JP7147385B2 - IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CONTROL PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a control program for the image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art There are known image forming apparatuses that form images on various types of continuous paper, such as long roll paper wound into a roll and long label roll paper composed of label paper such as stickers. An image forming apparatus may use an image called an eye mark (eye mark image) as a mark for alignment in order to perform various processes on continuous paper.

The eye mark is used, for example, in so-called overprinting, in which an overprinting image is superimposed on a background image. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200011 describes a technique in which a pre-formed mark is detected during additional printing, and a pre-image (base image) and an additional-printed image are aligned according to the mark. It is

JP-A-2003-39630

Eye marks are also used for purposes other than reprinting. For example, eye marks are used in post-processing including die-cutting of images including half-cutting of label images on label roll paper and foil stamping. If different types of eyemarks are formed for each of a plurality of different processes such as reprinting and post-processing, it becomes complicated. Therefore, there is a need to share eyemarks for a plurality of different processes.

However, if an eyemark is shared by multiple different processes, each process requires a different eyemark. For example, it is assumed that after additional printing is performed, die cutting is performed as post-processing. In the additional printing, the additional printing image is formed based on the data of the additional printing image divided by page. Therefore, for example, when one page includes a plurality of reprinted images, one eye mark is used as a reference to form the plurality of reprinted images included in one page at a time. On the other hand, die-cutting is performed for each image, not for each page. Therefore, for example, one eye mark is used as a reference, and the die-cutting is performed for each image.

Therefore, if the eye-mark is shared for multiple different processes of reprinting and die-cutting, the user must set the image forming apparatus to ignore the eye-mark for die-cutting during re-printing. This is because if the image forming apparatus does not ignore the die-cutting eye mark during the additional printing, it may detect the next eye mark before completing the formation of the additional printing image for one page, resulting in a malfunction. be. Currently, the user can determine the distance at which eye marks are ignored based on the layout of reprinted images included in one page, which can be confirmed on a print preview screen, etc., and the eye marks actually formed on the continuous paper. are checked and input to the image forming device. Therefore, the user has to perform complicated work, and there is a problem that the burden on the user increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus and a control program for the image forming apparatus that reduce the user's burden of sharing an eye mark for a plurality of different processes.

The above objects of the present invention are achieved by the following means.

(1) a conveying unit that conveys a continuous sheet of paper on which an eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous sheet of paper conveyed by the conveying unit; An image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper and a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit are acquired, and based on the size of the image, some of the plurality of eye marks are selected. a control unit configured to control the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore the eye mark , wherein the control unit controls the conveying unit to perform the continuous operation without causing the image forming unit to form the image; The eye mark is detected by the detection unit while the paper is conveyed, and the eye mark is detected by the detection unit while the continuous paper is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image based on the size of the image. confirming the interval or the number of the eye-marks, and not detecting the eye-marks other than one eye-mark in the range corresponding to the size of the image based on the interval or the number of the eye-marks An image forming apparatus that controls the detection unit to ignore the eye mark .
(2) a transport unit that transports the continuous paper on which the eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper transported by the transport unit; An image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper and a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit are acquired, and based on the size of the image, some of the plurality of eye marks are selected. a control unit configured to control the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore the eye mark, wherein the control unit controls the conveying unit to perform the continuous operation without causing the image forming unit to form the image; The eye mark is detected by the detection unit while the paper is conveyed, and the eye mark is detected by the detection unit while the continuous paper is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image based on the size of the image. and confirming the interval or number of said eye-marks, and based on said interval or number of said eye-marks, not forming said image in response to said eye-marks other than one said eye-mark in a range corresponding to said image size. and controlling the image forming unit to ignore some of the eyemarks.
(3) a transport unit that transports the continuous paper on which the eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper transported by the transport unit; An image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper and a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit are acquired, and based on the size of the image, some of the plurality of eye marks are selected. a control unit that controls the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore an eye mark; While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper, causing the detecting unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, while the continuous paper is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image, The image forming apparatus confirms the interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit, and the operation display unit displays the confirmed interval or the number of the eye marks.

( 4 ) The image forming unit forms the image for one page according to one eye mark, and the size of the image is the size of one page of the image in the conveying direction of the continuous paper. (1) The image forming apparatus according to any one of (3) .

( 5 ) The control unit conveys the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit in a direction opposite to a normal conveying direction without causing the image forming unit to form the image, and returns the continuous paper to an initial position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of ( 1 ) to ( 4 ) above, wherein the conveying section is controlled in the second direction.

( 6 ) The image forming apparatus according to ( 3 ), wherein the operation display unit further receives a user's operation for confirming or correcting the interval or number of the eye marks.

( 7 ) a conveying unit that conveys a continuous sheet of paper on which an eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous sheet of paper conveyed by the conveying unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper, wherein an obtaining step of obtaining the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit; a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the acquired image; In the step, the image forming unit is not caused to form the image, the conveying unit is caused to convey the continuous paper, the detection unit is caused to detect the eye mark, and the continuous paper is detected based on the size of the image. While the image is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image, the interval or number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked, and the size of the image is determined based on the interval or number of the eye marks. A control program for causing a computer to execute a process of controlling the detection unit so as to ignore some of the eyemarks by not detecting the eyemarks other than one of the eyemarks in the range .
(8) a transport unit that transports the continuous paper on which the eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper transported by the transport unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper, wherein an obtaining step of obtaining the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit; a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the acquired image; In the step, the image forming unit is not caused to form the image, the conveying unit is caused to convey the continuous paper, the detection unit is caused to detect the eye mark, and the continuous paper is detected based on the size of the image. While the image is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image, the interval or number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked, and the size of the image is determined based on the interval or number of the eye marks. for causing a computer to execute processing for controlling the image forming unit to ignore some of the eyemarks by not forming the image in response to the eyemarks other than one of the eyemarks in the control program.
(9) a transport unit that transports the continuous paper on which the eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper transported by the transport unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on the continuous paper and an operation display unit, the acquiring step acquiring the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit. a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image obtained in the obtaining step; wherein the control step causes the detecting unit to detect the eye mark while causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, and based on the size of the image, confirming the interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit while the continuous paper is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image; A control program for causing a computer to execute processing including a display step for displaying on the operation display unit.

According to the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the detection unit is configured to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit. Alternatively, the image forming section is controlled. Thereby, the image forming apparatus can form an image on the continuous paper while ignoring the eye marks formed for different processes among the plurality of eye marks. Therefore, the user does not need to set the image forming apparatus to ignore the eyemark, and the image forming apparatus can reduce the user's burden of sharing the eyemark for a plurality of different processes.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an eye mark required for die cutting; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an eye mark required for additional printing; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is a subroutine flowchart showing an example of a procedure of processing in step S103 of FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of calculating an eye mark skipping distance; 4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 6 is a subroutine flowchart showing another example of the procedure of the processing in step S103 of FIG. 5; FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

(Image forming system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the image forming system 1 includes a paper feeder 10 , a paper feed adjuster 20 , an image forming device 30 , a paper discharge adjuster 40 and a take-up device 50 . These devices are connected in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction in which the continuous paper S is conveyed.

The paper feeding device 10 accommodates and holds roll paper R0 as continuous paper S rolled into a roll, and supplies the continuous paper S in the transport direction of the continuous paper S. As shown in FIG.

The paper feed adjustment device 20 holds the continuous paper S in a slack state, and adjusts the supply of the continuous paper S to the image forming device 30 . In other words, the paper feed adjustment device 20 has a buffer function that absorbs a minute difference in the transport speed of the continuous paper S between the paper feed device 10 and the image forming device 30, deviation of the continuous paper S, and the like.

The image forming apparatus 30 forms an image on the continuous paper S based on image data using a well-known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process.

The discharge adjustment device 40 holds the continuous paper S in a slack state and adjusts the supply of the continuous paper S to the winding device 50 . That is, the paper discharge adjustment device 40, like the paper feed adjustment device 20, absorbs a slight difference in the transport speed of the continuous paper S between the image forming device 30 and the winding device 50, the deviation of the continuous paper S, and the like. It has a buffer function to In addition, the paper ejection adjustment device 40 includes a cutter 45 for performing die-cutting of images including half-cutting of label images.

The winding device 50 winds the discharged continuous paper S into a roll to form roll paper R1.

In the following description, a case where roll paper is used as the continuous paper S will be described as an example, but the continuous paper S is not limited to roll paper. The continuous paper S may be, for example, alternately folded. Further, the material of the continuous paper S is not limited to paper, and may be cloth, film, or the like, for example. Further, the continuous paper S may be a label paper configured by attaching a label, which is paper coated with an adhesive, to a release paper.

Next, details of the image forming apparatus 30 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 30 includes a control unit 31, an image processing unit 32, an operation display unit 33, an image reading unit (scanner unit) 34, a conveying unit 35, a detection unit 36, and an image forming unit. (Printer section) 37 is provided.

The control unit 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs and various data in advance, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores programs and data as a work area, and various programs. and a hard disk drive (HDD) for storing various data. The CPU of the control unit 31 executes control of each component described above, various arithmetic processing, etc. according to various programs stored in a storage area such as a ROM or a hard disk. For example, the control unit 31 communicates and cooperates with the control units 11, 21, 41, and 51 of the paper feeder 10, the paper feed adjustment device 20, the discharge adjustment device 40, and the take-up device 50 to control the continuous paper S. to control the transport of

The image processing unit 32 performs various types of image processing on image data included in a print job received from a user terminal 2 or the like, which is a terminal such as a user's PC (Personal Computer). For example, the image processing unit 32 performs rasterization processing on image data in PDL format or the like included in a print job to generate image data in raster format (bitmap format).

The operation display unit 33 includes, for example, a touch panel, numeric keys, a start button, a stop button, etc., and displays various information and receives various operations.

The image reading unit 34 has a sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), reads a document set on a document table, and generates image data corresponding to the document.

The transport unit 35 includes a transport path 351 , a plurality of transport rollers 352 , and a drive motor (not shown) that drives the transport rollers 352 , and transports the continuous paper S along the transport path 351 .

The detection unit 36 includes a sensor that detects an eye mark formed on the continuous paper S. As shown in FIG. The detection unit 36 may include sensors such as CCD and CIS, for example. The detection unit 36 may also include a line sensor configured by arranging a plurality of sensors in a line along the main scanning direction. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the detection unit 36 is arranged outside the image forming apparatus 30, but the position of the detection unit 36 is not limited to this. It may be arranged along the transport path 351 .

The image forming section 37 includes an image forming unit for each color, an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing section, etc., and uses a well-known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process including each step of charging, exposure, development, transfer and fixing. An image is formed on the continuous paper S based on the image data. The image forming unit for each color includes a photosensitive drum as an image carrier, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer roller, a cleaning device (none of which are shown), and the like arranged around the photosensitive drum. .

Note that the image forming system 1 may include components other than the components described above, or may not include some of the components described above. For example, instead of the paper ejection adjustment device 40 of the image forming system 1 having the cutter 45 , the image forming system 1 may further include an independent processing device having the cutter 45 .

Also, the image forming system 1 performs a plurality of different processes according to eye marks formed on the continuous paper S. FIG. In the following, the overall process flow of the image forming system 1 will be described, taking as an example the case where the image forming system 1 performs additional printing and die cutting as a plurality of different processes.

First, on the continuous paper S supplied by the paper feeding device 10 and transported by the paper feeding adjusting device 20, based on the background image data included in the print job received by the image forming device 30 from the user terminal 2 or the like, A base image and an eye mark are formed. The background image data may include eye mark data. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 30 may automatically generate an eye mark and form it on the continuous paper S in accordance with the base image. Then, the winding device 50 winds up the continuous paper S on which the background image and the eye mark are formed by the image forming device 30 and which is transported by the paper ejection adjustment device 40 .

When additional printing is performed, the continuous paper S wound by the winding device 50 needs to be set in the paper feeding device 10 again. It should be noted that the base image and the eye mark, and the additional printing image described below may be formed by the same image forming system 1 or may be formed by different image forming systems 1 . The image forming apparatus 30 acquires the data of the reprint image included in the print job received from the user terminal 2 or the like as the image to be formed according to the eye mark. Then, the image forming apparatus 30 forms an additional print image on the continuous paper S supplied by the paper feeding device 10 and conveyed by the paper feed adjustment device 20 based on the data of the additional print image. More specifically, the image forming apparatus 30 detects an eye mark formed on the continuous paper S, and forms an overprint image superimposed on the background image according to the detected eye mark. The image forming apparatus 30 determines the period from the detection of the eye mark to the formation of the overprint image based on the distance between the detection unit 36 and the image forming unit 37 and the transport speed of the continuous paper S, for example. By adjusting, an additional print image is formed in accordance with the position of the eye mark. The image forming apparatus 30 may complete the label image, for example, by forming the additional print image over the base image.

When die cutting is performed after the additional printing, the cutter 45 performs die cutting on the continuous paper S on which the additional printing image is formed by the image forming apparatus 30 . More specifically, the cutter 45 performs die-cutting of the image including half-cutting of the label image according to the eye mark formed on the continuous paper S. As shown in FIG. Then, the winding device 50 winds up the continuous paper S that has been die-cut by the cutting device 45 and conveyed by the discharge adjustment device 40 .

As noted above, overprinting and die-cutting share eyemarks formed with the underlying image. In the following, the difference in eye marks used for reprinting and die cutting will be described in detail.

(eye mark used for die cutting)
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining eye marks required for die cutting.

Die-cutting is performed for each image arranged along the conveying direction of the continuous paper S. As shown in FIG. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when a plurality of images I are arranged side by side in the y direction orthogonal to the x direction, which is the conveying direction of the continuous paper S, die cutting is performed by arranging the plurality of images I arranged in the y direction. may be performed for each image group IG, which is a group of . Therefore, die-cutting requires one eyemark per image, or group of images as described above.

(eye mark used for reprinting)
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining eye marks required for additional printing.

In the additional printing, an additional printing image is formed based on the data of the additional printing image divided into pages of a predetermined size. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when one page P includes a plurality of images I, reprinting requires one eye mark E for each page P. As shown in FIG. That is, the additional printing uses, for example, the size of the page P in the x direction, which is the conveying direction of the continuous paper S, as a repetition unit, and requires one eye mark for each repetition unit.

Thus, the number of eye-marks required for reprinting is less than the number of eye-marks required for die-cutting. Therefore, when post-printing shares die-cutting and eye-marks, image forming apparatus 30 selects some eye-marks that are used only for die-cutting among a plurality of eye-marks shared by post-printing and die-cutting during post-printing. Ignore the mark. In the following, ignoring the eye-mark is referred to as "skipping the eye-mark", and the procedure of processing of the image forming apparatus 30 for skipping the eye-mark during additional printing will be described.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the background image and the eye mark are formed on the continuous paper S before the process of FIG. 5 is started.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a subroutine flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of step S103 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of calculating an eye mark skipping distance. The algorithms shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 are stored as programs in the storage area of the control section 31 of the image forming apparatus 30 and executed by the CPU of the control section 31 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 31 first determines whether or not the skip eye mark setting is enabled (step S101). The eye mark skip setting may be enabled or disabled by the user via the operation display unit 33 or the like, for example.

If it is determined that the skip eye mark setting is not enabled (step S101: NO), that is, if it is determined that the skip eye mark setting is disabled, the control unit 31 terminates the process.

If it is determined that the eye mark skip setting is enabled (step S101: YES), the control unit 31 determines whether or not a print job including reprint image data is received from the user terminal 2 or the like. (step S102).

When determining that the print job has not been received (step S102: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the print job is received.

If it is determined that the print job has been received (step S102: YES), the control unit 31 proceeds to step S103 to calculate the eye mark jump distance. The process of step S103 is a process for calculating a distance (hereinafter referred to as "eye mark skipping distance") at which the eye mark is ignored in the conveying direction of the continuous paper S during the formation of the additionally printed image.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the eye mark skipping distance calculation process, the control unit 31 first determines the size of one page of the reprinted image (hereinafter referred to as "image size") to be formed by the image forming unit 37. Acquire (step S201). More specifically, the control unit 31 acquires the image size in the transport direction of the continuous paper S based on the data of the reprint image included in the print job determined to have been received in step S102.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 confirms the repetition unit (repetition distance) in forming the reprinted image based on the image size acquired in step S201 (step S202). As described above, since the reprinted image is formed on a page-by-page basis, the control unit 31 confirms the image size acquired in step S201 as it is as a repeat unit, for example. Alternatively, the control unit 31 checks the size of the margin to be added between each page (for example, 1 mm) when the image forming unit 37 forms the reprinted image, and adds the size of the margin to the image size. may be identified as a repeating unit. However, in this case, the eye marks formed on the continuous paper S are also formed in consideration of the margins between each page.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 calculates the eye mark skipping distance based on the repetition unit confirmed in step S202 (step S203). Then, the control unit 31 returns to the process of FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 31 subtracts the distance d2 required for the detection unit 36 to recognize the eye mark E from the repetition distance d1 in the x direction, which is the conveying direction of the continuous paper S, , the eye mark skipping distance D is calculated. As described above, the repetition distance d1 may be the image size, or may be the image size plus the margin size. The distance d2 corresponds to, for example, the distance that the transport unit 35 transports the continuous paper S while the detection unit 36 is detecting the eye mark. However, the method of calculating the eye mark skipping distance is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

The control unit 31 returns to the process of FIG. 5 and controls the transport unit 35 to start transporting the continuous paper S (step S104). The control unit 31 also cooperates with the control units 11, 21, 41, and 51 of the paper feeder 10, the paper feed adjustment device 20, the paper discharge adjustment device 40, and the take-up device 50 to start conveying the continuous paper S. .

Subsequently, the control section 31 controls the detection section 36 to start detecting the eye mark formed on the continuous paper S transported by the transport section 35 (step S105). Note that the order of the processes in steps S104 and S105 may be changed. The control unit 31 causes the detection unit 36 to start detecting an eye mark by, for example, turning on the power supply or switch of the detection unit 36 . Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not one eye mark is detected by the detection unit 36 (step S106).

When determining that the eye mark is not detected (step S106: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the eye mark is detected.

When determining that an eye mark has been detected (step S106: YES), the control unit 31 controls the detection unit 36 so as to temporarily terminate the detection of the eye mark (step S107). The control unit 31 causes the detection unit 36 to end the detection by, for example, turning off the power source or switch of the detection unit 36 . The control unit 31 executes the processes of steps S106 and S107 so that the detection unit 36 does not detect a plurality of eye marks at once.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 starts forming an overprinted image for one page on the continuous paper S transported by the transport unit 35 in accordance with one eye mark determined to have been detected in step S106. , controls the image forming section 37 (step S108). The control unit 31 controls the image forming unit 37 so as not to form reprint images for a plurality of pages at once. After it is determined that the eye mark is detected in step S106, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance (step S109).

If it is determined that the continuous paper S has not been conveyed by the eye-mark skipping distance (step S109: NO), the control unit 31 causes the image forming unit 37 to continue forming one page of the additional printed image, and It waits until S is conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance.

When determining that the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance (step S109: YES), the control section 31 proceeds to the process of step S110. Incidentally, referring to FIG. 7, it can be said that the image forming apparatus 30 has completed the formation of one page of the additional printed image at the time when the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance D. Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the formation of all the additional printing images to be formed on the continuous paper S has been completed (step S110).

If it is determined that the formation of all the reprinted images has not been completed (step S110: NO), the control section 31 returns to the process of step S105. Then, the control unit 31 repeats the processing of steps S105 to S110 until the formation of all the additional printed images is completed. That is, the control unit 31 repeats the control of the detection unit 36 so as not to detect other eye marks until the continuous paper S is conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance after an arbitrary eye mark is detected. . Further, the control section 31 repeats the control of the image forming section 37 so as to form an additional print image according to the detected eye mark. The control unit 31 may calculate the period during which the eye mark is not detected by dividing the eye mark skipping distance by the continuous paper S transport speed. Then, the control section 31 may control the detection section 36 so as not to detect any other eye-mark until the continuous paper S is conveyed for that period after an arbitrary eye-mark is detected.

Note that the control unit 31 may perform the process of step S109 in consideration of the power rising characteristics of the detection unit 36 and the like. That is, in step S109, the control unit 31 confirms in advance the distance over which the continuous paper S is conveyed from when the power of the detection unit 36 is turned on until the detection unit 36 is in a state where it can actually be detected. It may be determined whether or not the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the distance subtracted from the mark skipping distance. As a result, the control unit 31 can avoid a situation in which the eye mark passes without being detected while the detection unit 36 is powered on.

If it is determined that the formation of all the overprinted images has been completed (step S110: YES), the control section 31 controls the transport section 35 to end the transport of the continuous paper S (step S111). Then, the control unit 31 terminates the processing.

The image forming apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment has the following effects.

The image forming apparatus 30 controls the detection unit 36 to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit 37 (image size). . As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 can form an image on the continuous paper S while ignoring eye marks formed for different processes among the plurality of eye marks. Therefore, the user does not need to set the image forming apparatus 30 to ignore the eyemark, and the image forming apparatus 30 can reduce the user's burden of sharing the eyemark for a plurality of different processes.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 forms an image for one page according to one eye mark, and the size of the image is the size of one page of the image in the conveying direction of the continuous paper S. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection unit 36 to ignore some eye marks based on the size of one page of the image in the continuous paper S transport direction.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 confirms the repetition unit in image formation based on the size of the image, and calculates the distance for ignoring the eye mark based on the repetition unit. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection unit 36 so as to accurately ignore some of the eyemarks based on the calculated eyemark ignoring distance.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 ignores part of the eye-marks by not detecting other eye-marks until the continuous paper S is conveyed by a distance for ignoring the eye-marks after one eye-mark is detected. The detection unit 36 is controlled so as to do so. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection unit 36 so as to accurately ignore some of the eyemarks based on the calculated eyemark ignoring distance.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 confirms the image size as a repetition unit. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection section 36 to ignore some of the eye marks based on the size of the image itself.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 confirms the size of the image plus the size of the margin to be added between each page when the image forming unit 37 forms the image, as a repetition unit. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection unit 36 to more accurately ignore some eyemarks based on the size considering the margin.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the claims.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the case where the image forming apparatus 30 automatically controls the detection unit 36 based on the calculated eye mark skipping distance has been described as an example. However, before automatically controlling the detection unit 36, the image forming apparatus 30 displays information about the repetition unit confirmed based on the image size, etc., the calculated eye mark skipping distance, etc., and asks the user to confirm it. may That is, the process of FIG. 5 may further include a step of displaying on the operation display unit 33 information about at least one of the repetition unit and the eye mark skipping distance before starting the transport of the continuous paper S in step S104. good. The process of FIG. 5 further includes a step of determining whether or not the user's operation for confirming the repetition unit, eye mark skipping distance, etc. has been received. , the process may proceed to step S104. As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 allows the user to confirm the repetition unit, eye mark skipping distance, etc., and then proceeds to the process of forming an image.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation display section of the image forming apparatus.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the operation display unit 33 displays information about the repetition unit confirmed based on the image size or the like as "Repeat Length". In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when the user determines that the displayed repeating unit is incorrect, the operation display unit 33 displays software indicating numbers or the like in order to accept the user's operation to correct the repeating unit. key can be displayed. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the operation display unit 33 displays information about the distance that the continuous paper S is transported from when the power of the detection unit 36 is turned on to when the detection unit 36 is in a state where detection can actually be performed. It may be displayed as "Spot Window".

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when the user determines that the displayed repetition unit is incorrect, the operation display unit 33 accepts the user's operation to instruct execution of the process of the following modified example. , and “start automatic transfer measurement” may be displayed.

(Modification)
A modification according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In the above-described embodiment, image forming apparatus 30 calculates the eye mark skipping distance based on the image size. In a modified example, the image forming apparatus 30 uses the image size to more accurately calculate the eye mark skipping distance by a different method.

FIG. 9 is a subroutine flowchart showing another example of the processing procedure of step S103 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 31 first acquires the image size in the conveying direction of the continuous paper S based on the data of the reprint image included in the print job determined to have been received in step S102 ( step S301). Then, the control unit 31 controls the transport unit 35 to start transporting the continuous paper S (step S302). At this time, the control unit 31 causes the conveying unit 35 to start conveying the continuous paper S (non-printing conveying) without causing the image forming apparatus 30 to form an image. The control unit 31 also cooperates with the control units 11, 21, 41, and 51 of the paper feeder 10, the paper feed adjustment device 20, the discharge adjustment device 40, and the take-up device 50 to control the transport of the continuous paper S. You can start.

Subsequently, the control section 31 controls the detection section 36 to start detecting the eye mark formed on the continuous paper S transported by the transport section 35 (step S303). Note that the order of the processes in steps S302 and S303 may be changed. Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an arbitrary eyemark has been detected by the detection unit 36 as the first eyemark (step S304).

When determining that the first eye mark has not been detected (step S304: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the first eye mark is detected.

When determining that the first eye mark has been detected (step S304: YES), the control unit 31 proceeds to the process of step S305. Then, based on the image size obtained in step S301, the control unit 31 determines whether the continuous paper S has been conveyed by a distance corresponding to the image size after determining that the first eye mark was detected in step S304. is determined (step S305).

When determining that the continuous paper S has not been conveyed by the distance corresponding to the image size (step S305: NO), the controller 31 waits until the continuous paper S is conveyed by the distance corresponding to the image size.

When determining that the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the distance corresponding to the image size (step S305: YES), the control section 31 proceeds to the process of step S306. Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the eye mark that appears immediately after the continuous paper S is conveyed by the distance corresponding to the image size has been detected by the detection unit 36 as the last eye mark (step S306). .

When determining that the last eyemark has not been detected (step S306: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the last eyemark is detected.

When determining that the last eye mark has been detected (step S306: YES), the control unit 31 controls the detection unit 36 to end the detection of the eye mark (step S307). Then, the control section 31 controls the transport section 35 to finish transporting the continuous paper S (step S308). Note that the order of the processes in steps S307 and S308 may be changed.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 confirms the distance from the first eyemark detected in step S304 to the last eyemark detected in step S306 as a repetition unit (step S309). Then, the control unit 31 calculates the eye mark skipping distance based on the repetition unit (repetition distance) confirmed in step S309 (step S310). For example, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the control unit 31 calculates the eye mark skipping distance by subtracting the distance necessary for the detection unit 36 to recognize the eye mark E from the repetition distance.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 returns to the processing of FIG. Before returning to the process of FIG. 5, the control unit 31 transports the continuous paper S, which was transported without printing in the process of FIG. 35 may be controlled.

The image forming apparatus 30 according to the modified example has the following effects.

The image forming apparatus 30 causes the conveying unit 35 to convey the continuous paper S without causing the image forming unit 37 to form an image, and causes the detecting unit 36 to detect the eye mark. Then, the image forming apparatus 30 calculates the distance from the first eye mark detected by the detection unit 36 to the last eye mark detected immediately after the continuous paper S is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image, Confirm as a repeating unit. As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 can confirm the repetition unit based on the eye mark actually formed on the continuous paper S without acquiring the image size based on the image data included in the print job. .

Note that when the eyemark ignoring distance is calculated with the image size as the unit of repetition, there must be a margin size difference between the calculated eyemark ignoring distance and the actually required eyemark ignoring distance. error may occur. If the image forming apparatus 30 does not consider the margin size error, the influence of the error increases during the process, and the image may not be formed accurately. On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 30 according to the modification automatically considers the margin size error based on the eyemarks actually formed on the continuous paper S, and corrects some of the eyemarks. The detector 36 can be controlled to ignore the

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 conveys the continuous paper S conveyed by the conveying unit 35 without causing the image forming unit 37 to form an image, in a direction opposite to the normal conveying direction, and returns it to the initial position. It controls the transport section 35 . As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 can use the continuous paper S for forming an image without wasting the continuous paper S that has been conveyed without printing.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the modified examples described above, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the claims.

For example, in the modified example described above, the image forming apparatus 30 repeats the distance from the first eye mark to the last eye mark detected immediately after the continuous paper S is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the image size. The case of confirming as is described as an example. However, the distance over which the image forming apparatus 30 conveys the continuous paper S is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus 30 divides, for example, the distance from the first eye mark to the last eye mark detected immediately after the continuous paper S is conveyed by the distance corresponding to the integral multiple of the image size by the integer. You may confirm the distance calculated by this as a repeating unit.

Also, the image forming apparatus 30 may control the detector 36 by a different method. More specifically, based on the obtained image size, the image forming apparatus 30 determines the distance between the eye marks detected by the detection unit 36 while the continuous paper S is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the image size without printing. Or you can check the number. Then, image forming apparatus 30 may specify eyemarks other than one eyemark in the range corresponding to the image size as eyemarks to be ignored, based on the confirmed interval or number of eyemarks. For example, image forming apparatus 30 may specify eyemarks other than the first eyemark in the range corresponding to the image size as eyemarks to be ignored, based on the confirmed interval or number of eyemarks. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 30 may control the detection unit 36 to ignore some eyemarks by not detecting the eyemarks to be ignored. In this manner, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the detection unit 36 by a method other than confirming the repetition unit by applying the non-printing conveyance of the modified example.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 may display information about the interval or the number of eye marks for confirmation by the user instead of displaying the repetition unit, the eye mark skipping distance, and the like as described above. That is, the image forming apparatus 30 may display information about the interval or the number of eye-marks instead of the information about the repeating unit, etc., as illustrated in FIG. You may accept the user's operation to As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 allows the user to confirm the interval or the number of the confirmed eye marks, and then proceeds to the process of forming an image.

(Second embodiment)
Hereinafter, the processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which the image forming apparatus 30 controls the detection unit 36 so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the eye mark skipping distance. did. In the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 controls the image forming unit 37 so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the eye mark skipping distance. explain.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. The algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 is stored as a program in the storage area of the controller 31 of the image forming apparatus 30 and executed by the CPU of the controller 31 . Note that the processing of steps S401 to S404 in FIG. 10 is the same as the processing in steps S101 to S104 of FIG. 5, so description thereof will be omitted. That is, the control unit 31 executes the process of FIG. 6 or FIG. 9 as the process of step S403.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 31 controls the detection unit 36 to start detecting eye marks formed on the continuous paper S transported by the transport unit 35 (step S405). Note that the order of the processes in steps S404 and S405 may be changed. Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not one eye mark is detected by the detection unit 36 (step S406).

When determining that the eye mark is not detected (step S406: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the eye mark is detected.

When determining that an eye mark has been detected (step S406: YES), the control unit 31 proceeds to the process of step S407. Then, the control unit 31 starts forming an overprinted image for one page on the continuous paper S conveyed by the conveying unit 35 in accordance with one eye mark determined to have been detected in step S406. The image forming section 37 is controlled (step S407). The control unit 31 controls the image forming unit 37 so as not to form reprint images for a plurality of pages at once. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the detection unit 36 is not controlled so as to once terminate the detection of the eye mark each time the detection unit 36 detects one eye mark.

Subsequently, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance since it was determined that the eye mark was detected in step S406 (step S408).

If it is determined that the continuous paper S has not been conveyed by the eye-mark skipping distance (step S408: NO), the control unit 31 causes the image forming unit 37 to continue forming one page of the additional printed image, and It waits until S is conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance.

If it is determined that the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance (step S408: YES), the control section 31 proceeds to the process of step S409. Incidentally, referring to FIG. 7, it can be said that the image forming apparatus 30 has completed the formation of one page of the additional printed image at the time when the continuous paper S has been conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance D. Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not all the additional printing images to be formed on the continuous paper S have been formed (step S409).

When determining that the formation of all the reprinted images has not been completed (step S409: NO), the control unit 31 returns to the process of step S406. Then, the control unit 31 repeats the processing of steps S406 to S408 until the formation of all the additional printed images is completed. The control unit 31 controls the image forming unit 37 so as to start forming an overprint image for one page according to one eye mark detected immediately after returning to step S406. That is, the control unit 31 does not form an additional print image in accordance with other eye marks until the continuous paper S is conveyed by the eye mark skipping distance after the additional print image is formed in accordance with an arbitrary eye mark. Thus, the control of the image forming section 37 is repeated. The control unit 31 may calculate the period during which the overprinted image is not formed by dividing the eye mark skipping distance by the continuous paper S conveying speed. Then, the control unit 31 does not form an additional print image in accordance with another eye mark until the continuous paper S is conveyed for the period after the additional print image is formed in accordance with an arbitrary eye mark. , the image forming section 37 may be controlled.

If it is determined that the formation of all the reprinted images has been completed (step S409: YES), the control section 31 controls the detection section 36 to end the detection of the eye mark (step S410). Then, the control section 31 controls the conveying section 35 to finish conveying the continuous paper S (step S411). Note that the order of steps S410 and S411 may be changed. After that, the control unit 31 terminates the process.

The image forming apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment has the following effects.

Image forming apparatus 30 controls image forming section 37 to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image to be formed by image forming section 37 . As a result, the image forming apparatus 30 can form an image on the continuous paper S while ignoring eye marks formed for different processes among the plurality of eye marks. Therefore, the user does not need to set the image forming apparatus 30 to ignore the eyemark, and the image forming apparatus 30 can reduce the user's burden of sharing the eyemark for a plurality of different processes.

Further, the image forming apparatus 30 forms images according to other eye marks until the continuous paper S is conveyed by a distance that ignores the eye marks after the additional printing image is formed according to one eye mark. The image forming section 37 is controlled so as to ignore some of the eyemarks by not doing so. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the image forming section 37 so as to accurately ignore some of the eyemarks based on the calculated eyemark ignoring distance.

Note that in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 uses the repetition unit confirmed based on the image size or the like and the calculated icon before automatically controlling the image forming unit 37 . Information about the mark skipping distance or the like may be displayed for the user to confirm.

Also in the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 detects the eye mark detected by the detection unit 36 based on the obtained image size while the continuous paper S is conveyed by the distance corresponding to the image size without printing. You may check the interval or number of Then, image forming apparatus 30 may specify eyemarks other than one eyemark in the range corresponding to the image size as eyemarks to be ignored, based on the confirmed interval or number of eyemarks. Further, the image forming apparatus 30 may control the image forming section 37 to ignore some eyemarks by not forming images according to the eyemarks to be ignored. As described above, the image forming apparatus 30 can control the image forming section 37 by a method other than confirming the repeating unit by applying the non-printing conveyance of the modified example of the first embodiment.

Further, the processing in the image forming apparatus 30 according to the above-described embodiment may include steps other than the steps of the above-described flowchart, or may not include some of the above-described steps. Also, the order of steps is not limited to the embodiment described above. Furthermore, each step may be combined with other steps and executed as one step, may be executed while being included in other steps, or may be divided into a plurality of steps and executed.

Moreover, means and methods for performing various processes in the image forming apparatus 30 according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided, for example, by a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. Further, the above program may be provided as independent application software, or may be incorporated into the software of the image forming apparatus 30 as one function thereof.

1 imaging system,
10 paper feeding device,
11, 21, 31, 41 control unit,
20 paper feed adjusting device,
30 image forming apparatus,
32 image processing unit,
33 operation display unit,
34 image reading unit,
35 transport section,
36 detector,
37 image forming unit,
40 paper ejection adjustment device,
45 cutter,
50 Take-up device.

Claims (9)

a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which eye marks are formed;
a detection unit capable of detecting the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit;
an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper according to the eye mark;
obtaining the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit; a control unit that controls the image forming unit ;
The control unit
While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, causing the detection unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, the continuous paper is determined to be the size of the image. The interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked while the image is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size, and based on the interval or the number of the eye marks, in the range corresponding to the size of the image. An image forming apparatus that controls the detection unit to ignore some of the eye-marks by not detecting the eye-marks other than one of the eye-marks . a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which eye marks are formed;
a detection unit capable of detecting the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit;
an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper according to the eye mark;
obtaining the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit; a control unit that controls the image forming unit ;
The control unit
While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, causing the detection unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, the continuous paper is determined to be the size of the image. The interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked while the image is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size, and based on the interval or the number of the eye marks, in the range corresponding to the size of the image. An image forming apparatus for controlling the image forming unit to ignore some of the eyemarks by not forming the image in response to the eyemarks other than one of the eyemarks . a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which eye marks are formed;
a detection unit capable of detecting the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit;
an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous paper according to the eye mark;
obtaining the size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit; a control unit that controls the image forming unit;
and an operation display unit,
The control unit
While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, causing the detection unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, the continuous paper is determined to be the size of the image. confirming the interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detecting unit while being conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the operation display unit displays the interval or the number of the confirmed eye marks . The image forming unit forms the image for one page according to one eye mark,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the size of the image is the size of one page of the image in the conveying direction of the continuous paper. The control unit conveys the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit in a direction opposite to a normal conveying direction without causing the image forming unit to form the image, and conveys the continuous paper so as to return to an initial position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the image forming apparatus controls the unit. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the operation display unit further receives a user's operation for confirming or correcting the interval or number of the eye marks. a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which an eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image in
an obtaining step of obtaining a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit;
a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image obtained in the obtaining step; including
In the control step, the image forming unit is not caused to form the image, the conveying unit is caused to convey the continuous paper, the detection unit is caused to detect the eye mark, and the continuous sheet is detected based on the size of the image. While the paper is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size of the image, the interval or number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked, and the size of the image is determined based on the interval or number of the eye marks. A control program for causing a computer to execute a process of controlling the detection unit so as to ignore some of the eyemarks by not detecting the eyemarks other than one eyemark in the range corresponding to . a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which an eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image in
an obtaining step of obtaining a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit;
a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image obtained in the obtaining step; including
In the control step,
While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, causing the detection unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, the continuous paper is determined to be the size of the image. The interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detection unit is checked while the image is conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size, and based on the interval or the number of the eye marks, in the range corresponding to the size of the image. A control program for causing a computer to execute a process of controlling the image forming section so as to ignore some of the eye-marks by not forming the image according to the eye-marks other than one of the eye-marks. a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper on which an eye mark is formed; a detection unit that can detect the eye mark formed on the continuous paper conveyed by the conveying unit; A control program for an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on a device and an operation display unit,
an obtaining step of obtaining a size of the image to be formed by the image forming unit;
a control step of controlling the detection unit or the image forming unit so as to ignore some of the plurality of eye marks based on the size of the image obtained in the obtaining step; including
In the control step,
While causing the conveying unit to convey the continuous paper without causing the image forming unit to form the image, causing the detection unit to detect the eye mark, and based on the size of the image, the continuous paper is determined to be the size of the image. confirming the interval or the number of the eye marks detected by the detecting unit while being conveyed by a distance corresponding to the size;
Further, a control program for causing a computer to execute a process including a display step of displaying information on the interval or number of eye marks on the operation display unit.

Images