JPH0863056A - Copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce cost for inspecting and adjusting by shortening the setting time, etc., of the execution of adjusting and inspecting processes with an adjusting procedure and copying condition transmitted from a terminal. CONSTITUTION: The condition storage part 52 of a RAM 5 transiently stores plural adjusting procedures and copying conditions received from an external terminal 2 with a communication control part 4, in the adjusting and inspecting processes. An adjusting and inspecting means 7 reads the adjusting procedure and copying condition corresponding to each of the adjusting and inspecting processes from the condition storage part 52, to execute the adjusting and copying processes and the time of setting the adjusting operation and copying condition in each process is shortened to quickly execute the adjusting and copying processes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, and more particularly to improving the working efficiency and reducing the cost of adjusting and inspecting the copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of adjusting and inspecting a copying machine conveyed on a line, there are several steps of adjusting the copying machine and checking the function and the copying quality in relation to the copying speed of the copying machine and the conveying speed of the line. It is divided into several parts and many copies are taken for each process.

Further, in the adjustment process of the copying machine, when adjusting an image or the like, the light sent from the optical reading section to the photoconductor is measured by a sensor without actually copying the image onto paper, In addition, there is a step of adjusting the image of the copying machine without actually making a copy by measuring the paper sent from the paper feed section and calculating the measured data, but it is a single step. If the adjustment is not completed, if the sensors or the like required for adjustment cannot be set at one time, or if the processing capacity of the personal computer used for the adjustment device is insufficient, the adjustment device may be divided into two units and used. When the adjusting device is divided into two units, for example, it may be necessary to perform adjustment by combining the data measured and calculated by the device of the previous process and the data measured by the device of the subsequent process. Data is exchanged using serial communication such as RS232C or RS232C, or using a RAM card or the like.

[0004]

However, in the adjustment and inspection process, the number of inspection processes is required in consideration of the copying speed of the copying machine, the operation for copying, the speed of the line and the working space of each worker. Therefore, many workers are required, and the cost of the inspection process is high.

Further, it has been attempted to place an inspection device on behalf of an operator to reduce the labor cost, but the installation cost of the line is high because the inspection device is required for the number of processes.

Further, there is a program of the copying machine which stores an adjustment procedure and a copy condition for the adjustment inspection process to simplify the copying operation. However, when the process is changed, the copying machine is designed to cope with the change of the process. There is a need to change, and it is not possible to respond immediately to changes in the process, and the change cost is high.

Further, when the adjusting device is divided into two in the adjusting process and serial communication such as RAN or RS232C is used, it is not easy to change the order of the process.
When using a RAM card or the like, it is necessary to make correspondence between the RAM card and the copying apparatus, and care must be taken not to mix with a RAM card corresponding to another copying apparatus when repairing in the middle of the process.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above disadvantages. The adjustment procedure and the copy condition in the adjustment inspection step are written from the terminal device, and the adjustment step and the copy condition are used for the copy in the adjustment step and the inspection step. By performing processing, the number of workers can be reduced, the cost of inspections and adjustments can be reduced, and the result of the preceding adjustment process can be stored internally and used in the subsequent adjustment process. The purpose is to

[0009]

In a copying apparatus according to the present invention, a communication control unit controls communication with an external terminal device, and RA
M has a data storage unit and a condition storage unit, the data storage unit temporarily stores various data such as image data, and the condition storage unit is an external terminal device during the adjustment and inspection process. A plurality of adjustment procedures and copy conditions received from the communication control unit from the storage unit are stored, and the adjustment inspection means reads the adjustment procedures and copy conditions according to each adjustment process or inspection process from the condition storage unit and performs adjustment process processing or copy processing. I do.

Further, the adjustment processing means stores the adjustment and measurement results in the data storage unit during the adjustment process, and uses the adjustment and inspection results stored in the data storage unit in the subsequent adjustment process, if necessary. It is advisable to perform the processing and clear the data storage section at the end of the adjustment.

[0011]

In the present invention, the condition storage unit of the RAM temporarily stores a plurality of adjustment procedures and copy conditions received from the external terminal device via the communication control unit during the adjustment and inspection process. The adjustment inspection means reads the adjustment procedures and copy conditions corresponding to each adjustment process and inspection process from the condition storage unit and performs adjustment process processing and copy processing to shorten the time for adjustment processing setting and copy condition setting in each process. The number of man-hours to be reduced is reduced, and predetermined adjustment process processing and copy processing are quickly performed.

Further, the adjustment processing means stores the adjustment and measurement results in the data storage section during the adjustment process, and performs the adjustment and measurement data delivery between the preceding process and the subsequent process, and the subsequent adjustment process. Then, the adjustment and inspection results stored in the data storage unit are used as needed to perform an adjustment process, and the data storage unit is cleared at the end of the adjustment.

[0013]

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the copying apparatus 1 is connected to an external terminal device 2 such as a personal computer, and has a main control section 3, a communication control section 4, a RAM 5, a ROM 6, an adjustment inspection means 7, an operation display section 8 and a scanner 9. , An image editing unit 10, a plotter 11, an adjustment processing unit 12, and an adjustment switch 13. The main controller 3 controls the entire copying apparatus 1. The communication control unit 4 controls communication with the external terminal device 2. RAM
Reference numeral 5 has a data storage unit 51 and a condition storage unit 52. De-
The data storage unit 51 temporarily stores various data such as image data. The condition storage unit 52 stores the copy condition received from the external terminal device 2 via the communication control unit 4 during the adjustment and inspection process. The ROM 6 stores the control program of the copying apparatus 1 and the like. When a predetermined input is made from the external terminal device 2 or the operation display unit 8, the adjustment inspection unit 7 reads the copy condition stored in the condition storage unit 52 and performs the copy process with the read copy condition. The operation display unit 8 inputs an instruction to start copying. The scanner 9 reads a document. The image editing unit 10 enlarges or reduces the image read by the scanner 9, changes the density, and outputs the image from the plotter 11. The adjustment processing means 12 stores the data in the RAM 5.
The adjustment and measurement results of the preceding process stored in the data storage unit 51 are used to perform the adjustment process using the data storage unit 51 as a work area, and the adjustment and measurement results obtained during the adjustment process are recorded. Data storage unit 51, and data storage unit 5
Remember with 1. The adjustment switch 13 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a control board 1 located on the rear side of the copying apparatus 1.
4 together with the communication connector 15 and O during the adjustment process.
By setting to N, an instruction to set the adjustment mode is input.

In the adjustment and inspection process of the facsimile apparatus 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, the adjustment procedure and the copy condition are stored in the condition storage unit 5.
The operation in the case of storing in No. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

After the terminal device 2 is connected to the copying device 1 in the adjustment and inspection process, when the copying device 1 receives communication from the terminal device 2 via the communication control unit 4 (step S).
1) The main controller 3 of the copying apparatus 1 checks whether the reception is a data storage command (step S2). When the data storage command is not received, the main control unit 3 checks whether or not the data writing command is received, and when the data writing command is received (step S3), the data is sent from the plotter 11 or the like. Data is written (step S4). When the main control unit 3 receives the data storage command, it clears the condition storage unit 52 and then receives the data number N from the terminal device 2 (step S
5) The data reception of the copy condition or adjustment procedure is started (step S6). The main control unit 3 stores the received data in the condition storage unit 52, and repeatedly receives the data from the terminal device 2 until the number of received data reaches N (steps S6 and S7). . As described above, the copying apparatus 1 receives the adjustment procedure and the copy condition data from the external terminal apparatus 2 and stores them in the condition storage unit 52, so that the program stores the adjustment procedure and the copy condition for the inspection process. Even if there is no need and there is a change in the adjustment and inspection process, it is not necessary to change the configuration of the copying apparatus 1 and the process change can be dealt with quickly. In addition, the condition storage unit 52 of the RAM 5 stores the adjustment procedure and the copy condition during the adjustment and inspection process, and is opened as a portion used by the user when the user uses it.
The RAM 5 can be used effectively.

Next, the operation in the case of inspecting or adjusting the copying apparatus 1 in which the above adjustment procedure and copy conditions are stored will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The copying apparatus 1 receives, for example, an inspection process (step S11), and a predetermined inspection document designed to evaluate a plurality of inspection items is placed on the platen of the scanner 9. When an original reading instruction is input from the operation display unit 8 or the external terminal device 2, the original is read by the scanner 9 and the image information of the read original is stored in the data storage unit 51 of the RAM 5 (step S).
12).

After the data is stored in the data storage unit 51 of the RAM 5, a predetermined copy start instruction and the required number of copies are input from the operation display unit 8 or the external terminal device 2 (step S13). , The main control unit 3 is the adjustment inspection means 7
Instructing the start of copying for each copy condition of the original data stored in the RAM 5. Upon receiving the copy start instruction from the main control unit 3, the adjustment inspection unit 7 sets the required number of copies input from the operation display unit 8 or the external terminal device 2 (step S14). After setting the required number of copies, the adjustment inspection means 7 reads from the condition storage section 52 copy conditions including, for example, density, copy magnification, paper feed size, number of copies, etc., which is composed of "4" bytes (step S15), If the read copy conditions are not "0" or "0FF", for example, the copy conditions such as density, copy magnification, paper feed size, and number of copies are set according to the read copy conditions (step S16), and data is stored in the RAM 5 A predetermined document stored in the section 51 is edited by the image editing section 10 and then copied and output from the plotter 11 (step S1).
7). The adjustment inspection means 7 counts up the number of copies (step S18), repeats the processing from reading the copy conditions to setting and copying until the number of copies reaches the set number, and all necessary copies are output to the paper ejection tray. Output (step S19).

When the copying machine 1 that has output all the necessary copies is conveyed on the line and reaches the working position of the worker, the worker takes the outputted copies in order from the paper discharge table, and the copy image conforms to the product standard. Check if they match. In this way, since the copy required by the worker is output in advance,
The operator does not need to set the copy conditions or wait for the output of the copy, and the time of the inspection process can be shortened.

When the copying apparatus 1 receives an input indicating that it is an adjustment process (step S11), the adjustment inspection means 7
Reads the adjustment procedure from the condition storage unit 52 (step S
20) The read adjustment procedure is set to simplify the adjustment operation by the operator during the adjustment process (step S21). The operator in the adjustment process performs a specific adjustment process of the copying apparatus 1 using the set adjustment procedure, and when the specific adjustment process is completed, the adjustment process is performed to instruct the copying apparatus 1 to prepare for the next adjustment process. Input the end to the copying apparatus 1 (step S2)
2). The adjustment inspection means 7 repeats the processes from the reading of the adjustment procedure to the adjustment process until all the adjustment steps are completed (step S23), and the adjustment of the copying apparatus 1 is completed.

By thus simplifying the work of the adjustment and inspection process, the work time can be shortened, so that each worker processes other processes by using the shortened time. It becomes possible to process a plurality of steps.

In the above embodiment, the copying machine 1 which has output all the required copies is conveyed on the line. However, at the end of each step, an instruction is issued to output the required copy in the next step, and the copying is performed between the steps. It is also possible to output a copy while being transported.

Next, the operation when the adjustment and measurement results obtained in the adjustment process are stored in the data storage unit 51 and the stored adjustment and adjustment and measurement results are used in the subsequent process are shown in the flowchart of FIG. -It will be described with reference to FIG.

The main controller 3 of the copying apparatus 1 is an external terminal device 2
After receiving and storing the adjustment procedure from (step S31),
The adjustment processing means 12 starts processing of each adjustment step. When the adjustment process means 12 uses the result of the preceding process as needed (step S32), it reads it from the data storage unit 51 (step S33) and uses the adjustment and measurement results of the preceding process as necessary. The process of the adjusting process is performed (step S34). When the adjustment process is completed, the copying machine 1
The adjustment processing means 12 reads the adjustment switch 13, and when the adjustment switch 13 is ON (step S35), the result obtained by the processing of the adjustment process is stored in the data storage unit 51 of the RAM 5.
(Step S36). The adjustment processing means 12 repeats the processing of the adjustment step to the registration of the result of the adjustment step until the adjustment switch is turned off and the processing of the adjustment step is completed (step S37). In this way, in each step of the adjusting step, the result of the preceding step is read from the data storage unit 51 as necessary and used, so that the same work is repeated or a storage medium such as a RAM card is externally output. There is no need to provide any other device, and quick processing can be performed with a simple configuration.

In the main control means 3, the adjustment switch 13 is turned off.
And the processing of the adjustment process ends (step S3
7) Wait until the instruction of the post-processing mode is input from the operation display unit 8, and when the instruction of the post-processing mode is input (step S38), the process of the post-processing mode is started and the data storage unit 51 is started. The stored adjustment and measurement results are sent to the terminal device 2 or a large-capacity storage device via, for example, the communication control unit 4 so that the user can use them after registering the adjustment and measurement results as an adjustment history. The data storage unit 53 is cleared (step S39). Here, since the data storage unit 51 of the RAM 5 stores the adjustment and measurement results during the adjustment process and is opened as a portion used by the user when the user uses it, the RAM 5 can be used effectively.

Although the adjustment mode is set by using the adjustment switch 13 in the above embodiment, the adjustment mode may be set by making a special input from the operation display unit 8.

Further, in the above embodiment, the adjustment and measurement results in all the adjustment steps are stored in the data storage section 51, but one step is divided for the reason that the sensors required for the adjustment cannot be set at one time. The data storage unit 51 may store only the adjustment and measurement results of two or more processes. In this case, the judgment as to whether or not the process is a divided process is made by the adjustment procedure stored in the condition storage unit 52.

[0028]

As described above, the present invention temporarily stores a plurality of adjustment procedures and copy conditions received from the external terminal device during the adjustment and inspection steps, and adjusts the adjustment procedures according to each adjustment step and inspection step. And copy conditions are read from the condition storage unit, copy processing and adjustment process processing are performed, and the setting time for the adjustment processing in each process and the copy condition setting time are shortened and the processing is performed quickly. Working time can be shortened.

Furthermore, since the work time of each adjustment and inspection process is shortened, each worker can process a plurality of processes, the number of workers can be reduced, and the adjustment and inspection costs can be reduced. It can be reduced.

Further, the adjustment and measurement results are stored during the adjustment process, the adjustment and measurement data are transferred between the preceding process and the subsequent process, and the adjustment and inspection results stored in the subsequent adjustment process are required. The adjustment and measurement data are cleared at the end of the adjustment, so adjustment and measurement results can be shared in each process, and there is no need to connect other storage media, which is inexpensive. You can do quick work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout view of adjustment switches.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation when storing an adjustment procedure and a copy condition.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the adjustment and inspection process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an operation when utilizing a preceding adjustment result or the like.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copying device 2 Terminal device 4 Communication control part 5 RAM 51 Data storage part 52 Condition storage part 7 Adjustment inspection means 12 Adjustment processing means 13 Adjustment switch

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A communication control unit, a RAM, and an adjustment / inspection unit, wherein the communication control unit controls communication with an external terminal device, and RA
M has a data storage unit and a condition storage unit, the data storage unit temporarily stores various data such as image data, and the condition storage unit is an external terminal device during the adjustment and inspection process. A plurality of adjustment procedures and copy conditions received from the communication control unit from the storage unit are stored, and the adjustment inspection means reads the adjustment procedures and copy conditions according to each adjustment process or inspection process from the condition storage unit and performs adjustment process processing or copy processing. A copying apparatus characterized by performing. 2. The adjustment and measurement results are stored in a data storage unit during the adjustment process, and the adjustment and inspection results stored in the data storage unit in the subsequent adjustment process are used as necessary to perform an adjustment process, The copying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment processing unit that clears the data storage unit when the adjustment is completed.