JPH11341216A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform an efficient printing processing without concentrating loads on a printing part by detecting an engine speed and the speed of respective functions, storing data in a buffer memory in the case that the speed of the function is faster and controlling image formation without interposing the buffer memory in the case that the engine speed is faster. SOLUTION: The respective function data of a reader, a facsimile and a PDL record data, etc., respective data transfer speed values and a printer speed value are sent to a data processing part 121 and the transfer speed of the function data and a printer speed are compared in the data processing part 121. In the case that the data transfer speed is faster than the printer speed, the presence of the memory buffer is confirmed and the function data from the data processing part 121 are stored in the memory buffer. Thereafter, whether or not the other function data are during printing is confirmed, and in the case that the printer part 2 is not during printing, printing is executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a composite type image forming apparatus in which a printing function, a copying function, a facsimile function and the like are combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printers, scanners, and the like have been used as devices for saving office space and miniaturizing OA equipment.
A composite image forming apparatus in which a facsimile apparatus and the like are combined has appeared.

[0003]

However, in such a composite type image forming apparatus, a printer function,
It has many functions such as a copy function and a fax function, and has various speeds such as a print speed, a copy speed, and a fax communication speed. In particular, the data drawing speed and the engine speed of the printer are different. For this reason, various output functions overlap, and the load is concentrated on the printing operation.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a load is not concentrated on a printer unit, and therefore, an efficient printing process can be performed. And

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus provided by the present invention detects the engine speed and the speed of each function, and the function becomes heavy, and those speeds are used as the engine speed. If it exceeds, the data is stored in the buffer memory and output is performed according to the print speed. If the engine speed is faster than the function, the image formation is controlled by a route not passing through the buffer memory.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0008] The reader unit 1 reads an image of a document and outputs image data corresponding to the document image to the image input / output control unit 3. The printer unit 2 records an image corresponding to the image data from the image input / output control unit 3 on a recording sheet. The image input / output control unit 3 is connected to a reader unit 1, a printer unit 2, a facsimile unit 4, a file unit 5, a computer interface unit 7, a LIPS formatter unit 8, and a postscript formatter unit 9.

The facsimile unit 4 expands the compressed image data received via the telephone line, transfers the expanded image data to the image input / output control unit 3, and transfers the image data from the image input / output control unit 3. The image data is compressed, and the compressed image data is transmitted via a telephone line.

The facsimile unit 4 has a hard disk 1
2 is connected and can temporarily store the received compressed image data. A magneto-optical disk drive unit 6 is connected to the file unit 5. The file unit 5 compresses the image data transferred from the image input / output control unit 3, and outputs a magneto-optical signal together with a keyword for searching the image data. The data is stored on a magneto-optical disk set in the disk drive unit 6. File section 5
Retrieves the compressed image data stored in the magneto-optical disk based on the keyword transferred through the image input / output control unit 3, reads out the retrieved compressed image data, decompresses it, and recompresses the decompressed image data. Transfer to the image input / output control unit 3.

The computer interface unit 7 includes a personal computer or a workstation (PC)
/ WS) 11 and the image input / output control unit 3. The formatter units 8 and 9 are PC / WS11
Of the PDL data transferred from the printer unit 2 into image data recordable by the printer unit 2.

Although the image input / output control unit 3 will be described later, the image input / output control unit 3 includes data between the reader unit 1, facsimile unit 4, file unit 5, computer interface unit 7, and formatter units 8 and 9. Is output to the printer unit 2.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the reader unit 1 and the printer unit 2.

The document feeder 101 of the reader unit 1 feeds a document one by one sequentially from the last page onto the platen glass 102, and after the reading operation of the document is completed, the platen glass 102
Discharge the upper document. When the document is conveyed onto the platen glass 102, the lamp 103 is turned on, the movement of the scanner unit 104 is started, and the document is exposed and scanned. The reflected light from the original at this time is reflected by mirrors 105, 106, 1
07 and a lens 108 to a CCD image sensor 109 (hereinafter referred to as CCD). in this way,
The scanned image of the document is read by the CCD 109. The image data output from the CCD 109 is transferred to the printer unit 2 via the image input / output control unit 3 after performing predetermined processing.

The laser driver of the printer section 2 drives the laser light emitting section 201 and emits laser light corresponding to the image data output from the reader section 1 to the laser light emitting section 2.
01 is emitted. This laser beam is applied to the photosensitive drum 202
And a latent image corresponding to the laser beam is formed on the photosensitive drum 202. A developer is attached to a portion of the latent image on the photosensitive drum 202 by a developing device 203. Then, at a timing synchronized with the start of the laser beam irradiation, the recording paper is fed from either the cassette 204 or the cassette 205, transported to the transfer unit 206, and the developer adhered to the photosensitive drum 202 is recorded on the recording paper. Transcribe. The recording paper loaded with the developer is conveyed to the fixing unit 207, and the developer is fixed on the recording paper by the heat and pressure of the fixing unit 207. Fixing unit 207
Are discharged by discharge rollers 208, and the sorter 220 stores the discharged recording paper in each bin to sort the recording paper. The sorter 220
If is not set for sorting, the recording paper is stored in the uppermost bin. If double-sided recording is set,
The rotation direction of the discharge roller 208 is reversed, and the flapper 20 is rotated.
9 guides the sheet to the re-feeding conveyance path. When multiple recording is set, the recording paper is guided to the re-feeding conveyance path by the flapper 209 so as not to be conveyed to the discharge roller 208. The recording paper guided to the re-feeding conveyance path is discharged to the transfer unit 206 at the timing described above.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the reader unit 1.

The image data output from the CCD 109 is subjected to analog / digital conversion by the A / D / SH unit 110 and is subjected to shading correction. The image data processed by the A / D / SH unit 110 is transferred to the image input / output control unit 3 via the image processing unit 111. The CPU 114 controls the image processing unit 111 according to the settings set by the operation unit 115.

For example, when a copy mode in which a copy is performed by performing a trimming process on the operation unit 115 is set, the image processing unit 111 performs the trimming process, and the printer unit 2 via the image input / output control unit 3. To be transferred to
When the facsimile transmission mode is set on the operation unit 115, the image processing unit 111 transfers image data and a control command corresponding to the set mode to the image input / output control unit 3 via the image processing unit 111. Such a control program of the CPU 114 is stored in the memory 116,
U114 performs control while referring to the memory 116. The memory 116 is also used as a work area of the CPU 114.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the image input / output control unit 3.

The image data of the reader unit 1, facsimile unit 4, file unit 5, computer interface unit 7, LIPS formatter unit 8, and PS formatter unit 9 are transferred to a data processing unit 121 via an interface (I / F) 120. At the same time, the control command of the reader unit 1 is transferred to the CPU 123. Data processing unit 12
Reference numeral 1 denotes an image processing unit that performs image processing such as image rotation processing and scaling processing. The image data transferred from the reader unit 1 to the data processing unit 121 is processed by an interface according to the control command transferred from the reader unit 1. The data is transferred to the facsimile unit 4, the file unit 5, and the computer interface unit 7 via 120. The code data representing the image input via the computer interface unit 7 is transferred to the data processing unit 121, and the PDL is stored in the LI.
It is determined whether the data is PS or PostScript, and is transferred to an appropriate formatter unit 8 or 9 to be developed into image data. The image data is transferred to the facsimile unit 4 and the printer unit 2 after being transferred to the data processing unit 121.

The image data from the facsimile unit 4 is transferred to the data processing unit 121 and then to the printer unit 2, the file unit 5, and the computer interface unit 7. The image data from the file unit 5 is transferred to the data processing unit 121 and then to the printer unit 2, the facsimile unit 4, and the computer interface unit 7. The CPU 123 performs such control according to a control program stored in the memory 124 and a control command transferred from the reader unit 1. Also, memory 1
Reference numeral 24 is also used as a work area of the CPU 123.

As described above, the processing combining the functions of reading the original image, printing the image, transmitting / receiving the image, saving the image, and inputting / outputting data from / to the computer is mainly performed by the image input / output control unit 3. It is possible to do.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a portion around an interface (I / F) 122 for selecting data.

The data transfer rate data of each function is transferred to the data processing section 121 together with the transfer data. Here, the speed of the printer and the transfer data rate are compared. After that, there is a buffer selector 131. The comparison data is
The data is transferred to the printer unit 2 through the data output selector 134 through the following (1) no memory buffer 132 or (2) a memory buffer 133.

The details of this operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The function data such as the reader, facsimile, and PDL record data, the data transfer speed values, and the printer unit speed are sent to the data processing unit 121 (S
301), the data processing unit 121 compares the transfer speed of the corresponding function data with the printer unit speed (S302). Here, if the data transfer speed is higher than the printer unit speed, it is next checked whether there is a memory buffer (S303), and the function data from the data processing unit is stored in the memory buffer (S304).
Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not other function data is being printed (S305). If other function data is being printed, return to the printing confirmation again.
Repeat this. If the current printer unit 2 is not printing, the check that printing is in progress is completed beforehand.
Print execution is performed (S306).

If the printer section speed is higher than the data transfer speed in step S302, the flow directly proceeds to step S306 to execute printing. In S303, if there is no memory buffer, the process also jumps to S306 to execute printing.

FIG. 6 shows a case where there are a plurality of memory buffers for storing function transfer data in FIG. The processing in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

Each function data such as reader, facsimile, PDL record data, etc., each data transfer speed value, and the printer unit speed are sent to the data processing unit 121 (S
311) The data processing unit compares the transfer speed of the corresponding function data with the printer unit speed (S31).
2). Here, if the data transfer speed is higher than the printer unit speed, the process proceeds to the next step to check whether the first memory buffer is free (S313). If the first memory buffer is free, the data processing unit Is stored in the first memory buffer (S31).
4). Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not other function data is being printed (S315).

If the data transfer speed is higher than the printer unit speed and the first memory buffer is not empty in S313, a second memory buffer empty check is performed (S316), and the function data from the data processing unit is checked. Is stored in the second memory buffer (S31
7). Then, similarly to the operation up to the execution of the printing of the data stored in the first memory buffer, it is confirmed whether or not other function data is being printed (S
315). If the other function data and the first memory buffer data are being printed, the process returns to the confirmation of printing again and repeats this. Then, after confirming that printing is not being performed, the data stored in the second memory buffer is printed (S31).
8).

In step S312, if the speed of the printer unit 2 is higher than the data transfer speed, the process proceeds to step S318.
And print execution is performed. If it is determined in step S316 that there is no free space in the first memory buffer and no free space in the second memory buffer, the process similarly jumps to step S318 to execute printing.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
While comparing the data transfer speed of each function with the speed of the printer unit, it is possible to execute data transfer to the printer unit directly or via a memory buffer, so the load on the printer unit is concentrated. And efficient print processing is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a reader unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an image input / output control unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an interface part in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an interface part in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reader part 2 Printer part 3 Image input / output control part 4 Facsimile part 5 File part 6 Magneto-optical disk drive unit part 7 Computer interface part 8 LIPS formatter part 9 PS formatter part 11 PC / WS 12 Hard disk

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of data input units; a printing unit that prints data from each data input unit; and a unit that receives and transmits data via a communication line. An image forming apparatus comprising an interface means between the input data means and the printing means. 2. An image according to claim 1, wherein said interface means is means for flowing data from said plurality of data input means via a storage means for storing the data or without passing through the storage means. Forming equipment. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of said storage units. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing the printing speed of the printing means and comparing the printing speed with the processing speed of the data input means.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above.