JPH10294846A - Image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the work efficiency of serviceman at the time of executing the mechanical operation of each image forming device by enabling execute mechanical operation, which is to be executed in the serviceman program mode of respective image forming devices consisting of an image formation system, from the image forming device to become a master image forming device. SOLUTION: When executing the mechanical operation (SP job) in the serviceman program mode of slave image forming devices B-D, a master image forming device A transmits a peculiar ID transmission request signal and a state request signal to the slave image forming devices B-D and displays returned contents. Next, when the serviceman selects any slave image forming device to execute the SP job, the master image forming device A acquires the SP job execution control right of selected slave image forming device and displays the list of SP jobs. Thus, the serviceman can execute the SP job at each slave image forming device by pressing the execute button of SP job and work efficiency is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of image forming apparatuses provided with an image memory for storing image data necessary for image formation and a command data memory for storing received command data. The present invention relates to an image forming system that is connected by a communication unit and a bidirectional command data communication unit that indicates control and status of the image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There have been proposed various image forming systems constituted by connecting a plurality of digital image forming apparatuses. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-174969 discloses A, B,
The four stations C and D are connected as a tandem system, and mutually transmit image signals and control signals. In addition to the image signals generated by itself, image signals generated by other stations are stored in the page memory. There is disclosed a technique for selecting a station according to the environment setting of the station and transferring the image data.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 8-174970 discloses that a certain station in a tandem system including stations A, B, C, and D issues its own status transfer command at regular time intervals. There is disclosed a technique in which when there is a local copying station, the fact is visually displayed on another station.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 8-181802 discloses that a plurality of copiers are connected to stations A to D to perform a large amount of printing.
Transmits the appropriate number of prints and image data to the stations B to D, requests the status of each device, and each device that receives the status reports the status information of the device to the station A, such as a paper jam or an out of paper. And send back
A technique is disclosed in which a station A, upon receiving it, checks whether a setting for displaying it is made, and if not, displays a status from each device for each device.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-186670 describes that one image data is transmitted to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a communication line to improve copy efficiency.

[0006]

By the way, the image forming apparatus has various modes, namely, a serviceman program mode (SP mode) by a serviceman having specialized knowledge instead of a user. By periodically performing the machine operation (SP job) in the SP mode, the image forming apparatus is always kept in the best condition.

However, in an image forming system in which a large number of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication means, the service load of a service person for executing the SP job of all the image forming apparatuses is very large. . This is especially true when each image forming apparatus is located at a remote location. For this reason, there is a demand for a technique for reducing the work load of a service person when executing an SP job.

The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of improving the work efficiency of a service person when executing an SP job of each image forming apparatus. It is assumed that.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises an image memory for storing image data necessary for image formation and a command data memory for storing received command data. The plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by a bidirectional image transfer communication unit and a bidirectional command data communication unit indicating control and status of the image forming apparatus. The machine operation performed in the serviceman program mode of each image forming apparatus constituting the image forming apparatus can be executed by the image forming apparatus serving as the master image forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when each of the image forming apparatuses is performing a mechanical operation by the master image forming apparatus, the control for inhibiting the copying operation of each of the image forming apparatuses is performed. It is characterized by performing.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an external device interface unit (hereinafter, external device I / F unit). A schematic configuration of the digital image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The operation display unit 100 includes a print start key for instructing the start of an image forming operation, a numeric keypad used to input the number of copies and an ID of the digital image forming apparatus, and an apparatus function setting for setting functions of the digital image forming apparatus. Key, system function setting keys to set functions related to the image forming system, set functions,
A liquid crystal touch panel for displaying data and the like is provided.

The ADF 200 feeds the set original to the contact glass at a predetermined timing, and discharges the original at a predetermined timing. Scanner / IPU3
No. 00 irradiates the original set on the contact glass with light from a lamp, forms an image of the reflected light on a CCD via a mirror group, a filter, and a lens, amplifies the photoelectrically converted signal, and performs A / A D-convert to obtain digital image data. The digital image data is subjected to predetermined shading correction, gamma correction, and other processing.

The operation display unit 100 displays a scaling process,
If processing processing is specified, these processings are also performed, and the digital image data of the effective image area is sent to the main control unit 600 at a predetermined timing. Printer control unit 400
Performs gamma conversion or the like on digital image data sent from the main control unit 600 in order to match the characteristics specific to the printer, and writes an electrostatic latent image based on the gamma conversion on the photoreceptor by optical writing of the LD. Formed. The latent image is visualized with toner, transferred to a transfer material such as paper, fused and fixed by a fixing device, and the transfer material is discharged out of the digital image forming apparatus.

The sorter section 500 sorts the discharged transfer material according to the mode set by the operation display section 100 and discharges the same. The main control unit 600 controls the ADF 20 according to the function set from the operation display unit 100.
0, scanner / IPU 300, printer control unit 400,
By sending a command to the sorter unit 500 and the external device I / F unit 800 or by switching the digital image data sent from the scanner / IPU 300 by the switch 601, the printer control unit 400 and the external device I / F unit 80
0 or digital image data sent from the external device I / F unit 800 to the printer control unit 400.

An operation display unit 100 and an external device I / F
A document feed timing is transmitted to the ADF 200 or a scanner start signal is transmitted to the scanner / IPU 300 based on a print start signal transmitted from the unit 800, a polygon motor synchronization signal transmitted from the printer control unit 400, and the like. A digital motor such as driving various motors, clutches or LDs of the printer control unit 400, feeding a transfer material from the bank unit 700, fixing a toner image on the transfer material, and discharging a sheet to the sorter unit 500. It controls the entire image forming apparatus.

The bank section 700 is a unit for storing various transfer materials (transfer materials of various sizes, plain paper, special paper, etc.) in dedicated cassettes and trays. When a predetermined transfer material is designated from the operation display unit 100, the transfer material is fed one by one from a cassette or a tray in which the transfer material is set.

The external device I / F unit 800, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, is an interface unit for exchanging data with another image forming apparatus. These operation display unit 100, printer control unit 400, main control unit 6
00, the printer unit 10 by the external device I / F unit 800.
00. Between the units, a solid double-headed arrow indicates an image data line, and a broken double-headed arrow indicates a command data line.

Next, an external device I / F unit 800 shown in FIG.
Will be described. The external device I / F unit 800 includes a ROM 802 storing a program for controlling the entire external device I / F unit 800, a CPU 801 operating based on the ROM 802, and a RAM storing image data and the like.
803, an NVRAM 804 for storing and holding an ID, a system configuration and the like even when a main switch is turned off, a command data I / F 805 for transmitting and receiving command data and image data to and from the main control unit 600, and an image data I / F
806, an external command data I / F 807 for transmitting and receiving command data and image data to and from an externally connected device, and an external image data I / F 808.

The external device I / F unit 800 temporarily stores command data and digital image data sent from the main control unit 600 in the RAM 803, and configures the image data at a predetermined transfer rate in the image forming system. The external command data I / F 80
7. Transmission via external image data I / F 808,
Command data and digital image data sent from another digital image forming apparatus are transferred to external command data I /
F807, RAM via external image data I / F808
The data is temporarily stored in the main control unit 803 and transmitted to the main control unit 600 via the command data I / F 805 and the image data I / F 806 at a predetermined timing.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of the image forming system. In this example, four image forming apparatuses A (unique I
D01), B (unique ID02), C (unique ID03),
D (unique ID 04) is connected by the external device I / F unit 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus unique ID is written in the nonvolatile RAM of the main control unit 11.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a display screen of the operation unit. A display screen 101 of the operation unit 100 shows an SP job execution button (slave adjustment button) 102 of the slave image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a command format used for transmitting and receiving data in the present invention.
The first field is a field indicating a data transmission destination, and usually stores an ID unique to the image forming apparatus to be the data transmission destination. The use of a wild card is permitted, and when the wild card is used, data is transmitted to all image forming apparatuses. The second field is a transmission source image forming apparatus unique ID, and is a non-volatile RAM of the master image forming apparatus.
The data stored in the unique ID area is stored.
The third field is a command storage area, and the received slave image forming apparatus analyzes the contents of the command field and executes each process. After the fourth field,
This is a data group, which depends on the transmission command.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation processing of the master image forming apparatus when executing the SP job from the master image forming apparatus to the slave image forming apparatus. SP job execution button (slave adjustment button) 10 shown in FIG.
When the button 2 is pressed, the master image forming apparatus sends an image forming apparatus unique ID transmission request signal and an image A forming apparatus status request signal is transmitted (S1).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation process of the slave image forming apparatus which has received each signal (unique ID and state) from the master image forming apparatus. When receiving the control command from the master image forming apparatus (Y in S11), the slave image forming apparatus compares the first field part (destination address) of the command format with the unique ID of its own station (S12). S1 if the address matches
Move to 3. If it does not match the unique ID of the own station, the process proceeds to S14, where it is checked whether or not the transmission destination address is a wild card.
Transfer the received data to another slave image forming apparatus (S
15).

If it is a wild card, the process proceeds to S16, where the source address in the second field of the command format is referenced and compared with the unique ID of the received slave image forming apparatus, and the unique ID and the source address are the same. If so, the transfer of the received data is stopped there (the system has been turned around once). If the unique ID and the transmission source address are different, the process shifts to S17 to copy the received data to the command data memory.

In S18, the received data is transferred to another slave image forming apparatus, and the process proceeds to S13. In step S13, the command in the third field of the command format is analyzed, and after the analysis, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, a response process is performed to the master image forming apparatus indicated by the source address with reference to the second field of the command format. The processing at the time of receiving the command ends.

Returning again to FIG. 10, the master image forming apparatus which has transmitted the connected image forming apparatus state request signal starts a timer, times out after a certain period of time, and receives a response within the time (Y in S2). Only the forming apparatus is recognized as the system configuration image forming apparatus, and the process proceeds to S3. Each received slave image forming apparatus ID is stored in a memory buffer in the master image forming apparatus. In step S3, the unique ID and the job execution status of each slave image forming apparatus constituting the system are determined from the received response data by the operation unit 10.
Display on 0.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a second example of the display screen of the operation unit. Each slave image forming apparatus unique ID and job execution status are displayed. Reference numeral 103 denotes a slave image forming apparatus-specific SP job execution button (slave apparatus selection button).

When the slave device needs to be adjusted (S4
(Y), the service person presses the button 103 to execute the SP job of the slave image forming apparatus. When the button 103 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 8, the machine ID and the machine status of each slave image forming apparatus are displayed, and the slave image forming apparatus that executes the SP job is selected.

When the slave image forming apparatus is selected, the master image forming apparatus shifts to a process of acquiring the SP job execution control right of the selected slave image forming apparatus (S5).
If the control right of the slave image forming apparatus can be acquired (S
In step S6, the process proceeds to step S7 to execute another job acceptance prohibition instruction to the slave image forming apparatus. If the control right cannot be acquired for some reason, the slave image forming apparatus S
The P job execution process is interrupted. On the slave image forming apparatus side that has received the other job acceptance prohibition command, for example, the print permission LED is changed from green to red and lit, and the user is prohibited from accepting a copy job or the like.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation process of releasing the control right (passing the control right to the master image forming device) in the slave image forming device. The slave image forming apparatus that has received the control right release request determines the state of the image forming apparatus, and indicates that the job is not being executed (N in S21) or that no abnormality has occurred (N in S22). If so, the control right is released to the master image forming apparatus (S2
3) The display screen 10 of the operation unit 100 indicates that other job acceptance is prohibited.
Display on top. If it is other than that, it notifies that the control right cannot be released (S25).

The master image forming apparatus that has obtained the control right
As shown in FIG. 9, an SP job list is displayed. The service person presses the execution button 104 of the SP job to be executed, and notifies the slave image forming apparatus of an SP job execution request according to the data transfer format of FIG. Reference numeral 105 denotes an SP job interruption button, and reference numeral 106 denotes an SP job end button.

On receiving the SP job execution request notification, the slave image forming apparatus analyzes the received command and executes S
Execute the P job. For example, when a toner supply SP job request is notified from the master image forming apparatus, the slave image forming apparatus notifies the master image forming apparatus of the start of SP job execution, rotates the toner supply motor in the supply direction, and supplies toner for a certain time. After the replenishment, the master image forming apparatus is notified of the completion of the toner replenishment operation.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation processing of the slave image forming apparatus when executing the toner supply SP job. The received data is checked in S31, and the process proceeds to S32 upon data reception. In S32, the received command is analyzed,
The process proceeds to the SP job execution process based on the analysis result (in this case, a toner supply job).

At this time, the start of execution of the requested SP job is notified to the master image forming apparatus (S33). S34,
In steps S35 and S36, actual SP job processing (toner supply motor on / off) is performed, and after completion of toner supply, the master image forming apparatus is notified of the end of SP job execution (toner supply completion), and the slave image forming apparatus side. End the SP job execution (S37). In this way, the execution of the SP job (execution start → execution end) on the slave image forming apparatus side is performed.

The release of the control right of the slave image forming apparatus held by the master image forming apparatus (returning the control right to the slave image forming apparatus) is realized by pressing the end button 106 in FIG. By pressing the end button 106, the master image forming apparatus notifies the slave image forming apparatus of release of the control right, and returns the control right of the slave image forming apparatus to the slave image forming apparatus. After receiving the control right release notification, the slave image forming apparatus releases the other job acceptance prohibited state,
Normally it is waiting.

[0037]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication means, the image forming system is constituted by an image forming apparatus serving as a master image forming apparatus. Since the SP job of each slave image forming apparatus can be executed, the work efficiency of the service person increases.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by inhibiting the execution of another job (user copy job, etc.) during the execution of the SP job, for example, the copy job during toner supply is inhibited, and the toner density is reduced. Variations can be suppressed and miscopying can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the external device interface unit.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a nonvolatile RAM data storage map.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a display screen of the operation unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a command format used for data transmission / reception in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the display screen of the operation unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the display screen of the operation unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the display screen of the operation unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the master image forming apparatus when executing an SP job of the slave image forming apparatus from the master image forming apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the slave image forming apparatus that has received each signal from the master image forming apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a control right release operation process in the slave image forming apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the slave image forming apparatus when executing the toner supply SP job.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 operation display section 200 ADF 300 scanner / IPU 400 printer control section 500 sorter section 600 main control section 700 bank section 800 external device I / F section 801 CPU 802 ROM 803 RAM 804 NVRAM 805 command data I / F 806 image data I / F F 807 External command data I / F 808 External image data I / F 1000 Printer unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus comprising: an image memory for storing image data necessary for image formation; and a command data memory for storing received command data, comprising: a communication unit for bidirectional image transfer; In the image forming system connected to the control of the forming apparatus and the two-way command data communication means indicating the state, the machine operation performed in the serviceman program mode of each image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system is mastered. An image forming system which can be executed by an image forming apparatus serving as an image forming apparatus. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein when each of the image forming apparatuses is performing a mechanical operation by the master image forming apparatus, control is performed to inhibit a copying operation of each of the image forming apparatuses. Image forming system.