JPH0524514B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image.

[Prior Art] In a device capable of forming an image, such as a copying machine, each device is used as a means for displaying functional information necessary for performing image formation, such as magnification and paper size input by key input. LEDs corresponding to keys and switches were lit, and the setting status of functions corresponding to keys on a one-to-one basis was displayed depending on the setting position of each key or switch. However, with the diversification of image forming functions, as mentioned above,
The use of an operating section with one-to-one correspondence between keys and functions has the drawback of complicating the operating section and increasing the size of the device. In addition, while the functions of image forming apparatuses have diversified, as image forming apparatuses have become more widespread, there are increasing opportunities for even non-experts to perform the above-mentioned advanced image formation. It had the drawback of being difficult.

[Objective] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to display necessary display contents when necessary in a small space, and to display multiple types of display contents for instructing the transition of display contents. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can display a group of functional information belonging to one group indicated by the display contents of a message, and thus can be operated accurately and has very good operability.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Note that this embodiment is an embodiment of a copying machine. still,
Functional information related to image formation includes "negative", "A3→B4", "A3→A4", "A3→B5", and
"B4→A4", "B4→B5", "A4→B5", "A4→B4",
"A4→A3", "B4→A3", "B5→A4", "B5→B4",
"B5→A3", "Soushin", and "Henshiyu" correspond.

The first message corresponds to "ETC" in the embodiment described later.

In addition, the display examples in the embodiments described below are "(Genkoutei Kei) Yes, No", "(Bailitus XY Auto) Yes, No", "(Book Size Inquiry) Yes,
No”, “(idou point set), none, city,
The second message of ``Center, Genten'' corresponds to ``(Genkoutei Kei)'', ``(Bairitsu XY Auto)'', ``(Book Size Tei Kei)'', and ``(Ido Point Set)''. And the third message is "Yes", "No", "Nashi", "City",
"Center" and "Genten" correspond.

Furthermore, as a method of changing the display mode, adding a question mark or an exclamation mark and blinking display as in the embodiment correspond.

FIG. 1-1 shows the external appearance of a copying machine and its operating device which are one embodiment of the present invention. This device basically consists of two
It consists of two units. They are reader A and printer B. The reader and printer are mechanically and functionally separated so that they can be used independently. Connections are made using cables, etc. The reader A is also provided with an operating device A-1.

FIGS. 1-2 are structural cross-sectional views of a copying machine and its operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The document is placed face down on the document table glass 903, and its placement reference is on the back left side when viewed from the front. The original is pressed onto the original glass by the original cover 904. The document is illuminated by a fluorescent lamp 902,
The reflected light is reflected by mirrors 905, 907 and lens 90.
An optical path is formed to condense the light onto the surface of the CCD 901 via the CCD 901 . And this mirror 907
and mirror 905 are adapted to move at a relative speed of 2:1. This optical unit moves from left to right at a constant speed while applying a PLL using a DC servo motor. The moving speed is 180mm/sec on the outward path when irradiating the original, and on the return path.
It is 468mm/sec. The resolution in this sub-scanning direction is
16 lines/mm. The size of documents that can be processed is
There are sizes from A5 to A3, and the document placement direction is A5, B5,
A4 is placed vertically, and B4 and A3 are placed horizontally. Then, adjust the optical unit back position to 3 depending on the document size.
There are several locations. The first point is 220mm from the document reference position for A5, B5, and A4, the second point is 364mm for B4, and the third point is 431.8mm for A3.

Next, regarding the main scanning direction, the main scanning width is the maximum horizontal width of A4 paper, 297 mm, depending on the orientation in which the document is placed. And in order to resolve this at 16Pel/mm,
Since 4752 (=297 x 16) pits are required as the number of CCD pits, this device uses a 2628 pit CCD.
Two array sensors were used and driven in parallel. Therefore, from the conditions of 16 lines/mm and 180 mm/sec, the main scanning period (=CCD accumulation time) is T=
1/v・n=1/180×16=347.2μsec. The transfer rate of the CCD is f=N/T=2628/347.2μsec=7.569MHz.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1-1 and 1-2, the outline of the printer placed under the reader will be described. The image signal processed by the reader section and converted into a pit serial is input to the laser scanning optical system unit 925 of the printer. This unit consists of a semiconductor laser, a collimator lens, a rotating polygon mirror,
It consists of an Fθ lens and a tilt correction optical system. The image signal from the reader is applied to a semiconductor laser and undergoes electrical-to-optical conversion, and the diverging laser light is converted into parallel light by a collimator lens and irradiated onto a polyhedral mirror that rotates at high speed.
Scan to 908. The rotation speed of this polyhedral mirror is
It is rotating at 2600rpm. The scanning width is approximately 400 mm, and the effective image width is 297 mm (A4 horizontal size). Therefore, the signal frequency applied to the semiconductor laser at this time is approximately 20 MHz ( _NRz ). Laser radiation from this unit is incident on photoreceptor 908 via mirror 924.

For example, the photoreceptor 908 is composed of three layers: a conductive layer, a photosensitive layer, and an insulating layer. Therefore, process components are arranged thereto which make it possible to form an image. 909 is a front static eliminator, 910 is a front static eliminator, 911 is a primary charger, 912 is a secondary charger, 913 is a front exposure lamp, 914 is a developer,
915 is a paper feed cassette, 916 is a paper feed roller, 9
17 is a paper feed guide, 918 is a registration roller,
919 is a transfer charger, 920 is a separation roller, 92
1 is a conveyance guide, 922 is a fixing device, and 923 is a tray. The speed of the photoreceptor 908 and the conveyance system is 180 mm/sec, which is the same as the forward path of the reader. Therefore, the speed of copying using a combination of reader and printer is 30 A4 sheets/minute. Further, printers use a separating belt on the front side to separate the copy paper that is in close contact with the photosensitive drum, but because of this, an image corresponding to the width of the belt is missing. If a signal is placed over that width, it will be developed, and the toner will stain the separation belt, which will also stain subsequent sheets of paper. The belt width of 8mm is designed to cut off the video electronic signal for print output. Also, if toner adheres to the leading edge of the copy paper, it may become fused when it is fixed.
To prevent the toner from getting wrapped around the fixing roller and causing a jam, the electronic signal is also cut off on the reader side to prevent the toner from adhering to a 2 mm width at the leading edge of the paper.

Furthermore, in the device of this example, image information is converted into an electrical signal, and since the reader and printer are separated and have independent functions, image information cannot be transmitted between them. becomes possible. When communicating, this device has a communication module attached to the reader side when the reader/printer is a set or only the reader alone, and a communication module is attached to the printer side when the printer is used alone. By connecting them in a loop, local communication within the premises is possible. Communication outside the premises is made possible by placing a gateway (an interface between the public line and the local network) on the loop. Furthermore, an e-mail system or the like can be configured between the head office building and the branch office building, which are connected to the network and the copying machine unit.

Next, the functions of the copying machine and its operating device according to this embodiment will be explained. In addition to simple copying functions, this device also has a variable magnification function that allows arbitrary enlargement/reduction, an editing function that allows you to extract or delete any part of a document, and a function that automatically detects the size and position of the document. It has various functions such as automatic scaling and editing. These functions for manipulating images of documents are collectively referred to as "image manipulation functions." In addition to making copies of original images scanned by a connected printer, the CCU (Communication
Control Unit (Communication Control Unit)
Document images can be sent to other printers. Further, it is also possible to receive a document image sent from another reader to the printer at hand. Such a function is called an "image transfer function." moreover,
The above selected functions can be arbitrarily registered in six preset keys. The registration details are
It can be specified arbitrarily by the user and retains its contents even when the power is turned off. This kind of function is called "preset function".
It is called. Furthermore, there is an automatic exposure function that removes the background of the original, and a halftone processing function that outputs images with gradations such as photographs with good reproduction. These are collectively referred to as "image quality processing functions." To summarize, there are five image manipulation functions:

Variable magnification functions include equal magnification (100% magnification), fixed magnification (size specified), and stepless magnification (magnification specified from 50 to 200).
%), and XY variable magnification (independent variable magnification in the main and sub-scanning directions).

The image reversal function includes original image, negative image, and positive reversal image.

Editing functions include no editing, white masking, and black masking. However, the latter two are automatically XY
The magnification is set to auto, and other magnification functions cannot be specified. Additionally, there are white frame trimming, black frame trimming, and automatic document position detection. However, here, the magnification, image reversal, movement, and special magnification functions are linked.

The movement functions include no movement, destination specification, origin movement (cornering), and centering.

Special magnification functions include no special magnification specification, auto magnification, and auto XY magnification. However, the latter two cannot specify other scaling functions. The movement function and special scaling function are enabled only when the editing functions white and black border trimming and automatic document position detection are specified.

Image transfer functions include local copy (normal copy), transmission (sending original images to other printers via the CCU), and receiving (receiving original images from other readers via the CCU). .

Also, some of the preset functions include registration (preset/
(stored in the preset key) and readout (read out the stored contents of the preset key). The preset key section also has a reset function to return to standard mode.

Image quality processing functions include automatic exposure (AE) and halftone processing.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the operating device A-1 of FIG. 1. This operation section is roughly divided into three blocks. 100 is a general-purpose key section of a conventional copying machine. Reference numeral 200 denotes a soft key section for the user to arbitrarily create a copy transmission function. The center block 300 registers and reads out a copy transmission function arbitrarily created by the user using the soft key section 200.
This is the preset key part of the function key for resetting. The universal key section 100 is one used in conventional copying machines. 1
01 is the copy button. 102 is a warning display conventionally used in copying machines and the like. Reference numeral 103 is a display device for displaying the desired number of copies to be set and the number of copies to be made.

104 is a copy density switching lever and a display therefor. Reference numeral 105 is a selection display device for selecting whether the original image is only text, only photos, a mixture of text and photos, or section paper. These are provided to perform various image processing so that the above-mentioned original image can be copied in an optimized form. A display 106 indicates whether the selected cassette tier is the upper tier or the lower tier. Reference numeral 107 is a display device for displaying the paper size stored in the cassette of the selected cassette stage. 108 is a group of numeric keys from 0 to 9, which is used for setting the number of sheets on the sheet number display and for entering numerical values in the program creation process (for example, magnification of zooming, specifying the source address, etc.) in the soft key section 200. . 1
14 is a clear reset key. 109 entry keys are provided as the latter key entry confirmation keys. 110 is an interrupt key, 111 is a copy/cancel key, 112
113 is a cassette stage switching key, and 113 is a document image switching key. In order to label the preset key section 300 with the name of a function created by the user, it is structurally possible to write a label. 302 is a preset key, and since there are six preset keys, the user can register six types of functions. Further, 303 is a preset key display for displaying the preset location;
01 is a standard mode return key. Further, the soft key section 200 has function keys 201 from F1 to F6, and 202 is a display device for displaying messages, labels of the function keys, and other modes and data.

This embodiment is a liquid crystal display.

Figure 3 shows the display 202 and function key 2.
Details of 01 are shown. The display 202 uses a 5×7 dot matrix liquid crystal display for 32 characters.

An enlarged view of one character (within the dotted line) in FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. In Figure 4, 1 is a liquid crystal display 5 that displays characters.
2 is a 5×1 dot portion that displays an underbar.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the liquid crystal display in this embodiment. 3 is a liquid crystal display controller which judges key data from the key input section 5 and sends a display liquid crystal address and display character data to the liquid crystal driver 4 through the D line.
A detailed diagram of the driver No. 4 is shown in FIG. Note 6
is a peripheral CPU for LCD display.
In the figure, it is included in driver 4. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the driver drives the liquid crystal display 202 in a matrix manner. In other words, there are 4 drivers including the peripheral CPU 6, and there are 40 lines from each driver in the vertical direction, so there are 160 lines.
Horizontally, COM ₁ to COM ₁₆ of peripheral CPU6
8 out of 16 lines are used, so 8.
Book. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a total of 160 x 8 lines are used to drive 32 (160 x 8 dots) liquid crystal displays, and the address data from the controller 3 This allows characters to be displayed on the LCD. Note that 7 is a main CPU that performs various controls of the main body of the copying machine, and a description of the main CPU itself will be omitted here in order to explain the liquid crystal display. One embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above.

The display will be briefly explained below.

In FIG. 3, the data displayed on the liquid crystal display 202 can be roughly divided into key labels of the function keys 201 of SK1 to SK6, messages to the operator, and display of input data from the numeric keypad 108. Parentheses are added to distinguish between soft key labels and messages, and an underbar blinks when input from the numeric keypad 108 is requested.

To distinguish between soft key label items that have been set and final settings, soft key labels that have not been set (unselected) are marked with a question mark after the label, and those that have been set (selected) are marked with an Attach a clammation mark. For this purpose, each function has a function set flag that determines whether it has been set or not.
The controller 3 in FIG. 5 turns on the above flag when the function setting is completed.

A detailed explanation of the operating device, including the display mode, will be given below.

The soft key section 200 when the power is turned on in Figure 7-1 or the same size reset key 301 in Figure 2 is pressed
The display state of the display 202 is shown.

Of the 32 digits on the liquid crystal, area a, 11 digits from the left, is an editing mode name display area, and one of the characters shown in Figure 7-2 is always displayed. However, DPAD
DOCUMENT POSITION
It is an abbreviation for AUTODETECTION (automatic detection of document position). The 5th digit in area b in Figure 7-1 is the auto display area, and only when automatic magnification is set in the edit mode, "auto" is displayed as shown in Figure 7-3.
is displayed. The 10th digit in area c is a magnification display area where one of the characters shown in Figure 7-4 is displayed. Note that the portion bd in FIG. 7-4 shows an example of the magnification input by the operator. In the display state of FIG. 7-1, if SK6 corresponding to "ETC" is pressed, the display state becomes as shown in FIG. 8-1.

The 5 digits of area d in FIG. 8-1 are negative/positive inversion ON/OFF display areas, and either one of FIG. 8-2 is always displayed. The 11th digit of area e is the transmission mode name display area, and one of the characters shown in Figure 8-3 is always displayed.

Next, the procedure for setting the variable magnification function will be explained (see the flowchart for setting the variable magnification mode in FIG. 9-2). When the key SK4 corresponding to "100%!!!" (display indicating full size copy) is pressed in FIG. 7-1, the display on the display 202 becomes as shown in FIG. 9-1. If a key other than SK6 corresponding to "CANC" is input here, the device enters variable magnification mode. In addition,
When the key SK6 corresponding to "CANC" is pressed, the display returns to the stage before selecting the variable magnification mode, that is, the display state shown in FIG. 7-1. This is one of the reset keys. An enlarged copy is shown in Figure 9-1.
When the SK1 key is pressed, a question mark is displayed on the enlargement type of the bb section in Figure 7-4.
The desired enlargement type is displayed using the ETC key SK6, and when that key is pressed, the question mark becomes an exclamation mark, indicating that it has been set. If you press the SK2 key indicating reduced copy, a question mark will be displayed in the bc section of Figure 7-4 in the same way, and you can set the key. SK3, which corresponds to the display of “95%”
Even if you press SK4 corresponding to “100%” display, the 7th
An exclamation is displayed on the selected side of the magnification display in the ba part of Figure 2. “%
9-3 shows the transition state of the display on the display (202 in Figure 2) when the key SK5 corresponding to "City" is pressed.
As shown in the figure. If the magnifications in the X direction and the Y direction are not equal in the previous time, the setting procedure for arbitrary magnification starts from the display state 9-a, and if they are equal, the setting procedure for arbitrary magnification starts from the display state 9-b.
When the "CANC" key SK6 is pressed, the arbitrary magnification change mode is canceled and the display returns to the stage before that mode is set, that is, the display state 9-1 (this is one of the reset keys).Display state 9 -c, when the key SK5 corresponding to "NO!!!" is pressed, the display state changes to 9-d. Here, the flashing underbar contains the numeric keypad group 108 in Figure 2 and the enter key 1.
09 to set the desired magnification, for example, 123%.
Then, the display state becomes 9-e. Also, display status 9-f
When the "NO?" key SK5 is pressed, the display state becomes 9-e. Then, when the "OK" key SK5 is pressed, the display state changes to 9-g, indicating that the magnification has been set. If you want to change it, press the key corresponding to the set part (for example, 9-h) to return to the display state 9-d. You can then specify a new one.

When the key SK4 corresponding to "YES?" is pressed in display state 9-c, display state 9-i in Figure 9-4 is displayed.
Transition to. Also at 9-f “YES!!!”
When the key corresponding to is pressed, the display state 9-i shown in FIG. 9-4 is similarly entered.

FIG. 9-4 will be explained below. In the display state 9-i of FIG. 9-4, since the magnification in the X direction and the Y direction is designated, the underbar of the magnification display section in the X direction first blinks. Then, when you enter the magnification using the numeric keypad and enter key mentioned above, the display state is 9.
-j to specify the magnification in the Y direction.
The underbar in the direction magnification display section blinks. Similarly, when a magnification is input (for example, 78%), the display state changes to 9-k. Further, by pressing SK4, the display state 9-c in FIG. 9-3 directly changes to the display state 9-k in FIG. 9-4.
If you want to change the magnification here, use 9-l, 9-m.
Corresponding keys like (in this case, 2:1 correspondence)
Press to return to display state 9-n or 9-j. or,
Key corresponding to “OK” in display state 9-k
When SK5 is pressed, the display state becomes 9-p, and the designation of the magnification is completed.

Figure 9-4 Display states 9-i, 9-J, 9-k,
9-n, when function key (soft key) SK6 corresponding to "CANC" is pressed, the display returns to the stage before setting the magnification, and the display state becomes as shown in Figure 9-1 (this is done by pressing the reset key). ).

Next, in Figure 8-1, we will explain the case where the SK2 key input enters the transmission mode (Fig. 10-1).
(See flowchart for sending diagrams).
By inputting the key SK2 in FIG. 8-1, the display state becomes 10-a in FIG. 10-2.

This display state is set by a timer to transition to display state 10-b after a certain period of time has elapsed. Here, the destination is specified (Figure 10-1, 10-aa). “#1?”
“#2?”, “#3?”, etc. indicate the number address of the terminal. What is displayed between parentheses indicates a message to the operator. Therefore, in display state 10-b, no input is made even if the function key SK1 is pressed. Furthermore, when the function key corresponding to the desired destination terminal is pressed, the question mark changes to an exclamation mark, indicating that an input has been made. Although the present embodiment shows a case where there are three terminals, there may be more than three terminals. Now by keystroke. If all terminals (not including the own terminal) are set as destinations, the display state 10-c in Figure 10-2
Transition to. However, in the display states 10-b and 10-c, if the cancel key SK6 is pressed, the display returns to the display state of FIG. 8-1. When the OK key SK5 is pressed in the display state 10-b or 10-c, the mode for specifying the transmission size is entered, and the display state changes to 10-d (FIG. 10, 10-bb).

After that, specify the size as described above.

Next, the editing mode will be explained. As mentioned above, editing modes can be broadly divided into trimming, masking, automatic document position detection, etc.
First, I will explain trimming. FIG. 11-1 shows a trimming mode setting flow. Note that trimming has the functions of specifying a destination, moving the origin, and center linking. First, in step 11-b of FIG. 11-1, it is set whether unnecessary parts of the image area are to be made white or black. The display state at that time is
Shown at 11-bb in Figure-2. If you press SK6 (cancel key) here, the display state 11-aa as shown in Figure 11-2
Return to Note that the display state 11-aa is shown in Figure 7-1,
When the soft key SK1 corresponding to "Hentai?" is pressed, the display state changes to 11-aa. 11th
In the display state 11-bb of Fig.-2, pressing SK1 or SK2 sets a flag that makes unnecessary parts of the image area white. Also, pressing SK3 or SK4 sets a flag that makes unnecessary parts of the image area black. and,
In step 11-c of FIG. 11-1, the trimming point is input using the numeric keypad, clear key, and enter key. The display state in Figure 11-2 is
From 11−cc (for a certain period of time as a timer) 11−dd
The underbar blinks and waits for input from the numeric keypad. Then, use the numeric keypad to set the trimming point as shown in the display state of 11-ee. If you want to change the value, press the clear reset key 114 in Figure 2 to reset the value (this can also be considered a reset key), or
Press the soft key below the value you want to reset. Display state If you press the key SK5 corresponding to OK in 11-ee in Figure 11-2, the display state 11-
ff, and the stage of setting the moving point (11th-
Step 11-d) in Figure 1 is entered. In addition, display status 11
-ff transitions to display state 11-gg by a timer. If you press SK1, proceed to NO in step 11-d and change only the magnification. Enter step 11-h. Here, select whether to use XY magnification auto, magnification auto, or specify the magnification.

In the display state 11-gg of Figure 11-2, SK2, SK3,
Pressing either SK4 will move the trimming area (step 11-1 in Figure 11-1).
e, 11-f, 11-g).

If you want to move the trimming area to a certain position, press the SK2 key corresponding to "City?" (move destination designation flag set) and set the move point in the same way as when setting the trimming point. After that, the process enters the magnification setting stage of step 11-h.

Proceed to NO in step 11-e in Figure 11-1,
If you proceed with YES in step 11-f, that is, the first
When SK4 is pressed in the display state 11-gg of FIG. 1-2 (origin movement flag set), the process then proceeds to step 11-h of FIG. 11-1 and enters the magnification setting stage. In other words, it is equivalent to the variable magnification mode in which the document is placed at the corner of the document table.

When the key SK3 corresponding to "Center?" is pressed in the display state 11-gg of FIG. 11-2, that is, YES in step 11-d of FIG. 11-1, NO in step 11-e, and NO in step 11-1. If the answer is NO at -f and YES at step 11-g, the centering flag is set, and the step of setting the magnification is entered at step 11-h in FIG. 11-1. This is the same as placing the original at the center of the original table.

Next, the movement destination designation, origin movement, and centering in the trimming mode described above will be briefly explained using diagrams of the document table and the document.

FIG. 12-1 shows a document placed on the document table, and the origin (0,0) is the upper left corner of the document table. Reference numeral 903 is the document table shown in FIGS. 1-2. 12-a is the manuscript. The trimming points are set at the diagonal points 12-b and 12 of an arbitrary rectangular area as shown in Figure 12-2.
-c's X coordinates TXMAX, TXMIN, Y coordinates
Set by specifying TYMAX and TYMIN (unit: mm).

When setting the destination of the trimming area, as shown in Figure 12-3, select the point of the minimum value of the designated coordinates of the trimming area in each of the X and Y directions (point 12-b in Figure 12-2). (point 12-b' in Figure 12-3).

Next, the case of moving the origin will be explained. The coordinates of the minimum point 12-b of the trimming area in Figure 12-2 are (0,
0), the X coordinates and Y coordinates of the 4 points in the trimming area
Subtract the X and Y coordinate values of point 12-b from the coordinates,
Move the new coordinate difference to point 12−b″, 12−
c'' (Fig. 12-4). After that, if scaling is specified, the process of enlarging and reducing is performed. For example, Fig. 12-5 shows reduction, and Fig. 12-6 shows enlargement. , point 12-b'' in FIG. 12-4 remains the origin.

Next, the case of centering will be explained. This procedure of determining the moving point based on the input data (coordinates of point 12-a and point 12-b in Figure 12-2) by setting the trimming point is the first step.
Shown in Figure 2-7. FIG. 12-8 is a diagram showing a case where the image is centered and the magnification is set to 2x for both MX and MY. In Figure 12-7, PSX,
PSY is the length of the copy paper in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. Step 12- TXMAX- in aa
TXMIN and TYMAX-TYMIN represent the effective trimming width in the X direction and Y direction, respectively. Therefore, multiplying each by the magnification represents the length of the trimming area to be actually copied in the X and Y directions. Therefore, TXM and TYM are as shown in FIG. 12-8. (In Figure 12-8, the magnification is
MX=MY=2).

Also, in Figure 12-8, both the X direction and the Y direction are 0.
or is correct. Therefore, in step 12-bb
If it is not TXM0 and TYM0, the coordinates do not exist on the document table, so a warning is displayed.
Also, if TXM0 and TYM0, the 12th
-2 At point 12-b in Figure 2, TXMIN is changed to TXM
If TYMIN is moved to TYM, the result will be as shown in Figure 12-8.

Next, masking will be explained in edit mode. Figure 13-1 is a flowchart.
Function key SK3 whose display status corresponds to "Masking?" at 11-aa in Figure 11-2
Or press SK4 to enter masking mode.
(Display state 13-a in Figure 13-2).

Here, if you press SK1 or SK2, it will be masked with white, and if you press SK3 or SK4, it will be masked with black, and both will transition to display state 13-b by key input ( Figure 13-1 step 13-aa). Here, if you press the SK4 key corresponding to “YES?” (Step 13 in Figure 13-1)
-bb), the display status becomes 13-c and below, by pressing SK5 corresponding to "ETC", 13-c → 13-d
→13-e→13-c... and so on. Moreover, if SK6 is pressed in the display states 13-a to 13-e, it is a cancel key, so from 13-a the display returns to display state 11-aa in FIG. 11-2, and the settings can be made again. or,
Pressing SK6 in 13-b returns to display state 13-a.
Moreover, in display states 13-C, 13-d, and 13-e,
Press SK6 to return to display state 13-b. In display condition 13-e, MIN means mini size, LTR means letter size, LGL means livre size, and LDR means register size. Now, for example, if soft key SK4 corresponding to "B4?" is pressed in display state 13-d (step 13-cc in Figure 13-1),
In step 13-dd, the masking point is
If specified, the B4 size will be automatically enlarged and copied to the selected paper cassette size. In step 13-bb of Figure 13-1, if the document size is atypical, that is, the key corresponding to "NO?" in display state 13-b of Figure 13-2
When SK5 is input, the display state 13 in Figure 13-2
- Transition to f. If you press SK6 here, the 13th -
You can return to the display state 13-b in Figure 2 and reset the settings. Thereafter, settings are made using the numeric keypad, and in step 13-dd of FIG. 13-1, masking points are set in the same way as the above-mentioned trimming points. An example of the setting is shown in the display state 13-g of Fig. 13-2. this is,
White masking and auto magnification are used, so even if you press soft key SK4 corresponding to "100%", you cannot change the magnification setting.

Then DPAD DOCUMENT POSITION
AUTODETECTION Automatic document position detection will be explained.

FIG. 14-1 shows a state in which a document is placed on the document table of reader A shown in FIGS. 1-1 and 1-2. Basically, the placement position is determined based on the origin, but it can also be placed diagonally as shown in the figure. When the key SK5 corresponding to "ETC" is pressed in the display state 11-aa of FIG. 11-2, the display state becomes as shown in FIG. 14-5. Here, press SK1 corresponding to "DPAD?" to enter DPAD mode. DPAD is a mode that allows you to copy the required portion by placing the document at any position on the document table without having to align it with the standard position of the document table.

In Figure 14-1, in this case, from the reference coordinate SP on the document table, the main scanning direction is X, and the sub-scanning direction is Y.
The coordinates of the four points are (X ₁ , Y ₁ ), (X ₂ , Y ₂ ),
(X ₃ , Y ₃ ), (X ₄ , Y ₄ ) are detected by pre-scanning the optical system during the pre-rotation period of the printer. This allows the size and position of the document to be determined. This makes it possible to determine the scanning stroke during multi-copying and to select a desired cassette.
The document cover 904 (1st-2nd
(Figure) has been mirror-finished. The pre-scanning includes main scanning and sub-scanning to cover the entire glass surface, followed by scanning for printing. This sub-scanning speed is faster than that during printing.

The circuit diagram in FIG. 14-2 shows the logic for detecting the coordinates. Image data binarized by pre-scanning
VIDEO is input to shift register 501 in units of 8 pits. When the 8-pit input is completed, the gate circuit 502 checks whether all of the 8-pit data is a white image, and if Yes, outputs 1 to the signal line. After starting scanning the original, the first 8
When pit white appears, F/F504 is set.
This F/F is reset in advance by VSYNC (image leading edge signal). After that, it remains set until the next VSYNC. When the F/F 504 is set, the value of the main scanning counter 551 at that time is loaded into the latch F/F 505. This becomes the X coordinate value. Also, the value of the sub-scanning counter 552 at that time is loaded into the latch 506. This becomes the Y ₁ coordinate value. Therefore, P ₄ (X ₁ , Y ₁ ) can be found.

Also, each time 1 is output to the signal 503, the value from the main scanning is loaded into the latch 507. This value is immediately stored in clutch 508 (until the next 8 pits enter shift register 501). The value from the main scan when the first 8 pits of white appear is latch 5.
08, the latch 510 (this
The comparator 509 compares the data with the data (which is set to "0" at the time of VSYNC). If the data in latch 508 is greater, then the data in latch 508, that is, the data in latch 507, is greater than the data in latch 508.
10. Also, at this time, the value of the sub-scanning counter is loaded into the latch 511. This operation is processed until the next eight pits are entered into shift register 501. Like this, latch 508 and latch 5
If data No. 10 is applied to the entire image area, the maximum value of the original area in the X direction remains in the latch 510.
The coordinates in the Y direction at this time remain in the latch 511. This is the P ₂ (X ₂ , Y ₂ ) coordinate.

The F/F 512 is an F/F that is set when 8-pit white appears for the first time in each main scanning line, and is reset by the horizontal synchronizing signal HSYNC, set at the first 8-pit white, and held until the next HSYNC. When the F/F 512 is set, the value of the main scanning counter is set in the latch 513, and is loaded into the latch 514 until the next HSYNC. Then, a latch 515 and a comparator 516 compare the magnitude.
The latch 515 is set in the X direction at the time of VSYNC occurrence.
The max value is preset. If Latch 5
If the data in latch 514 is greater than the data in latch 514, signal 517 becomes active and the data in latch 514, that is, latch 513, is
15. This operation is HSYNC−
This is done between HSYNCs. If the above comparison operation is performed for the entire image area, the minimum value of the document coordinates in the X direction remains in the latch 515. This is
_X3 . Also, when the signal line 517 outputs,
The value from the sub-scan is loaded into latch 518.
This becomes _Y3 .

The latches 519 and 520 are 8 in the entire image area.
Every time a pit white appears, the value of the main scanning counter and the value of the sub-scanning counter at that time are loaded. Therefore, when the document pre-scanning is completed, the count value at the time when 8-pit white appears last remains on the counter. This is (X ₄ , Y ₄ ).

The above eight latches (506, 511, 52
0,518,505,510,515,519)
The data line is the CPU bus line in Figure 6.
It is connected to the BUS, and the CPU reads this data at the end of the previous scan. Of these data, areas X ₂ , X ₃ , Y ₃ , and Y ₄ are determined as document areas, and trimming processing is performed when scanning the document for printing. In other words _{, the dotted} line _is
The coordinates of the rectangle surrounding document positions _P4 to _P4 can be recognized,
Therefore, it can be seen that at least a sheet of a size corresponding to that size is required.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in which automatic document detection is performed, an automatic magnification command is input, and this portion is magnified and printed to a size that fits the sheet in the cassette.

As shown in Figure 14-3, the X direction of the cassette sheet,
The X direction of the original for the Y direction sizes P _x and P _y ,
Find the ratios mx and my of the sizes Λx and Λy in the Y direction, respectively. Then, the smaller ratio is set in the RAM as a common magnification for X and Y, and the aforementioned magnification change procedure is performed. Therefore, a copy with automatic scaling based on one direction of the sheet can be obtained.

Further, in FIG. 14-4, the ratio of each of the X and Y directions of the document to the X and Y directions of the sheet is determined, and the magnification in the X direction and the magnification in the Y direction are each set independently.
Therefore, the original image can be copied over the entire sheet. These two types of automatic zooming are similar to the automatic zooming that is performed by specifying the trimming coordinates described above.

Further, the size specification in the transmission mode also refers to the specification of the size of the cassette sheet.

Next, the black frame erasing mode will be explained. For example, in FIG. 12-1, this print is reproduced with the outer side of the document set as white. In Figure 14-5, the key corresponding to "Black poppy?"
When you press SK2 or SK3, the display state in Figure 12-115
-a becomes the black poppy mode. The following description will be made with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 15-2. When the original size is a standard size and the soft key SK4 corresponding to "YES?" is pressed in the display state 15-a in Figure 15-1 (Step 15-2 in Figure 15-2),
aa), the display state changes to display state 15-b, and the ETC key is pressed until the desired document size is displayed.
Press SK5. In that case, the display state is 15-b, 15-
The transitions are c, 15-d, 15-b, and so on. If the desired document size is A3, display state 15-b
Therefore, in the display state 15-b, for example, by pressing the soft key SK4 corresponding to the display of "A3?" (step 15-bb in FIG. 15-2), the document size data is set in the RAM as A3.
Also, by pressing SK4, the display state changes to display state 15 for automatic magnification selection in Figure 15-1.
-e (Step 15-cc in Figure 15-2). Here, if you press the key SK4 corresponding to "YES?", as described in the magnification changing mode, as shown in Fig. 14-3,
Subroutine SUB AT2, SUB in Figure 14-4
The magnification is automatically determined using the AT1 method, and the black poppy mode setting is completed. Also, step 15
If you press the soft key SK5 corresponding to "NO?" in the display state 15-e with -cc, the display state will change to 15-f.
The camera enters the same magnification (100% magnification) mode. However, this magnification can be changed using the numeric keypad (step 15-ee). In other words, in display state 15-f,
This can be done by pressing soft key SK4 corresponding to “100%!!!”

If the document size is atypical in step 15-aa of Figure 15-2, that is, soft key SK5 corresponding to "NO?" is pressed in display state 15-a of Figure 15-1.
By pressing , the display status becomes 15-g. Therefore, the document size is determined by inputting data using the numeric keys. (Step 15-ee). The steps from step 15-cc onwards are the same as in the case where the document is a standard size as described above. In short, the Croix Poppy mode corresponds to trimming the entire document. Further, in each display state, by pressing the soft key SK6 corresponding to "CANC", the setting stage of the display state can be returned to the previous stage.

Next, the book mode will be explained. 1st
When the function key SK5 corresponding to "ETC" is pressed in the display state 11-aa of Fig. 1-2, the display state changes to Fig. 14-5. Press the function key SK4 corresponding to "Book?" to enter book mode. The flow and display state of the book mode set shown in FIG. 16-2 will be explained below with reference to FIG. 16-1.

When key SK4 is turned on, the display becomes 16-b and copy mode is displayed. In other words, only the left half (Half L), only the right half (Half R), left and right copies sequentially on separate sheets (Half LR), and left and right copies on one sheet (Full) are displayed. When one of them is turned on, the display becomes 16-c. A copy mode flag (16-aa to 16-dd) is set in the RAM depending on the key turned on. This is for inputting coordinate data using the numeric keypad, and for updating the print cycle. 16-c asks whether the size of the book is a standard size, 16-ff,
If Yes, the display becomes 16-d. In that case, A6 to A4 will be displayed as the size, and B7 to A4 will be displayed by ETC.
B5 is displayed, and MIN and LTR are also displayed by ETC. For example, in the case of A4 (16-g), set the A4 data and ask whether the display is automatically magnified or not. 16-g
becomes j (16−hh). If the desired size is not available or the size is atypical, the display changes from 16-c to 16-g. That is, first, a length input in the X direction is requested (the cursor blinks). For example, if you set "175" on the numeric keypad and turn on the enter key, it becomes 16-h, and Y
If you request the length input in the direction and set it to 250, for example, it will be 16-i (16-jj). If you notice a data error at this point, turn on SK1 and the
Y can be corrected by turning on SK3. If you set the length in the X and Y directions to a length that exceeds the limit, the message "Miss book size set" will be displayed when you press the enter key. If not, turn on the key SK5 marked with OK in step 16-i and proceed to the magnification step in step 16-j. If the magnification is auto in 16-j, whether or not it is XY auto (AT2) is displayed (16-k). In this case, as mentioned above, Yes, if No, AT2,
AT1 calculates the magnification based on the size of the original and the size of the paper, for example, the display 16-l, 16
−m. If the magnification is not auto, 16-n is displayed and the same magnification is set. Incidentally, in the case of 16-n, the magnification can be changed as described above. The steps from step 16-hh onwards are the same as in the above-mentioned black poppy mode. display
At 16-l to 16-n, the copy mode is also displayed to indicate completion of book data setting.

FIG. 16-3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the book and the platen surface, and the book is placed with the binding margin aligned with the BOOK point and along the effective edge of the platen. L indicates the scan stroke of the optical unit when printing the left half, and R indicates the scan stroke of the right half or full print.

In Figure 16-2, before the auto magnification step, coordinate transformation (primary transformation) according to the copy mode is performed using the size data, but in the case of L mode, it is TYMiN←Y ₁ , TYMAX← (Y ₂ +Y ₁ ). ×
Convert to 1/2 and in R mode TYMiN←
(Y ₂ +Y ₁ )×1/2, TYMAX←Y _2. In full mode, no conversion is performed, and in full mode, both L and R conversion data are stored. Then, at the end of the automatic magnification routine, the centering routine described above is performed, and the final coordinates are determined by centering based on the converted coordinates and the magnification. Also, the inverted position of the optical unit in the case of L and R is determined from the converted coordinates and set. In other words, in L (Y ₁ +
Y ₂ ) 1/2 + r, R, full is Y ₂ + r.
In half LR, when the main CPU returns after scanning 1 cycle for L minutes, it determines whether the LR flag is set in the RAM, and when it is set, it continues to output data for R minutes and scans for the second cycle. and print the right half. Both the L and R portions are printed in the center of the sheet.

The DPAD mode mentioned above is almost the same as the book mode; in DPAD, the position and size of the document are automatically recognized and set in RAM, while in book mode, the position of the document is fixed and its size is input using the soft keys. This is what was set. In other words, there is no routine or non-standard routine shown in FIG. 16-2, and there is no display of the magnification when the magnification is auto-set.

Therefore, the coordinate conversion process during DPAD is performed when the copy key is turned on and the optical unit is forward scanned to read the document coordinates. In other words, the linear coordinate conversion, centering, and reversal position setting shown in FIG. 16-2 are performed during the pre-scan and before the start of the main scan.

Note that black mark removal (trimming) processing is automatically performed on DPAD and books.

In the masking described above, the masking process and the inversion process of the actual data read from the CCD are as shown in FIG. 18. CCD1 series VIDEO, CCD2 series
VIDEO is the two CCD outputs subjected to image quality conversion such as dither processing, and is stored in shift memories 1 and 2 for one line in the X direction. Image data is transferred from shift memory according to variable magnification data and movement data.
VIDEO is output.

In Fig. 18, 90 and 91 are exclusive OR gates for determining the image area, OF is a signal that controls it, and when it is 1, the inside of the work area determined by the ST counter and EN counter is masked, the outside is the output image, and 0
In this case, the area inside the area is used as the output image and the area outside the area is masked. 92 is an AND gate that controls the output of the previous image data; 93 is an AND gate that determines whether to output the mask as black or white; BB is a signal that controls it; when it is 1, it is black; When it is 0, white is output. 95 is gate 9
The image output output by 2,93
OR gate that outputs as VIDEO; 94 is an exclusive OR gate that controls black and white inversion of image data;
IN is the signal that controls it; when it is 1, it is the original raw image, and when it is 0, it is inverted. Each signal is
Masking, white, black,
It is output after determining that there is a negative input.

That is, in the case of mask signal 1, when the Q of the flip-flop 82 becomes 1 due to the rise of the ST counter, the output of the gate 90 becomes 0, and the output of the gate 92 remains unchanged until the EN counter rises, that is, until the Q becomes 0. do not have. In other words, it is masked. Instead, the output of gate 91 is 1 during that time, so it is a black/white signal.
When BB is 1, the gate 93 is 1, and therefore the image output gate 95 continuously outputs 1. In other words, it is masked. Conversely, if OF=1 and BB=0, a white mask is created. Also, if OF=0, the outputs of gates 90 and 91 will be 1 and 0, respectively, so if BB=1, the area outside the trimming will be black, and OFF=
If 0, BB=0, the outside of the trimming will be white.
Note that the ST and EN counters are preset by the aforementioned mask point set data.

The procedure for setting the mode has been explained above, but
The preset keys for registering the set modes will be explained below. Eight types can be registered: magnification, editing mode, positive/negative, destination and size, copy size, original image quality, number of copies, and density. The function key is displayed as “DATA” as shown in Figure 8-1.
When SK5 is pressed, the display state shown in Fig. 17-1 is displayed.
The copy mode at the time of pressing is registered by the preset key. It is also possible to combine items registered using preset keys and register them newly. However, if there are modes that conflict with each other, their priorities must be considered. All of this is done by comparing the flags.

Hereinafter, for explanation of registration, a flowchart of the entire apparatus is shown in FIG. 17-2. Here, type 1 indicates the display state shown in FIG. 7-1. Type 2 indicates the display state shown in Figure 8-1. Type 4 indicates the display state shown in FIG. 17-1. Since the editing mode has been explained above, the explanation will be omitted here (step S1). By pressing the SK6 key for “ETC”, the display changes to type 2 liquid crystal display. Also, the aforementioned negative/positive reversal mode setting stage (step S2)
Next is the transmission mode mentioned above (step
S3).

Also, copying is possible only in type 1 and type 2 display states, and at each stage,
By pressing the "CANC" key, it is possible to return to the previous stage of setting that mode. The registration mode is located at step S4. The mode of registration will be explained below in Figure 17-3.

A registration flowchart is shown in Figure 17-3. The registration flowchart will be explained below. PK represents a preset key. In Figure 17-3,
When you press SK5 corresponding to “Touroku”, the display status changes to registration mode (type 3) (step 17-
a) The six indicators 303 corresponding to the preset keys 302 in FIG. 2 flash (step 17-
b). If you press SK6 corresponding to “CANC” in this state, the registration process will be interrupted and the display will return to the 8th
It becomes type 2 as shown in figure -1. In other words, the cancel key (one of the reset keys) returns the mode setting to the previous level. On the other hand step
17-b, press the preset key (Fig. 2, 30
2) Press any key PKi (i=1 to 6),
In step 17-c, PKj (j=1 to 6, i
≠j), the preset key display 302 is turned off. And PKi preset key display 302
lights up. The flag PSi_STATUS on the RAM, which becomes 1 if registered in step 17-d, is set to 1.
MAIN on RAM in step 17-e.
-MODE (composed of 11 types of flags shown in Figure 17-4) is PSi_MODE (1st
Consists of 11 types of flags shown in Figure 7-5)
are stored correspondingly. Step 17-
In f, MAIN_ on RAM which is data for transmission
SD_TBL is stored in PSi_SD_TBL on RAM, and in step 17-g, it is the data for editing.
MAIN_EDIT_TBL on RAM is PSi_ on RAM
Stored in EDIT_TBL.

Then, a flag PSi_STATUS on the RAM indicating that the preset mode has been registered in PKi is set to 1.

Because of the preset, the flags are backed up by a battery and will not disappear even if the power is turned off, and will not be cleared to 0 except when writing to RAM for the first time.

Flags on RAM as shown in step 17-h
COPY_MODE is set to 2 ⁱ⁺¹ , and the mode of the PKi selected as the registration destination is set, and the corresponding preset key display lights up, and the other preset key displays turn off.

The liquid crystal display becomes the type 2 liquid crystal display state shown in FIG. 8-1, and the registration process ends.

Next, a procedure for calling up a registered mode using a preset key will be explained with reference to FIGS. 17-6 and 17-7.

When the power is turned on or the standard mode return key (301 in Figure 2) is input, the mode is standard mode (same size reset), and the standard mode is
It is stored in the main mode area and basic mode area on the RAM (see Figure 17-7). and,
Comparison of preset mode priorities is performed between the main mode and the preset key mode. 1st
The mode memory of PSi (i=1 to 6) in FIG. 7-6 is a preset mode memory on the RAM for registering the mode using the preset key PKi (i=1 to 6).

Now, suppose that when the power is turned on and the display state is standard mode, a mode is registered only in the mode memory of PS1, PS2, and PS3. For example, first on PS1, "Trim, Magnification, 100%"
Assuming that is registered, when you press the PK1 key,
In step 17-aa of Figure 17-7, YES, and in step 17-bb, PS1 is the first input.
NO, and in step 17-cc, it is NO because this is the first input. In step 17-dd, the answer is NO because it is the main mode. Step 17-
In ff, the main mode is standard mode, so it is the same size, so YES. And in step 17-hh, PS1
The mode "Trimming, magnification, 100%" is allowed to be called up, and this PS1 mode is memorized in the main mode and basic mode areas in FIG. 17-6 (step 17-kk in FIG. 17-7). If you try to enter PS1 again here, the 17th -
YES in step 17-bb of Figure 7,
PS1 input is not allowed. Further, even if a preset key whose mode is not registered in the mode memory of PS4 or the like is pressed, NO will be returned at step 17-aa in FIG. 17, and key input such as PK4 will not be permitted.

It is also assumed that the mode memory of the PS2 stores a variable magnification mode of "200% magnification". When you press the PK2 key, step 17-aa in Figure 17-7 is
YES, NO in step 17-bb, step
At 17−cc, the answer is NO. In step 17-dd, the main mode becomes YES because the edit mode of PS1 is stored in memory. In step 17-ee, the answer is NO because the PS2 mode is only a magnification mode.
In step 17-ff, the PS1 editing mode is stored in the main mode, but the magnification is 100%, so YES is returned, and the PS2 mode "200% magnification" is permitted (step 17-hh). In Figure 6, this is shown in the main mode and basic mode areas.
A new PS2 mode is added and stored in memory (step 17-ll).

Furthermore, the mode memory of PS3 has "variable magnification 150%".
Assume that the magnification mode of is stored in memory. Pressing the PK3 key will result in YES in step 17-aa, NO in step 17-bb, and NO in step 17-a in Figure 17-7.
NO in cc, main mode in step 17-dd
The PS1 mode is "Trimming, variable magnification 200%" and it is an edit mode, so YES. Step 17-
In ee, the PS3 mode is only 150% magnification, so NO. For step 17-ff, the magnification is 200%.
No because it is variable magnification. In step 17-gg, PS3
The mode is 150% magnification, which is a variable magnification mode, so the answer is NO, and key input for this PK3 is not permitted. Therefore, in the main mode, PK1 and
By inputting two keys on PK2, a combined mode of two PS1 and PS2 modes, ``Trimming, variable magnification 200%,'' is stored in memory. Also, if you want to change only the magnification here, use the soft key 152
For %, if you enter "152" from the numeric keypad, the main mode will be "Trimming, scaling 152%".
Therefore, if you want to register this as a new preset key, press the preset key and select
Register the preset mode.

The basic mode area shown in FIG. 17-6 is used for control to blink the corresponding preset key if there is a difference by comparison with the main mode area, and to light the corresponding preset key if there is no difference. Further, operations such as copy transmission are performed using main mode data.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a system that implements the image transfer function. 191A, 192A, and 193A are the aforementioned readers, 191B, 192B, and 193B are the aforementioned printers, and 191C, 192C, and 193C are the aforementioned CCUs. 191A, 191B, 19
Station 1 consisting of 1C and 192A,
Station 2 consisting of 192B and 192C and station 3 consisting of 193A, 193B and 193C constitute a network system via a communication line 194 realized by a coaxial cable or an optical fiber cable. For example, after setting the transmission from station 1 to station 2 and station 3 using the procedure described above and the flow shown in FIGS. 10-1 and 10-2 on the operation unit of the reader 191A of station 1, 1
When the copy start key 101 of 91A is pressed, the image information read by reader 191A is transferred to CCU1.
91C, line 194 and CCU192C, 193
The data is sent to station 2 and station 3 via C, respectively, and is copied onto copy paper of a set size in each of printers 192B and 193B.

At this time, when image reception is permitted on the operation unit of station 2 or station 3, the interrupt copy display 102f in Fig. 2 on each operation unit blinks to indicate that the image information sent from the reader of the other station is being received and copied. Tell the operator that the printer at your station has started. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing that the number of sheets transmitted from the station 1 is 12 out of the set number of 20 sheets. Use the soft key section 200, preset key section 300, cassette stage selection key 112, image quality processing selection key 113, density adjustment lever 104, numeric keypad 108, clear reset key 114, and enter key 109 to set the image forming mode before 102f starts blinking. The operator of station 2 or station 3 who had set
Even after 02f starts blinking, the image forming mode setting work can be continued without interruption. In station 2 or station 3, by pressing the copy cancel key 111 or interrupt key 110, it is possible to cancel the image forming process of the image information from reader 191A of station 1 in own printer 192B or 193B. When cancelled, 192B or 193B stops the image forming process and when the cancel key 111 is pressed, 102 in FIG.
f goes out, and when you press the warikomi key 110, it becomes 10.
2f lights up.

1 at station 2 or station 3
When 02f is blinking, that is, when image formation processing of information from station 1 is being performed, the cancel key 111 or the change key 11 is pressed as described above.
If you press the copy start key 101 without canceling the printer's image forming process using 0,
The information display section 202 displays, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, that information is being received from the station 1, and that 12 of the 20 images scheduled to be received have been received so far. The display in FIG. 20 is cleared after a certain period of time or by pressing the clear reset key 114, and returns to the basic display as shown in FIGS. 7-1 to 7-4.

The changeover display 102f of station 2 or station 3 indicates that the received image forming process has been completed for the scheduled number of images, that it has been canceled due to some kind of error, or that it has been canceled by using the cancel key or changeover key at transmitting station 1 or its own station. Continue blinking until

If receiving station 2 or station 3
When a paper jam, no paper, no cassette, or other serviceman call error occurs during reception, the receiving process is stopped at Station 2 or Station 3 on the receiving side where the situation occurred, just as in conventional copying machines. Paper jam display 102a, no paper cassette display 102b, and serviceman call error display 1 correspond to error situations.
02e lights up. On the other hand, at the sending station 1, the paper jam display 102a, paper cassette missing display 102b, and serviceman call error display 102e flash in response to the error details on the receiving side.
Notify the operator that an error has occurred in one or more of the receiving stations and that the receiving process has been discontinued. The sending process is
This continues until all receiving stations cease processing.

Even if the receiving side runs out of toner or the waste toner is full during reception, the reception process will not be canceled, but if the reception is completed or the process is canceled for other reasons, the receiving side and those situations will be canceled. In the station 2 or 3 where the error occurred, the out-of-toner display 102c or the discharged toner collection display 102d lights up in response to the error situation, and also in the sending station, 102c or 102d blinks,
It notifies the operator that one or more of the receiving stations has run out of toner or that waste toner should be collected.

Before starting transmission from station 1 to station 2 or station 3, or even after transmission has ended, the mode for transmission to station 2 or station 3 is set in the operating section of station 1, and the mode for transmission to station 2 or station 3 is set. If a situation such as a paper jam, no paper cassette, no toner, discharged toner collection request, serviceman call error, or wait time occurs in step 3, the corresponding display 102 on the operation panel of station 1 is displayed.
A to 102g flash to notify the operator that such a situation is occurring at any of the stations scheduled as transmission destinations.

If the mode has already been set on the operation panel of station 1 to send data from station 1 to each printer in station 1, station 2, or station 3, or if the sending process is actually being performed, As mentioned above, the corresponding display on station 1 flashes to notify the operator of the occurrence of a paper jam, etc. However, if a paper jam or the like occurs at station 1, station 1 gives top priority to displaying the status of its own station. , the corresponding display lights up.

When transmission is not set in station 1, the operating section of station 1 displays only the status of its own station.

The station status display, that is, the process for displaying warnings such as errors will be explained below with reference to FIG.

Now 1 Paper feed check 2 Paper replenishment 3 Toner collection 4
Toner supply 5 Uniformity check from control 6
It is assumed that there are a total of seven warning displays: Serviceman Call Error 7 Wait.

First, it is checked whether there is any error in any of the stations capable of transmitting, including the own station and other stations (step 21-1). If there are no errors, all seven display lamps will turn off and the process will end (step
21-2). If there is any error, first
Check whether a second error, such as a paper jam error, has occurred in any of the printers (step 21).
-3), (Step 21-4). If no paper jam occurs in any printer, the paper feed check display is turned off (step 21-5). If a paper jam error occurs at any station, check whether it occurs at your station (Step 21-
4). If it is not the own station, the paper feed inspection display is displayed as an error occurring at another station (step 21-5). (Step 21-
In step 4), if a paper jam error occurs at the local station, the paper feed check display is turned on even if a paper jam error occurs at another station (step 21-5). Since the paper jam check has been completed, a paper out error check is then performed (i=2) (step 21-7).

In the same manner, each of the seven warning displays is controlled to blink, turn on, and turn off, and then step 21-6.
When i=7, the process ends.

As a result of the above, it is possible to distinguish whether an error occurred at one station or another station using a single warning indicator lamp, making it easy for the operator to handle errors even when the operator is using many printers. Become. Also, step 21-3
When determining the presence or absence of an error, in addition to selecting all the target stations that can transmit, you can also select a group consisting of any number of stations, or stations located in the same room or floor. It is also possible to easily limit the number of error checks, and the number of error checks may be any number.

The relationship between display contents on the liquid crystal display section and key processing will be described below using FIG. 22.

First, in step 22-1, it is checked whether there is any key input. If there is any key input, the contents displayed on the LCD at that time will be displayed in step 22-
Check in 2. There are two main types of content displayed on the liquid crystal display. One is soft key labels and various data (magnification, coordinates, etc.) that set or specify the copy transmission mode, and the other is operator guidance that tells the operator how to set up the setting procedure, errors in operation, and reader information.
There are error messages that tell you what errors have occurred with the printer. In step 22-2, if the displayed content is a soft key label or data
The input key is not necessarily ignored by YES, but is processed accordingly, the contents displayed on the liquid crystal display are also changed, and the setting of the copy transmission mode is continued (step 22-4). On the other hand, in step 22-3, if the displayed content is an error message or operator guidance, it is checked whether the input key is the numeric clear key on the numeric keypad.

If it is a numerical data clear key, the displayed message and guidance are erased, and the soft key labels and data that should have been displayed are displayed (step 22-7). In some cases, the clear key used to clear the set number of images, magnification, coordinates, etc. is also used to clear the contents of the liquid crystal display while messages and guidance are being displayed. If it is not a clear key input in step 22-3, the key input is not accepted.

If it is determined in step 22-1 that there is no key input, the contents displayed on the liquid crystal display are checked in step 22-5. If the soft key label and data are displayed, proceed to YES and do not perform any processing, but if it is an operator guidance or error message, proceed to NO, and check whether the display continues for a certain period of time, for example 5 seconds ( Step 22-6). If it is not displayed for 5 seconds, no processing is performed, but if it is displayed for 5 seconds, the message or guidance is cleared and the soft key label and data are displayed, just as if the clear key had been input.

[Effects] As detailed above, according to the present invention, the necessary display contents can be displayed when necessary in a small space. Since the functional information group belonging to one group can be displayed, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be operated accurately and has very good operability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1-1 is a diagram showing the overall appearance of a copying machine which is an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1-2 show the overall structure of a copying machine which is an embodiment of the present invention. Second
1 is a diagram showing an operating device of the copying machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 shows the display 20 in the operating device shown in FIG.
2 is a detailed diagram of the function key 201.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the display 202 in FIG. 3 (solid line portion in FIG. 3). FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the liquid crystal display in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a detailed diagram of the driver 4 of FIG. 5. FIG. 7-1 is a diagram showing the display state of the display 202 of the soft key section 200 when the power is turned on or the same-size reset key 301 is pressed. FIG. 7-2 is a diagram showing the types of characters displayed in the edit mode name display area of the display 202. FIG. 7-3 is a diagram showing characters displayed in the automatic display area of the display 202. 7th
4 is a diagram showing characters displayed in the magnification display area of the display 202. FIG. Figure 8-1 is a diagram showing one of the transition states from Figure 7-1.
FIG. 8-2 is a diagram showing the characters displayed in section d of FIG. 8-1. FIG. 8-3 is a diagram showing the characters displayed in section e of FIG. 8-1. FIG. 9-1 is a diagram showing the display state that changes when the key SK4 is pressed in FIG. 7-1. FIG. 9-2 is a flowchart for setting variable magnification mode. FIG. 9-3 is a diagram showing the display state that changes when SK5 is pressed in FIG. 9-1. FIG. 9-4 is a diagram showing the display state that changes when SK4 is pressed in the display state 9-c of FIG. 9-3. FIG. 10-1 is a flowchart for performing transmission. 1st
FIG. 0-2 is a diagram showing the display state that changes when the key SK2 in FIG. 8-1 is pressed. FIG. 11-1 is a trimming mode setting flowchart.
Figure 11-2 is step 11-b of Figure 11-1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the display state that changes when setting whether to make an unnecessary part of an image area white or black. FIG. 12-1 is a diagram showing the original placed on the original table. FIG. 12-2 is a diagram when trimming points are set on the document 12-a. FIG. 12-3 is a diagram when the destination of the trimming area is set. FIG. 12-4 is a diagram when the origin is moved. Figure 12-5 is a diagram when the origin has been moved as in Figure 12-4 and reduced.
FIG. 12-6 is an enlarged view. FIG. 12-7 is a flowchart showing the centering procedure. FIG. 12-8 is a diagram showing the copy position of a centered (2x magnification) original. FIG. 13-1 is a flowchart of masking. FIG. 13-2 is a diagram showing the transition state of the display when the SK3 key is pressed in the display state 11-aa in FIG. 11-2. Figure 14-1 is the first
Figure 14-2, a diagram showing a state in which a document is placed on the document table 903 of reader A in Figures 1-2 and 14-2.
The figure is a circuit diagram of the DPAD. Figure 14-3 is
This is a flowchart of automatic magnification change in DPAD mode. FIG. 14-4 is a flowchart of automatic magnification change in the X direction and Y direction in the DPAD mode. Figure 14-5 is Figure 11-2
It is a figure which shows the display state when the key of SK5 is pressed in the display state 11-aa of a figure. FIG. 15-5 is a diagram showing the display state in the black frame erasing mode when the SK2 key is pressed in the display state of FIG. 14-2. FIG. 15-2 is a flowchart for erasing black borders. FIG. 16-1 is a diagram showing the display state in book mode when SK4 is pressed in FIG. 14-5. Figure 16-2 shows a flowchart for setting book mode. FIG. 16-3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the book and the document table. 17th
FIG. 8-1 is a diagram showing a display state when the SK5 key is pressed in the display state of FIG. 8-1. 1st
Figure 7-2 is a flowchart of the overall functions of the copying machine of this embodiment. Figure 17-3 is a registration flowchart. Figure 17-4 is a diagram of the main mode flag on the RAM. Figure 17-5 is
FIG. 3 is a diagram of preset mode flags on RAM. FIG. 17-6 is an explanatory diagram when a registered mode is called up using a preset key. 1st
Figure 7-7 is a flowchart for calling up a registered mode using a preset key. 1st
FIG. 8 is an image data processing circuit diagram. 19th
The figure shows an example of a system that implements an image transfer function. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a display in the transmission mode. FIG. 21 is a flowchart of station status display. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of display contents and key processing on the liquid crystal display section. A is the leader, A-1 is the operating device, 7 is the main
CPU, B is printer, 109 is enter key,
101 is the copy button, 108 is the numeric keypad, 11
4 is a clear set key section, 200 is a soft key section, 201 is a function (soft) key, 2
02 is a liquid crystal display, 300 is a preset key part,
301 is a standard mode return key, and 303 is a preset key display.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A display means having a plurality of display positions; a plurality of input means provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of display positions on the display means, and the display means transitioning display contents. a plurality of functional information related to image formation; a plurality of first messages instructing transition of display contents;
A second function that divides a specific functional information group consisting of a plurality of functional information that cannot be set simultaneously into a plurality of groups and instructs the transition of the display contents to the display of this specific functional information group. A message and, in relation to the second message, a third message whose contents correspond to each of the functional information groups of the plurality of groups can be displayed, and the transition of mutually different display contents displayed at the same time can be instructed. Different input means correspond to the display positions of the plurality of messages, and the second message and the plurality of third messages corresponding thereto are displayed simultaneously or sequentially. and, in a state where a plurality of pieces of functional information related to the formation of the image are displayed on the display means, when the input means is operated, the information is displayed at a display position corresponding to the position of the operated input means. If the displayed content is functional information related to the formation of the image, the function information corresponding to the displayed content can be inputted, and the same displayed content can be displayed in a different display mode. is identifiably displayed, and when the input means is operated while a first message instructing the transition of the displayed content is displayed on the display means, the input means is moved to the position of the operated input means. If the display content displayed at the corresponding display position is a first message instructing the transition of the display content, the display content is transitioned to the display content corresponding to the display content, and a plurality of messages are displayed on the display means. If the input means is operated in a state where three messages are displayed simultaneously, and the display content displayed at the display position corresponding to the operated position of the input means is the third message, , to one of the plurality of groups indicated by the display content of this third message and the display content of a second message that is displayed simultaneously with or prior to this third message. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control means for transitioning display content to a display of a group of functional information to which it belongs.