JP4316932B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A conventional printing apparatus will be described with reference to operation timing charts of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4.
[0003]
In the control configuration block diagram of FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit of an external device such as a host computer, 2 denotes a control unit of the image forming apparatus, and 3 denotes communication means for connecting the external device control unit 1 and the image forming apparatus control unit 2. 4 is a control unit of the post-processing apparatus, 5 is a communication unit that connects the image forming apparatus control unit 2 and the post-processing apparatus control unit 4, 6 is a unit that lifts and lowers a table member of the post-processing apparatus, and 7 is a unit of the post-processing apparatus A means for detecting the uppermost surface of the table member, and 8 a means for detecting the lowermost surface of the table member of the post-processing apparatus.
[0004]
When the external apparatus control unit 1 instructs the image forming apparatus control unit 2 to start printing via the communication unit 3, the image forming apparatus control unit 2 causes each part of the image forming apparatus to transition to a printable state. At the same time as starting the operation, the post-processing device control unit 4 is instructed to start printing via the communication unit 5. When the post-processing apparatus control unit 4 receives the instruction, the post-processing apparatus control unit 4 starts an operation of shifting each part of the post-processing apparatus to a printable state. Here, since the transition time to the printable state of the post-processing apparatus is longer than the transition time to the printable state of the image forming apparatus, the transition time of the printing apparatus to the printable state depends on the post-processing apparatus. . As a part of the operation, the post-processing device control unit 4 instructs the table member raising / lowering means 6 to perform the table member raising operation. In response to the instruction, the table member raising / lowering means 6 starts to raise the table member, raises the table member until the uppermost surface is detected by the table upper surface detecting means 7, and when the table member reaches the uppermost surface, the post-processing device prints. It becomes possible. That is, the transition time to the printable state of the post-processing device is equal to the rise time of the table member. When the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus are ready for printing, the image forming apparatus control unit 2 starts printing according to data from the external apparatus.
[0005]
When printing is completed, the external apparatus control unit 1 instructs the image forming apparatus control unit 2 to stop printing via the communication unit 3. When the instruction is given, the image forming apparatus control unit 2 starts an operation for shifting each part of the image forming apparatus to the print stop state, and at the same time, the post-processing apparatus control unit 4 via the communication unit 5 stops printing. Give instructions. When the post-processing device control unit 4 receives the instruction, the post-processing device control unit 4 starts an operation of transitioning each part of the post-processing device to the print stop state. As a part of the operation, the post-processing device control unit 4 instructs the table member lifting / lowering means 6 to perform the table member lowering operation. In response to the instruction, the table member elevating means 6 starts to lower the table member, the table lower surface detecting means 8 lowers the table member until the lowermost surface is detected, and when the table member reaches the lowermost surface, the post-processing device Is in a print stop state. When the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus are in the printing stopped state, the image forming apparatus control unit 2 sets the printing apparatus in the printing stopped state.
[0006]
Here, when a failure occurs during printing, the external device control unit 1 instructs the image forming device control unit 2 to stop printing, or the printing device is shifted to the printing stopped state, or the image forming device control unit 2 The printing apparatus is forcibly shifted to the print stop state.
[0007]
FIG. 2 shows an operation sequence flowchart from the occurrence of a failure to the resumption of printing. After the failure has occurred and the printing apparatus has stopped, in order to return the printing apparatus to a normal state, the failure factor is removed in step S1, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, a reset instruction is issued from the external apparatus and the process proceeds to step S3. In accordance with the reset instruction, a restart operation of the printing apparatus is started, and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, a failure factor is checked during the restarting operation of the printing apparatus. If there is a failure factor, the process proceeds to step S4 ′, the print stop state is entered, and the process returns to step S1. If there is no cause of failure in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5 to check that the restart operation has been completed. If the restart operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S4, and if it has been completed, the process proceeds to step S7 to print. After transitioning to the stop state, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, a print start instruction is checked from the external apparatus control unit 1. If there is an instruction, the process proceeds to step S9 to start the printing apparatus, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, it is checked whether the printing apparatus has completed the transition to a printable state. When the transition is completed, the process proceeds to step S11 to start the printing operation.
[0008]
FIG. 4 shows an operation timing chart from the occurrence of a failure to the resumption of printing.
[0009]
As described above, in the conventional printing apparatus, the time from when the print stop state is received to the print start instruction by the external apparatus to the printable state and when printing is started, each part of the image forming apparatus has a specified number of rotations. Alternatively, it depends on the time until the transition to the state, or the time when the peripheral device is in a specified state, for example, the time until the table member is lifted and the printed paper is moved to a position where it can be processed in the post-processing device.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When a failure occurs during printing, after the failure is resolved, the printing job is often resumed and printing is continued, and the print stop state rarely continues. However, since the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus are in a print stop state until a print start instruction is issued by an external apparatus, and the transition to the print ready state is started after the instruction is received, Depending on the time required for stopping or starting, the time until the start of printing of the first page after failure repair (hereinafter referred to as the first print time) required the same time as the first print time during normal printing.
[0011]
An object of the present invention is to shorten the first print time after the occurrence of a failure and to improve the time efficiency at the start of printing.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The object is to provide an image forming apparatus that prints an image on a sheet, a post-processing apparatus having a table member that loads and lifts the sheets printed by the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus, and the post-processing apparatus. In a printing apparatus having a connection means, when restarting after a failure occurs, the table member of the post-processing device is raised when it is recognized that the failure has been resolved, and a transition to a printable state is started. Is achieved.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0014]
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an operation sequence from the occurrence of a failure to resumption of printing. After the restarting operation is completed in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6, the table member of the post-processing apparatus starts to rise, then the process proceeds to step S7, and the transition to the print stop state is started. At this time, the print stop state of the post-processing device is completed when the transition to the print stop state is completed for each part other than the table member, regardless of the operation of the table member. Therefore, even after the post-processing apparatus moves to step S <b> 8, the table member is being lifted but is in a printing stopped state. If there is a print start instruction from the external device control unit 1 in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9 to start the printing device. At this time, since the post-processing apparatus has already raised the table member, the time until the table member reaches the uppermost surface is shorter than the control in FIG. Therefore, the transition time to the printable state of the post-processing device is shortened by accelerating the rising start of the table member, and the transition time to the printable state of the printing device is also shortened by the time, step The time (first print time) from the reset operation after the failure occurrence in S2 to the start of printing in step S11 is shortened.
[0015]
In step S8, if there is no print start instruction from the external apparatus control unit 1, the process proceeds to step S12 to check the state of the table member of the post-processing apparatus. If the table member is rising or on the uppermost surface, the process proceeds to step 13; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S8. Step S13 checks the time from the reset instruction at the step S2 in, it is determined that no restart After specified time T ₄ has not elapsed after starting the descent of the table member of the post-processing apparatus proceeds to step S14 The process proceeds to step S7. If the specified time T ₄ has not elapsed in step S13, the process proceeds to step S8.
[0016]
The other steps in FIG. 1 are the same as the steps in FIG.
[0017]
FIG. 5 is an operation timing chart from the occurrence of a failure to resumption of printing. Time T from the printing start instruction to the start printing is shortened from T ₂ to T _1.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the post-processing device transitions to a printable state earlier than usual when restarting after failure repair, the first print time in restarting printing after failure repair is shortened. That is, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that can shorten the system down time and reduce the influence on the total operation time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a sequence flowchart of the prior art.
FIG. 3 is a sequence flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a time chart of the prior art.
FIG. 5 is a time chart in the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 is an external device control unit, 2 is an image forming device control unit, 3 is an external device communication unit, 4 is a post-processing device control unit, 5 is a post-processing device communication unit, 6 is a table member lifting / lowering unit, and 7 is a table upper surface detection. Means 8 is a table lower surface detecting means.

Claims (1)

And an image forming apparatus that prints an image on paper according to the data from the external device, and a post-processing apparatus having a table member for lifting and stacking sheets printed by the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus and the post When a failure occurs during printing in a printing apparatus having means for connecting a processing apparatus, the table member descends, the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus are stopped, and a reset instruction from the external apparatus When the restarting operation is started, the failure factor is confirmed during the restarting operation, the restarting operation is finished when the failure factor disappears, and the table member starts to be lifted, the state is changed to the stop state. start the migration, said table member can contact and increased before the print start instruction from the external device to initiate the transition to the even stopped printable state, Printing apparatus whose serial table member If exceeded the specified time from the print start instruction is the reset instruction not in raised position, it is determined not to continue printing, characterized in that to start the descent of the table member.

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