and a communication I/F (Interface) 54.

The CPU 51 controls each unit in the control unit 50, and, for example, generates input data and sets output based on an instruction from the user.
The memory 52 is a ROM, a RAM, etc., and stores programs and data necessary for each processing.
The HDD 53 records programs, input data and the like required for the CPU 51 to generate input data and perform output setting.
The communication I/F 54 performs data transmission/reception processing with the image forming apparatus 2 via the network N2.

An operation unit 55 and a display unit 56 are connected to the CPU 51.
The operation unit 55 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. The user can operate the operation unit 55 to give a print instruction or output setting to the image forming apparatus 2 while looking at the screen displayed on the display unit 56.
The display unit 56 includes a display monitor and the like, and displays an output setting screen and the like.
Although the operation unit 55 and the display unit 56 are separately configured, the operation unit 55 and the display unit 56 may be configured as an integrated touch panel display.

[Color matching operation by image forming apparatus connected in series]
Next, the color matching operation by the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series will be described.
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the color matching operation of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series. It is realized by the control unit 40 of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 executing the program read from the ROM of the auxiliary storage device 46 or the main storage device 45.

First, the control unit 40 (FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 2 (master device) determines whether the color matching mode is detected (S1). If the color matching mode is detected here (YES in S1), the control unit 40 proceeds to step S2. If the color matching mode is not detected (NO in S1), the control unit 40 performs the determination process in step S1. To continue.

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 2 requests the printer profile information list a2 from the image forming apparatus 3 (child device) (S2), and the control unit 40 of the image forming apparatus 3 receives the request and the printer The profile information list a2 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 2 (S3).

Note that the transition to the color matching mode may be performed by the user selecting from a setting screen (not shown), or may be performed when the image forming apparatus is powered on without any special operation by the user. Good. Further, the transmission of the printer profile information list from the child device to the parent device is not limited to the color matching mode, but may be performed at the time of registering the printer profile, or at the time of receiving a job or executing a job.

Next, when the comparison processing unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 2 receives the printer profile information list a2 from the image forming apparatus 3, the printer profile information list a1 and the printer profile information list registered in the auxiliary storage device 46 of the own apparatus. a2 is collected on the main storage device 45 (FIG. 4) (S4).

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 2 compares the printer profile information list a1 of the image forming apparatus 2 with the printer profile information list a2 of the image forming apparatus 3 (S5). Then, the comparison processing unit 41 selects a combination of the printer profiles p1 and p2 having similar contents of information in the printer profile information lists a1 and a2 based on the comparison result (S6).

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 2 notifies the image forming apparatus 3 by the network processing unit 47 of information indicating the printer profile p2 of the selected image forming apparatus 3 (S7).

Next, the profile setting unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 2 sets the printer profile p1 of the selected image forming apparatus 3 to the printer profile used by the image forming apparatus 2 (S8).

On the other hand, the profile setting unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 3 sets the printer profile p2 of the image forming apparatus 3 notified from the image forming apparatus 2 to the printer profile used by the image forming apparatus 3 (S9).

After the processing of steps S8 and S9 is completed, the series of color matching processing of FIG. 6 is ended.

[Printer Profile Combination]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of printer profiles of a master unit and a slave unit according to the first embodiment.
The example of FIG. 7 corresponds to the example of the printer profile information list of FIG. 4, and printer profiles p1-1 to p1-5 are registered as the printer profile p1 of the image forming apparatus 2 (master device). Further, printer profiles p2-1 to p2-5 are registered as the printer profile p2 of the image forming apparatus 3 (child device). For example, when the combination selection criterion is the latest among the combinations having the closest creation dates of both printer profiles, the printer profile p1-4 is selected as the printer profile p1 and the printer profile p2-5 is selected as the printer profile p2. Selected.

In this way, by selecting the combination of the printer profiles p1 and p2 whose creation dates are close to each other, the color reproduction areas of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series can be made substantially the same. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the color difference between the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

When there are a plurality of combinations having the closest creation date and time as shown in FIG. 4, the most recent combination may be selected. By doing so, each of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 can form an image using the printer profile that reflects the state and environment of the most recent image forming apparatus 2 and 3. Among other criteria for selecting combinations, the more recent the combination of profiles that satisfies the criteria is more desirable.

In addition, the combination selection criterion may be a combination in which the printer profile creation conditions of both the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 are closest. Alternatively, a combination selection criterion may be a combination having the closest patch output result (color patch image colorimetric result). As described above, even when the creation condition or the patch output result is used, the color reproduction areas of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series can be made substantially the same as in the case of the creation date and time.

Furthermore, a plurality of the above-mentioned criteria for combination selection may be used as the criteria for combination selection. When a plurality of combination selection criteria are used, the degree of coincidence between the color reproduction areas of the printer profiles p1 and p2 (in other words, the tint of the output image) increases.

The control unit 40 of the image forming apparatus 2 may control the combination C of the printer profile of the master unit and the printer profile of the slave unit to be displayed on the operation display unit 10 or the client terminal 6. By doing so, the user can confirm the combination C of the printer profile p1 of the parent device and the printer profile p2 of the child device.

Alternatively, in addition to the combination C of the printer profile of the master and the printer profile of the slave, a list of printer profiles p1 registered in the master and a list of printer profiles p2 registered in the slave are selected. Good. By doing so, the user can grasp what combination is selected from the plurality of printer profiles p1 and p2.

According to the above-described first embodiment, it is not necessary to perform color adjustment for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 (image forming units) included in the tandem type image forming system 1, thereby reducing productivity. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the difference in color between the plurality of image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

Further, in the prior art, the input data to each image forming apparatus is mapped to the common color reproduction area, but according to the present embodiment, the color reproduction area of each image forming apparatus 2 and 3 is effectively used, The color reproducibility of each of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 can be maximized.

<2. Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment is an example in which a printer controller capable of communicating with image forming apparatuses connected in series is provided, and the printer controller compares both printer profile information lists and selects a combination of printer profiles.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming System, Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention and an internal configuration example of two image forming apparatuses.
As shown in FIG. 8, the image forming system 1A includes a printer controller 7 in addition to the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3, the sheet feeding apparatus 4, and the post-processing apparatus 5 which are connected in series. The printer controller 7 is communicatively connected to the image forming devices 2 and 3, the paper feeding device 4, and the post-processing device 5 via the network N1. When the print job received by the image forming apparatus 2 (parent device) is transferred to the image forming apparatus (child device), the printer controller 7 may be capable of communicating with at least the image forming apparatus 2.

The control unit 40A of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 in FIG. 8 corresponds to the control unit 40 in FIG. 3, but does not include the comparison processing unit 41. In this embodiment, the comparison processing unit 41 is provided in the printer controller 7.

[Hardware configuration of printer controller]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the printer controller 7.
The printer controller 7 includes a control unit 60, an HDD 63, a communication I/F 64, and a printer I/F 65. The control unit 60 includes a CPU 61 and a memory 62.

The CPU 61 of the control unit 60 performs image processing of document image data input from the client terminal 6 and control of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.
The memory 62 of the control unit 60 is a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, and temporarily stores data necessary for each process.
The HDD 63 stores a program or the like for the CPU 61 to perform image processing and control of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3. The HDD 63 also stores the printer profile information list a1 and the printer profile information list a2 read from the auxiliary storage device 46 of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

The communication I/F 64 (an example of an output unit) performs data transmission/reception processing with the client terminal (PC) 6 via the network N2.
The printer I/F 65 performs data transmission/reception processing with the image forming apparatus 2 via the network N1.

The CPU 61 will be further described. The CPU 61 has the function of the comparison processing unit 41. The function of the comparison processing unit 41 of the CPU 61 is realized by the CPU 61 executing a program read from the HDD 63. The CPU 61 of the printer controller 7 may perform color conversion processing, rasterization processing (RIP processing), etc., and send the image forming data after the rasterization processing to the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

[Color matching operation of image forming apparatuses connected in series by printer controller]
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a color matching operation of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 connected in series by the printer controller 7. It is realized by the CPU 61 of the printer controller 7 executing the program read from the HDD 63.

First, the CPU 61 of the printer controller 7 determines whether or not the color matching mode is detected (S11). The determination process of step S11 corresponds to the determination process of step S1 of FIG. If the color matching mode is detected (YES in S11), the CPU 61 proceeds to step S12. If the color matching mode is not detected (NO in S11), the control unit 40 continues the determination process of step S11. To do.

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the printer controller 7 reads the printer profile information list a1 of the image forming apparatus 2 and the printer profile information list a2 of the image forming apparatus 3 stored in the HDD 63 into the memory 62 (S12).

The process of step S12 has been described on the assumption that the printer profile information lists a1 and a2 are stored in the HDD 63 of the printer controller 7 in advance, but the process is not limited to this example. For example, when the printer controller 7 performs color matching, the printer profile information lists a1 and a2 may be acquired from the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 as needed.

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the printer controller 7 compares the printer profile information list a1 with the printer profile information list a2 (S13), and selects a combination of the printer profiles p1 and p2 based on the comparison result (S14). The processes of steps S13 and S14 correspond to the processes of steps S5 and S6 of FIG.

Next, the comparison processing unit 41 of the printer controller 7 notifies the image forming apparatus 2 of the information indicating the printer profile p1 of the selected image forming apparatus 2 (parent device) by the network processing unit 47 (S15). Similarly, the comparison processing unit 41 notifies the image forming apparatus 3 by the network processing unit 47 of information indicating the printer profile p2 of the selected image forming apparatus 3 (child device) (S16).

Next, the profile setting unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 2 sets the printer profile p1 of the image forming apparatus 2 notified from the printer controller 7 to the printer profile used by the image forming apparatus 2 (S17). Similarly, the profile setting unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 3 sets the printer profile p2 of the image forming apparatus 3 notified from the printer controller 7 to the printer profile used by the image forming apparatus 3 (S18).

After the processing of steps S17 and S18 is completed, the series of color matching processing of FIG. 10 is ended.

According to the above-described second embodiment, the process of exchanging the printer profile information lists a1 and a2 between the image forming apparatus 2 and the image forming apparatus 3 does not occur, and the comparison and combination selection processing is performed in the printer controller 7. Since it is completed, the color matching process is simple.

<3. Other>
In the first and second embodiments described above, the image forming apparatus 2 (parent device) selects the combination of the printer profiles p1 and p2, but the image forming device 3 (child device) selects the combination. Alternatively, the selection result may be notified to the image forming apparatus 2.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the combination of the printer profiles p1 and p2 of the two image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 is selected. However, the printer is not limited to three or more image forming apparatuses connected in series. It may be configured to select a combination of profiles.

Although the thermometer 38 and the hygrometer 39 shown in FIG. 2 are provided inside the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3, they may be provided outside the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3.

Also. The image forming system 1 described above is not limited to the form in which the sheets are fed from the sheet feeding device 4 one by one to the image forming devices 2 and 3. For example, the present invention is a tandem type image forming system in which continuous paper (for example, roll paper) is supplied to the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3, and each of the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 forms an image on the surface of the continuous paper. It can also be applied to a printing device. In this case, the difference in tint of the images formed on the same surface of the continuous paper by the image forming apparatuses 2 and 3 is less noticeable.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that other various application examples and modified examples can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. is there.

For example, the above-described embodiment is a detailed and specific description of the configuration of the device and the system in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to one having all the configurations described. .. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment. Further, it is possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

Further, each of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Further, the above-described respective configurations, functions and the like may be realized by software by the processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as a program, a table, and a file that realizes each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD.

In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In practice, it may be considered that almost all configurations are connected to each other.

Further, in the present specification, the processing steps describing the time-series processing are not limited to the processing performed in the time-series according to the described order, but are not necessarily performed in the time-series, and may be performed in parallel or individually. It also includes processing executed by the above (for example, parallel processing or processing by an object).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Image forming system, 2, 3... Image forming apparatus, 4... Paper feeding apparatus, 5... Post-processing apparatus, 6... Client terminal (PC), 7... Printer controller, 10... Operation display section, 30... Image forming section , 37... reading unit, 38... thermometer, 39... hygrometer, 40, 40A... control unit, 41... comparison processing unit, 42... profile setting unit, 43... color conversion processing unit, 44... RIP processing unit, 45... Main storage device, 46... Auxiliary storage device, 47... Network processing unit, 60... Control unit, 61... CPU, a1, a2... Printer profile information list, p1, p2... Printer profile

Claims (10)

A first profile information list that is a list of information about one or more first color conversion profiles that can be used in a first image forming unit that forms a first image on paper, and the first image forming unit. A second profile information list, which is a list of information about one or more second color conversion profiles that can be used in a second image forming unit that forms a second image on the paper and is connected in series with comparing, selecting a combination of the first is closest content of the information about the information and the second color conversion profile for color conversion profile, wherein the first color conversion profile second color conversion profile comparison A processing unit,
Information indicating the first color conversion profile selected by the comparison processing unit is notified to the first image forming unit, and information indicating the selected second color conversion profile is transmitted to the second image forming unit. An information processing apparatus including: an output unit that notifies the unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the first color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile is attribute information of the color conversion profile. The attribute information of the color conversion profile includes at least one of a creation date and time of the color conversion profile, a creation condition of the color conversion profile, and a color measurement result of a color patch image formed based on the color conversion profile. Item 2. The information processing device according to item 2. The information processing according to claim 3, wherein the comparison processing unit selects, as a combination of the first color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile, a latest one from among those having the closest creation dates and times. apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the comparison processing unit selects, as a combination of the first color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile, a combination having the closest creation conditions of both. The comparison processing unit selects, as a combination of the first color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile, a color patch image formed based on both color conversion profiles that has the closest colorimetric result. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3. A storage unit that stores the first profile information list and the second profile information list;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the comparison processing unit reads out the first profile information list and the second profile information list from the storage unit and compares them. The information processing according to claim 1, wherein the comparison processing unit controls to display information indicating a combination of the selected first color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile on a display unit. apparatus. A first image forming unit for forming a first image on a sheet,
A second image forming unit for forming a second image on the sheet, which is connected in series with the first image forming unit;
A first profile information list that is a list of information relating to one or more first color conversion profiles that can be used in the first image forming unit, and one or more first profile information that can be used in the second image forming unit. second comparing the second profile information list which is a list of information related to the color conversion profile, the first nearest the first contents information and said second information related to the color conversion profile for color conversion profile A comparison processing unit that selects a combination of the color conversion profile of the second color conversion profile and the second color conversion profile;
Information indicating the first color conversion profile selected by the comparison processing unit is notified to the first image forming unit, and information indicating the selected second color conversion profile is transmitted to the second image forming unit. An image forming system including an output unit that notifies the unit. A first profile information list that is a list of information about one or more first color conversion profiles that can be used in a first image forming unit that forms a first image on paper, and the first image forming unit. A second profile information list, which is a list of information about one or more second color conversion profiles that can be used in a second image forming unit that forms a second image on the paper and is connected in series with And the procedure of comparing
A step of selecting a combination of said first information and said content of the second information related to the color conversion profile is closest the first color conversion profile second color conversion profile for color conversion profile,
A procedure of notifying the first image forming unit of information indicating the selected first color conversion profile and notifying the second image forming unit of information indicating the selected second color conversion profile. When,
A program that causes a computer to execute.

Images