JP6955374B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that controls image forming conditions based on a medium to be formed.

In the image forming apparatus, for example, image forming conditions such as transfer conditions and fixing conditions are controlled according to the type of media (recording material) to be image-formed. For example, the media to be image-formed can be set by a user operation. However, in order to omit the media setting process by the user, Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose a configuration for detecting the characteristic value of the media. Specifically, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a configuration in which the surface of a medium is imaged by a CMOS sensor to detect the surface state of the medium. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which the thickness of the medium is detected by the transmitted light transmitted through the medium. Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a configuration in which the surface state and thickness of the media are detected by irradiating the media with ultrasonic waves.

Further, Patent Documents 5 and 6 disclose a configuration for improving the detection accuracy of the media. Specifically, Patent Document 5 discloses a configuration in which the transport operation of the media is stopped when the surface of the media is imaged by the CMOS sensor. Further, Patent Document 6 discloses a configuration in which media stored in a cassette is detected based on a determination result of each of a plurality of media on the premise that the same type of media is stored in the cassette. ..

JP-A-2002-182518 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-38879 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-139189 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-219856 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-203858 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-175611

In the configuration of Patent Document 5, the printing time becomes long because the transport of the media is similarly stopped for all the media. In the configuration of Patent Document 6, when an operation in which the media in the cassette may have been exchanged is performed, it is necessary to perform a media discrimination process, which increases the printing time.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of setting image forming conditions according to a medium while suppressing a long printing time.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus, one or more storage means and, said one or more conveying means for Oku搬the feed media from one of the storage means of the housing means for housing the media And, for each of the one or more storage means, a determination for discriminating between the holding means for holding the classification information indicating whether the first usage method or the second usage method is used and the media to be conveyed by the conveying means. A means, an image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and a first storing means indicated by the classification information of the one or more storing means to use the first utilization method. said storage means for storing a determination result by the determining means of the paper feed media as the history related to the first housing means, the application value of the image forming conditions to be applied to media that is fed from the first storage means from the The discriminating means includes a determining means for determining based on the history of the first storage means, the discriminating means has a longer discriminating time than the first discriminating mode and the first discriminating mode, and has a discriminating accuracy higher than that of the first discriminating mode. It has a high second discrimination mode, and the media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the second discrimination mode until the discrimination result included in the history of the first storage means reaches the first predetermined number. When the discrimination result included in the history of the first storage means exceeds the first predetermined number, the media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the first discrimination mode, and the second usage method is used. When used, the media fed from the second storage means indicated by the classification information is discriminated in the second discrimination mode, and the determination means determines the image forming conditions applied to the media fed from the second storage means. The value is determined based on the discrimination result in the second discrimination mode .

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a long printing time and set image forming conditions according to the medium.

The block diagram of the image forming apparatus by one Embodiment. The block diagram of the discrimination part by one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of variation of discrimination result by transport stop time. The figure which shows the relationship between the transport stop time and the variation of a discrimination result. A flowchart of a printing process according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the display screen on the operation panel by one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of printing time by one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of difference of discrimination result by discrimination mode. An explanatory diagram of a method for determining an applied value according to an embodiment. The block diagram of the image forming apparatus by one Embodiment. The figure which shows the display screen on the operation panel by one Embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the contents of the embodiments. Further, in each of the following figures, components that are not necessary for the description of the embodiment will be omitted from the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the letters Y, M, C, and K at the end of the reference numerals indicate that the colors of the toner image on which the corresponding member is formed are yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the colors of the toner image, the reference code excluding the last character is used. At the time of image formation, the photoconductor 11 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, and is charged by the charging roller 12 so that its surface has a uniform potential. The exposure unit 13 exposes the charged photoconductor 11 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 11. The developing unit 14 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image of the photoconductor 11 via the developing roller 15 to form a toner image on the photoconductor 11. The primary transfer roller 16 transfers the toner image of the photoconductor 11 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 by outputting the primary transfer bias.

The intermediate transfer belt 17 is stretched by a drive roller 18A, a tension roller 18B, and a secondary transfer opposed roller 19, and is driven in the direction of the arrow in the drawing depending on the rotation of the drive roller 18A at the time of image formation. Therefore, the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 17 is conveyed to the opposite position of the secondary transfer roller 20 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 17. By superimposing the toner images of the photoconductors 11 and transferring them to the intermediate transfer belt 17, a full-color toner image can be formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17.

On the other hand, the media (recording material) P stored in the cassette 1 which is the media storage unit is fed into the transport path by the paper feed roller 4, and is conveyed to the downstream side by the rollers arranged along the transport path. .. After that, the transport of the media P is temporarily stopped with the transport rollers 5 and 6 sandwiching the media P. Then, the transfer rollers 5 and 6 of the media P so that the media P also reaches the facing position of the secondary transfer roller 20 at the timing when the toner image of the intermediate transfer belt 17 reaches the facing position of the secondary transfer roller 20. Resume transport. The secondary transfer roller 20 transfers the toner image of the intermediate transfer belt 17 to the medium P by outputting the secondary transfer bias. The media P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing portion 21. The fixing unit 21 pressurizes and heats the media P to fix the toner image on the media. After fixing the toner image, the media P is discharged to the outside of the device by the paper ejection roller 22. The media P is sandwiched between the transport rollers 5 and 6, and a discriminating unit 40 for discriminating the type of the media P or the like when the transport is temporarily stopped is provided on the upstream side of the transport rollers 5 and 6. ..

FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of a portion related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an operation panel 30 for the user to input various settings and display various information to the user. The operation panel 30 is connected to a control unit 10 that controls the image forming apparatus 100 in general. The control unit 10 has a non-volatile memory 10A which is an information holding unit. Further, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 100 is also connected to a personal computer (PC) 31 which is an external device.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the discrimination unit 40. The light emitting unit 421 of the discrimination unit 40 irradiates the surface of the media P with blue light having a maximum wavelength in the vicinity of 460 nm. In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 421 irradiates light at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the media P to generate reflected light according to the unevenness of the surface of the media P. This reflected light is collected through the imaging lens 44A, and the wavelength component transmitted through the filtering unit 45A is imaged as a reflected light image on the CMOS area sensor 43A. The CMOS area sensor 43A outputs a video voltage signal that changes according to the amount of reflected light in each imaged area. The drive calculation unit 41 converts the video voltage signal output by the CMOS area sensor 43A into analog and digital, and outputs the converted digital signal to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 can detect information on the surface property (indicating the degree of surface unevenness) of the media P based on the digital signal input from the discrimination unit 40 when the light emitting unit 421 irradiates the light.

On the other hand, the light source 422 irradiates the media P with red light having a maximum wavelength in the vicinity of 640 nm. As shown in FIG. 2, the surface of the media P irradiated by the light source 422 is different from the surface irradiated by the light source 421. Further, the light source 422 irradiates light in the normal direction of the media P. The light emitted by the light source 422 is attenuated according to the thickness / basis weight of the media P in the process of passing through the media P. The imaging lens 44A collects the transmitted light, and the wavelength component transmitted through the filtering unit 45A is imaged on the CMOS area sensor 43A. The control unit 10 can detect information on the thickness or basis weight of the media P based on the digital signal input from the discrimination unit 40 when the light emitting unit 422 irradiates the light.

The control unit 10 controls the value of the image formation condition based on the surface property and the thickness of the media P detected by the discrimination unit 40. In the following description, it is assumed that the image forming condition is the fixing temperature (temperature control temperature) in the fixing portion 21. For example, determination information indicating the relationship between the surface properties and thickness values of the media P and the temperature control temperature is set in advance in the control unit 10. Then, the control unit 10 determines the temperature control temperature applied to the detected media P based on the detected surface property and thickness values of the media P and the determination information.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the discriminating unit 40 discriminates the media P in a state where the media P is sandwiched between the transport rollers 5 and 6 and the transport is stopped. FIG. 3 (A) shows the discrimination result when the transport stop time of the media P is 2.5 seconds when the media P is discriminated, and FIG. 3 (B) shows the transport stop time of the media P. The discrimination result when is set to 0.5 seconds is shown. In the following description, this discrimination result shall be indicated by the temperature control temperature obtained from the surface properties and thickness of the detected media P. The media P used is plain paper having a basis weight of 80 g / m ^2. As shown in FIG. 3, when the transport stop time is shortened, the variation in the discrimination result becomes large. This is because the shutter speed of the CMOS area sensor 43A has increased as the transport stop time has become shorter. That is, the amount of light received by the CMOS area sensor 43A is reduced, and the sharpness of the captured image is lowered. Further, when the transport stop time is shortened, the focal length to the imaging lens 44A varies due to the fluttering of the media P, the slack bending, and the like, and the discrimination result also varies due to the change in the reflection method. ..

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the transport stop time of the media P and the variation in the discrimination result (displayed by the temperature control temperature). When the stop time reaches 2.5 seconds, the variation in the discrimination result almost converges. In the following description, the discrimination process performed by stopping the transport of the media P for 2.5 seconds is referred to as a "detailed discrimination mode". Further, even when the media is not determined by the discriminating device 40, when the transport rollers 5 and 6 sandwich the media P, the transport of the media P is temporarily stopped, but this period is 0.5 seconds. This temporary stop is for abutting the tip of the paper P against the transport rollers 5 and 6 to skew the paper P, or for aligning the paper P with respect to the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17. Is done for. In the following description, the discrimination process performed by stopping the transport of the media P for 0.5 seconds is referred to as a "simple discrimination mode". Here, the "detailed discrimination mode" has a higher discrimination accuracy than the "simple discrimination mode", but the discrimination time is long. The specific difference between the "detailed discrimination mode" and the "simple discrimination mode" is not limited to changing the shutter speed of the CMOS area sensor 43A. For example, the number of images captured by the CMOS area sensor 43A may be changed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the printing process according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the "automatic mode" does not mean a user setting, but means a print mode in which the discriminating unit 40 discriminates the media P and determines the temperature control temperature. Further, the "designated mode" means a user setting, that is, a print mode for printing at a temperature control temperature determined based on the media P designated by the user. Whether the image forming apparatus 100 is operated in the "automatic mode" or the "designated mode" is set by the user and indicated by the operation information stored in the non-volatile memory 10A. Further, in the "designated mode", the user identifies the media stored in the cassette 1. Then, specific information indicating the media specified by the user is also stored in the non-volatile memory 10A.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the "automatic mode" is selected, the user can set the selection / non-selection of the "fixed use". The "fixed use" is a mode selected when the media P stored in the cassette 1 is basically not changed. When selecting "fixed use", the user selects "fixed use" on the screen shown in FIG. 6 displayed on the operation panel 30. When "fixed use" is not selected, the user selects "not fixed" on the screen shown in FIG. 6 displayed on the operation panel 30. When "fixed use" is selected, the user can enter an arbitrary name for specifying the media P to be stored in the cassette 1 in the name field of the screen of FIG. Information indicating whether or not to use the "fixed use" selected by the user is stored in the non-volatile memory 10A as classification information.

Hereinafter, the float chart of FIG. 5 will be described. Upon receiving the print job (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a job), in S10, the control unit 10 determines which of the "automatic mode" and the "designated mode" is selected. When the "designated mode" is selected, the control unit 10 determines the temperature control temperature based on the media set and input by the user in S16, and prints on the media P. After that, in S15, the control unit 10 determines whether the print job has been completed, and if not, repeats the process from S10. Therefore, when the "designated mode" is selected, all the media P in the print job are printed at the temperature control temperature determined by the media set and input by the user. On the other hand, when "automatic mode" is selected, the control unit 10 determines in S11 whether fixed use is selected. If fixed use is not selected, the control unit 10 discriminates the media P in the "detailed discriminant mode" in S17, determines the temperature control temperature based on the discriminant result, and prints. After that, in S15, the control unit 10 determines whether the print job has been completed, and if not, repeats the process from S10. Therefore, when the "automatic mode" is selected and the fixed use is not selected, the temperature control temperature of all the media Ps in the print job is determined by the discrimination result in the "detailed discrimination mode".

On the other hand, when fixed use is selected, the control unit 10 determines in S12 whether the applied value of the temperature control temperature can be determined. In the present embodiment, the applied value of the temperature control temperature, which is an image formation condition, is an average value of m temperature control temperatures obtained by discriminating the media P in the "detailed discrimination mode" for a predetermined number (m times). Is. Therefore, if the media P is not discriminated m times in the "detailed discriminant mode", the control unit 10 determines in S12 that the applicable value cannot be determined. In this case, the control unit 10 discriminates one piece of media P in the "detailed discrimination mode" in S18, and prints on the media P at a temperature control temperature determined based on the discrimination result. Then, in S19, the determination result in S18 is recorded in the non-volatile memory 10A as a history. After that, in S15, the control unit 10 determines whether the print job has ended, and if it has finished, the process ends, and if not, the process is repeated from S10. In the following description, the media P is discriminated, and the temperature control temperature obtained from the discriminant result is referred to as a "discrimination value".

On the other hand, in S12, when the applicable value can be determined, that is, when the media P has already been discriminated m times in the "detailed discriminant mode" and m discriminant values are recorded as a history, the control unit 10 has m discriminants. The average value of the discriminant values of is used as the applicable value. Then, in S13, the control unit 10 prints with the applied value. At that time, the control unit 10 discriminates the media P in the "simple discrimination mode" in S14, and records the discrimination result (discrimination value) as a history in the non-volatile memory 10A.

Subsequently, the printing time in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a case where 10 sheets are continuously printed 5 times a day for 5 days. The cassette 1 can accommodate a maximum of 180 media P. In the initial state, the cassette 1 accommodates 180 media P of A4 size, and when the media P of the cassette 1 becomes empty, the maximum number of media P can be accommodated. It shall accommodate A4 size media P. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 has a "simple discrimination mode" or a "designated mode", that is, when the transport stop time is 0.5 seconds when the transport rollers 5 and 6 sandwich the media P, the image forming apparatus 100 has 10 images. It is assumed that the time required for printing on the media is 20 seconds. Here, since the transport stop time in the “simple determination mode” with the transport rollers 5 and 6 sandwiching the media P is 0.5 seconds, the throughput does not decrease as compared with the “designated mode”. Further, it is assumed that the applied value is obtained as the average value of 10 discrimination values in the "detailed discrimination mode". In the "detailed discrimination mode", the transport stop time is longer by 2 seconds per sheet than in the "simple discrimination mode" and the "designated mode", so the time to print on 10 media Ps in the "detailed discrimination mode" is 40 seconds. become. Further, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 100 is turned off after the end of all the jobs of the day and turned on before the start of the jobs of the day. In FIG. 7, the discrimination method "A" is a "detailed discrimination mode", and the discrimination method "B" is a "simple discrimination mode".

As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, in the first job, it takes 40 seconds to discriminate each of the 10 media Ps in the “detailed discriminating mode”. However, in the second to 25th jobs, since the "simple discrimination mode" is set, the time required for each job is 20 seconds.

Comparative Example 1 shows the case of the “designated mode”. In the designated mode, the media P is not discriminated by the discriminating unit 40, and the temperature control temperature is determined based on the specific result based on the specific information. Therefore, the time of each job from the first to the 25th is 20 seconds in total. However, the media P set by the user may be different from the media P actually stored in the cassette 1. In FIG. 7, the user setting is different from the actual media P, and the temperature control temperature is 200 ° C., which is higher than the appropriate temperature control temperature. When excessive heat is applied to the media P, the media P may curl and the loadability may deteriorate. In addition, wasteful power consumption is being performed. Comparative Example 2 is an "automatic mode", but is a case where fixed use is not selected. In this case, since all the media Ps are discriminated in the "detailed discriminating mode", it takes 40 seconds for all the jobs, and the printing time becomes long.

In Comparative Example 3, the first job after the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on and the operation in which the user can access the media of the cassette 1, for example, the first job after opening and closing the cassette, are before that. It resets the determination result (history) of. Therefore, it takes 40 seconds for 6 jobs. The image forming apparatus of the present embodiment also has a detection unit that detects that the user has performed an operation that allows access to the media of the cassette 1. For example, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment also includes a detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the cassette 1. However, in the present embodiment, when "fixed use" is selected, regardless of the detection result by the detection unit, if a predetermined number or more of histories are recorded, the applicable value is determined based on the histories. Therefore, when the user selects "fixed use", the printing time can be shortened as compared with Comparative Example 2 and Comparative Example 3. Further, since the first job is in the "detailed determination mode", the printing time is longer than in Comparative Example 1, but it is appropriate to prevent the discrepancy between the user setting and the actual media P, which may occur in the "specified mode". Temperature control temperature can be used.

In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the discrimination result in the "simple discrimination mode" is recorded in S14. In the following, how to utilize this history will be described. FIG. 8 shows the discrimination results in the first three jobs. In the first job, since the discrimination is performed in the "detailed discrimination mode", the temperature control temperature (discrimination value) for each media P is within the range of 178 ° C to 182 ° C, and the average value (applicable value) is 180 ° C. .. Therefore, in the second and third jobs, this 180 degrees is used as the temperature control temperature. On the other hand, even in the second and subsequent jobs, each media P is discriminated in the "simple discrimination mode". According to FIG. 8, the discrimination value of each media P of the second job in the “simple discrimination mode” is in the range of 174 degrees to 178 degrees, and the average value is 176 degrees. Further, the discrimination value in the "simple discrimination mode" of each media P of the third job is in the range of 180 degrees to 186 degrees, and the average value is 183 degrees. As described above, there is a large variation in the discrimination results in the "simple discrimination mode".

However, even in the "simple discrimination mode", as the number of discriminated media P increases, the average value approaches the average value of the discriminant results in the "detailed discriminant mode". For example, it is assumed that an experiment or the like shows that the average value of the discrimination results of 100 times in the "simple discrimination mode" is substantially the same as the average value of the discrimination results in the "detailed discrimination mode". In this case, if the discrimination result in the "simple discrimination mode" is recorded as a history 100 times or more, the update control of the applied value can be performed by this history.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when "automatic mode" and "fixed use" are selected, the discrimination result of a predetermined number of consecutive media Ps in the "simple discrimination mode" is defined as a job group, and each job group is defined as a job group. The temperature control temperature is controlled as shown in FIG. 9 by the average value of the discriminated temperatures. In this example, this predetermined number is set to 100. Specifically, the basic temperature control temperature X (L) used in the job group L is set to
X (L) = {X (L-1) + B (L-1)} / 2
Ask for. Here, B (L) is an average value of the discriminant values of each media P of the job group L. If the control unit of the temperature control temperature is 1 degree, the numbers after the decimal point are rounded off. For example, in FIG. 9, the applied value in the job group (L + 2) is 182 degrees, and the average value of the discriminant values in the job group (L + 2) is 183 degrees. Therefore, the applied value of the temperature control temperature used in the job group (L + 3) is the average value of the applied value used in the job group (L + 2) and the average value of the discriminant values in the job group (K + 2) 182. It is calculated as 5 degrees. Therefore, by rounding off, the applied value of the temperature control temperature in the job group (K + 3) becomes 183 degrees. In this embodiment, one job group is 100 sheets, which is an example. The number of media in one job group is larger than the number of discrimination values (10 in this example) in the "detailed discrimination mode" when the application value is first calculated, but the actual number is calculated by experiments or the like. ..

For example, even if the media P used is the same, the surface property may change depending on the lot. In such a case, if the applied value obtained from the discrimination result in the first "detailed discrimination mode" is continuously used, the temperature control temperature to be used may deviate from the optimum value. However, even in such a case, the temperature control temperature can be brought close to the optimum value by updating the applied value based on the determination result of a predetermined number of times in the "simple determination mode". It should be noted that the temperature control temperature may not be corrected based on the discrimination result of the "simple discrimination mode". For example, even if the media used is "fixed use", another user may unintentionally change to a different medium. Therefore, by monitoring in the "simple discrimination mode" and recording the history, if the temperature control temperature required for the changed media is significantly different, the applied value can be changed to prevent deterioration of image quality. can. Alternatively, it is possible to take measures such as stopping the printing operation and notifying the user. As is clear from FIG. 9, it is sufficient to update the applied value only with each discriminant value in the current job group and the current applied value, and the other past histories can be deleted. That is, the history of the cassette 1 is each discriminant value until the applied value is first determined, and after the applied value is determined, the current applied value and each discriminant value of the current job group are used. be able to.

Further, regarding the selection / non-selection of "fixed use" described with reference to FIG. 6, it is possible to periodically confirm with the user whether or not there is any change in the usage method. For example, it can be configured to automatically display a screen prompting confirmation every few months or six months. Further, on the screen of FIG. 6, the timing for displaying the confirmation next time can be set, and the confirmation can be displayed at that timing. In addition, at the time of confirmation, as before, set the temperature control temperature based on the applied value and the discriminant value, or once use the "detailed discriminant mode" to correct the applied value, or check the history so far. It can also be erased so that it can be selected from the "detailed determination mode". For example, when the user changes the type of media stored in the cassette 1, the user inputs a history erasing instruction to the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the control unit 10 erases the history related to the cassette 1. Therefore, the history of the media newly stored in the cassette 1 is newly recorded.

<Second embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 of the first embodiment has one cassette 1. However, an image forming apparatus 100 having a plurality of cassettes and the like is also widely used. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of such an image forming apparatus 100, which includes a plurality of cassettes 1-1 to 1-3 and a paper feed tray 3. In the following description, the cassette and the paper feed tray will be collectively referred to as a media storage unit. Different types of media can be stored in the plurality of media storage units. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the discriminating unit 40 can discriminate regardless of which media storage unit feeds the paper.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to independently set whether to use the first usage method that uses "fixed use" or the second usage method that does not use "fixed use" for each of the plurality of media storage units. The image forming apparatus is configured as described above. That is, each of the plurality of media storage units is used as the first media storage unit that records the history and determines the temperature control temperature based on the history, or discriminates each media individually in the "detailed discrimination mode" without recording the history. It is classified as a second media storage unit that determines the temperature control temperature. Here, the first media storage unit is a storage unit that uses the first usage method, and the second media storage unit is a storage unit that uses the second usage method. This classification is recorded in the non-volatile memory 10A as classification information. Then, the control unit 10 independently records the history of the first media storage unit and controls the applied value.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, "fixed use" is selected or not selected for each media storage unit. However, if the type of frequently used media is larger than the number of media storage units, the media discrimination history is reset (erased) every time the media stored in the media storage compartment is replaced, and m times of "detailed discrimination" are newly performed. It is necessary to perform "mode" to determine the applicable value. In the present embodiment, even when a plurality of media are interchanged and used for each media storage unit, it is not necessary to reset the media discrimination history. In the following description, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus includes a total of three media storage units, that is, cassette # 1, cassette # 2, and a paper feed tray.

11 (A) to 11 (C) show selection screens of "fixed use" for cassette # 1, cassette # 2, and paper feed tray, respectively. If you select "Fixed use", you can set in the "Number of registered papers" field. The user inputs the number of media types to be used in the corresponding media storage unit in the "number of registered papers" field. In addition, the name can be set according to the number of "number of registered papers" entered. The user can enter a name or the like for specifying the medium to be used in each name setting field. As shown in FIG. 11, numbers are assigned to the name setting fields. By selecting the name setting field, the user selects the media currently stored in the corresponding media storage unit.

The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 100 manages the history of the number specified by the number of registered sheets for each of the media storage units. For example, when the user inputs a number n (n is an integer of 1 or more) as the "paper registration number" of the cassette # 1, the control unit 10 has a total of n first to nth histories of the cassette # 1. Manage history. Here, when n is 1, the same applies to the first embodiment. On the other hand, when n is 2 or more, the control unit 10 causes the user to select the history to be activated. When the user inputs the selection of the history of the number k (k is an integer of 1 to n), the control unit 10 uses the determination result of the media taken out from the cassette # 1 as the k-th history of the cassette # 1. Record and determine the applicable value of cassette # 1 based on the k-th history.

For example, in FIG. 11A, n is 2, and the user is No. The history of 1 (number 1) is selected. In this case, when the control unit 10 determines the media P of the cassette # 1, the No. 1 of the cassette # 1 is determined. Add to the history of 1. In addition, cassette # 1 No. The applied value is controlled based on the history of 1. Further, the user can, for example, change the media P of the cassette # 1 to No. If it is replaced with the one used in 2, the number of the media to be used is switched by the screen of FIG. 11 (A). In this case, after that, when printing on the media P of the cassette # 1, the control unit 10 sets the No. 1 of the cassette # 1. The applied value is controlled based on the history of No. 2, and the new determination result is also obtained by No. 1 of cassette # 1. Record in the history of 2. The same applies to cassette # 2 of FIG. 11 (B). With this configuration, even if the media P of the media storage unit is replaced, it is not necessary to reset the history up to that point. As shown in FIG. 11C, when "fixed use" is not selected, history management is unnecessary.

<Fourth Embodiment>
In the first to third embodiments, when "fixed use" is selected without a history, for the first m media, the media is discriminated in the "detailed discriminant mode" and the temperature control temperature is determined. Was. In the present embodiment, when "fixed use" is selected in the state where there is no history, m media of the corresponding media storage unit are sequentially conveyed to the transport path, and the discrimination unit 40 is made to discriminate in the "detailed discrimination mode". .. At this time, since the toner image is not formed on the media P, the temperature control condition of the fixing portion 21 need only be set so that the transport of the media is not hindered. Further, the discharged media P can be stored in the media storage unit again and used for printing. As a result, the applied value of the temperature control temperature can be determined in advance, so that only the "simple determination mode" can be set from the first job, and the printing time can be shortened.

<Others>
In each of the above embodiments, the media is discriminated by capturing the reflected light and the transmitted light as shown in FIG. 2 with a CMOS sensor. However, the discriminating unit 40 is not limited to one that utilizes reflected light or transmitted light, and may be one that detects the surface property and thickness of the media P by ultrasonic waves. Further, a contact type piezoelectric element may be used to detect the unevenness and thickness of the surface of the media P. Further, a mechanical sensor may be used to measure the thickness of the media, a contact-type or non-contact-type displacement sensor may be used to detect the surface property of the media, or a magnetic sensor may be used to detect the thickness. Further, depending on the configuration of the discriminating unit 40 to be used, it is possible to discriminate while transporting the media without stopping the transport of the media. In the "detailed discrimination mode", the transport speed is slower than in the "simple discrimination mode". Further, the arrangement position of the discrimination unit 40 can also be changed according to the type of the discrimination unit 40 and the detection configuration. For example, it can be installed immediately before the secondary transfer roller 20.

In addition, each embodiment was described by taking temperature control temperature as an example as an image formation condition. However, the image formation conditions to be controlled are not limited to the temperature control temperature. For example, the transport speed of the media P and the interval between the media P can be controlled. Further, it is possible to control the electrostatic potential condition on the surface of each member of the fixing portion 21. Further, it is possible to control the transfer voltage / transfer current when transferring the toner image to the media P. For example, in the case of media P having a uniform surface and a thin surface, the transfer voltage can be set low, and in the case of media P having a rough surface and a thick surface, the transfer voltage can be set strongly. Further, when cleaning each unit after the transfer step or the fixing step is completed, the cleaning conditions can be changed.

Further, various settings for the image forming apparatus 100 can be configured not only from the operation panel 30 but also from the PC 31. In an environment where a plurality of PCs 31 are connected via a network, the settings made by one user from the PC31 are notified to another user's PC31 and displayed to share the settings for the image forming apparatus 100, and the other users can share the settings. It is possible to prevent the user from accidentally changing the setting.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1: Cassette, 40: Discrimination unit, 10: Control unit

Claims (17)

One or more storage means for storing media and
Conveying means for feeding transportable sheet feed media from one of the storage means of said one or more container means,
For each of the one or more storage means, a holding means for holding classification information indicating whether to use the first usage method or the second usage method, and
A discriminating means for discriminating the media to be conveyed by the conveying means, and
An image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and an image forming means.
The discriminant result of the media fed from the first storage means, which is indicated by the classification information of the one or more storage means to use the first usage method, by the discriminating means is related to the first storage means. storage means for storing as history,
A determination means for determining an application value of an image forming condition applied to a medium fed from the first storage means based on a history of the first storage means, and a determination means.
With
The discrimination means has a first discrimination mode and a second discrimination mode in which the discrimination time is longer than that of the first discrimination mode and the discrimination accuracy is higher than that of the first discrimination mode. The media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the second discriminant mode until the included discriminant result reaches the first predetermined number, and the discriminant result included in the history of the first storage means is the first. When the number exceeds a predetermined number, the media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the first determination mode, and when the second usage method is used, the media fed from the second storage means indicated by the classification information is used. In the second discrimination mode,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the determining means determines the value of the image forming condition applied to the media fed from the second accommodating means based on the determination result in the second determination mode. The determination means uses the determination result of the media fed from the first storage means in the second determination mode until the determination result included in the history of the first storage means reaches the first predetermined number. Based on this, the value of the image forming condition for the media is determined, and when the discrimination result included in the history of the first storage means exceeds the first predetermined number, the discrimination result included in the history of the first storage means is used. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an applied value is determined. The image formation according to claim 2, wherein the applied value is an average value of values of image formation conditions corresponding to each of the first predetermined number of determination results included in the history of the first storage means. Device. The determination means is an image corresponding to each of the added second predetermined number of discrimination results each time a second predetermined number of discrimination results in the first discrimination mode are added to the history of the first storage means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the applied value is updated based on an average value of the values of the forming conditions. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second predetermined number is larger than the first predetermined number. The transport means stops the transport of the media while the discriminating means discriminates the media, and the discriminating means determines the transport stop time when the discriminating means discriminates the media in the second discriminating mode. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transport stop time is longer than the transport stop time when the media is discriminated in the first discriminating mode. The transporting means is characterized in that the transport speed when the discriminating means discriminates media in the second discriminating mode is slower than the transport speed when the discriminating means discriminates media in the first discriminating mode. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The holding means further holds operation information indicating whether it operates in the first mode or the second mode.
The discriminating means discriminates the media when the operation information indicates that the operation information operates in the first mode, and discriminates the media when the operation information indicates that the operation information operates in the second mode. figure,
When the determination means indicates that the operation information operates in the first mode, the value of the image forming condition applied to the media fed from the first storage means is set as the application value, and the first 2 The value of the image formation condition applied to the media fed from the storage means is determined based on the discrimination result of the media in the second discrimination mode, and indicates that the operation information operates in the second mode. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the value of the image forming condition of the media fed from the one or more storage means is determined based on the user setting. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the storage means stores a history related to the first storage means in a non-volatile memory. One or more storage means for storing media and
A transport means for transporting media fed from any of the storage means of the one or more storage means, and a transport means.
A discriminating means for discriminating the media to be conveyed by the conveying means, and
An image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and an image forming means.
A storage means for storing the discrimination result of the media fed from the first storage means among the one or more storage means by the discrimination means as a history related to the first storage means, and a storage means.
A determination means for determining an application value of an image forming condition applied to a medium fed from the first storage means based on a history of the first storage means, and a determination means.
An input means for inputting the number of history n (n is an integer of 1 or more) to the user for storing the first housing means,
With
The discriminating means has a first discriminating mode and a second discriminating mode in which the discriminating time is longer than that of the first discriminating mode and the discriminating accuracy is higher than that of the first discriminating mode. The media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the second discriminant mode until the included discriminant result reaches the first predetermined number, and the discriminant result included in the history of the first storage means is the first. When the number exceeds a predetermined number, the media fed from the first storage means is discriminated in the first discriminating mode, and the media is discriminated.
When the number n is 2 or more, the input means causes the user to input the number k (k is an integer of 1 to n) of the history to be activated.
It said storage means, when the number n is 2 or more, for the first housing means, the first history manages the n history, the number of history to the active is k, the first housing The discriminant result of the media fed from the means by the discriminating means is stored in the k-history related to the first storage means.
When the number of the history to be activated is k, the determination means transfers the applied value of the image forming condition applied to the media fed from the first storage means to the k history related to the first storage means. images forming device shall be the determining means determines based. One or more storage means for storing media and
Conveying means for feeding transportable sheet feed media from one of the storage means of said one or more container means,
A discriminating means for discriminating the media to be conveyed by the conveying means, and
An image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and an image forming means.
Storage means for storing in non-volatile memory as the history related to the first housing means the discrimination result by the discriminating means of the feeding media from the first housing means of the one or more storage means,
A detection means for detecting a process in which a user accesses the media stored in the first storage means, and a detection means.
When the history relating to the first storage means and having a predetermined number or more of the determination results is stored in the non-volatile memory, the history is supplied from the first storage means regardless of the detection result by the detection means. A determination means for determining an application value of an image forming condition applied to a paper medium based on a history of the first storage means, and a determination means.
Equipped with a,
When the determination result included in the history of the first storage means is less than the predetermined number, the transport means sequentially conveys the predetermined number of media fed from the first storage means and discriminates to the discriminating means. Let me
The image forming means is characterized in that it does not form an image on the predetermined number of media sequentially conveyed by the conveying means while the discrimination result included in the history of the first storage means is less than the predetermined number. Image forming device. For each of the one or more storage means, a first selection means for allowing the user to select whether to use the first storage means or the second storage means is further provided.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the determining means determines the value of the image forming condition of the media fed from the second accommodating means based on the determination result of the media by the determining means. .. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 or 12 , further comprising an erasing means for erasing the history related to the first storage means in response to an erasing instruction by a user. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the image forming condition includes a fixing condition of an image formed on the medium. It said discriminating means, the surface of the medium, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 14, characterized in that to determine at least one of thickness and basis weight. One or more storage means for storing media and
A transport means for transporting media fed from any of the storage means of the one or more storage means, and a transport means.
A discriminating means for discriminating the media to be conveyed by the conveying means, and
An image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and an image forming means.
A storage means for storing the discrimination result of the media fed from the first storage means of the one or more storage means in the non-volatile memory as a history related to the first storage means.
A detection means for detecting a process in which a user accesses the media stored in the first storage means, and a detection means.
When the history relating to the first storage means and having a predetermined number or more of the determination results is stored in the non-volatile memory, the history is supplied from the first storage means regardless of the detection result by the detection means. A determination means for determining an application value of an image forming condition applied to a paper medium based on a history of the first storage means, and a determination means.
A first selection means that allows the user to select whether to use the first storage means or the second storage means for each of the one or more storage means.
With
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the determining means determines the value of the image forming condition of the media fed from the second storage means based on the determination result of the media by the determining means . One or more storage means for storing media and
A transport means for transporting media fed from any of the storage means of the one or more storage means, and a transport means.
A discriminating means for discriminating the media to be conveyed by the conveying means, and
An image forming means for forming an image on a medium conveyed by the conveying means, and an image forming means.
A storage means for storing the discrimination result of the media fed from the first storage means of the one or more storage means in the non-volatile memory as a history related to the first storage means.
A detection means for detecting a process in which a user accesses the media stored in the first storage means, and a detection means.
When the history relating to the first storage means and having a predetermined number or more of the determination results is stored in the non-volatile memory, the history is supplied from the first storage means regardless of the detection result by the detection means. A determination means for determining an application value of an image forming condition applied to a paper medium based on a history of the first storage means, and a determination means.
An erasing means for erasing the history related to the first storage means in response to an erasing instruction by the user, and an erasing means.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the image forming apparatus is provided .

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