JP5964599B2 - Image forming apparatus, control apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control apparatus, and a program, and can be applied to, for example, an electrophotographic printer.

  In an electrophotographic printer (image forming apparatus) that transfers and fixes a developer image by a toner agent (developer) onto a printing medium (printing paper), the toner image formed on the printing medium is fixed by heat and pressure. A fixing device is provided.

  In the printer described in Patent Document 1, when a print job is received, the normal mode in which the fixing device is sufficiently heated (heated) and then the printing process is performed, or the minimum temperature (from the standby mode) than in the normal mode. The temperature of the fixing device is increased to a low temperature) and the mode for outputting the medium can be selected.

JP 2003-345180 A

However, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, the mode selection, the status of the print job you previously row is not considered in the print job of interest, it was inefficient.

In view of the problems as described above, an image forming apparatus that can efficiently form an image on a medium, a control apparatus, and a program are desired.

First image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus having (1) an image forming speed及beauty power dissipation plurality print modes with different, according to the contents of the job of image formation on the (2) medium An image forming unit that performs image formation on a medium; (3) a job management unit that manages a job to be executed by the image forming unit; and (4) the image forming unit in any of the plurality of print modes. And (5) a print mode setting unit that sets one of the plurality of print modes for each job in accordance with the number of jobs waiting for image formation processing. 6) Each time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the print mode setting unit performs the above process on the received job according to the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing preceding the received job. Duplicate Image forming apparatus characterized by setting one of the printing modes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a control device that controls an image forming apparatus that performs image formation on a medium in accordance with the contents of an image formation job on the medium, (1) a job that manages a job to be executed by the image forming apparatus a management unit, (2) according to the number of image forming process waiting job, to determine any of the image forming speed及beauty power consumption for each job of a plurality of different print modes, the image forming apparatus (3) Each time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the print mode setting means instructs a job waiting for image forming processing preceding the received job. One of the plurality of print modes is set for the received job according to the number .

A control program according to a third aspect of the present invention includes: (1) a computer mounted on a control device that controls an image forming apparatus that performs image formation on a medium using image forming means in accordance with the contents of an image forming job on the medium; (2) job management means for managing the job to be executed by the image forming means, and (3) a plurality of prints having different image forming speed and power consumption for each job according to the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing. to determine one of modes, to function as a printing mode setting means for instructing the above-described image forming apparatus, (4) the printing mode setting means, every time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the received One of the plurality of print modes is set for the received job in accordance with the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing preceding the completed job .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently form an image on a medium in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment and a connection relationship with each apparatus related to the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a data format stored in a memory constituting a print image data storage unit of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing device mounted on a printer according to a first embodiment. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of contents of a job stacker (job management table) of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when a new print job arrives in the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing for determining a print mode of a print job by a control unit of the printer according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the control unit of the printer according to the first embodiment performs a print execution control process for each print job. It is explanatory drawing shown about the example of the content transition of the job stacker (job management table) of the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment and a connection relationship with each apparatus related to the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. It is explanatory drawing shown about the example of the content of the job stacker (job management table) of the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when a new print job arrives in the printer according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the control unit of the printer according to the second embodiment performs a print execution control process for each print job. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing for determining a print mode of a print job by a control unit of a printer according to a second embodiment. It is explanatory drawing shown about the example of the content transition of the job stacker (job management table) of the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

(A) First Embodiment Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus, a control apparatus, and a program according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the image forming apparatus of this embodiment is a printer.

(A-1) Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment and a connection relationship with each apparatus related to the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. It is a block diagram.

  In FIG. 1, a printer 10 according to this embodiment is connected to a PC 1 that is a print job supply source via a network 2. The configuration for supplying a print job to the printer 10 is not limited to the example of FIG. 1, and may be supplied offline (for example, supplied by a recording medium such as a flash memory).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a communication unit 110, a data analysis unit 120, a control unit 130, an image forming unit 140, a received data storage unit 150, a print image data storage unit 160, and a job stacker 170. doing.

  The communication unit 110 has an interface function for connecting the printer 10 to the outside (the network 2 in this embodiment). The type of interface supported by the communication unit 110 is not limited. For example, an interface compatible with Ethernet (registered trademark), USB (Universal Serial Bus), or the like can be applied. The communication unit 110 receives print job data from a host device such as the PC 1 (hereinafter also referred to as “host”) via the network 2 and transfers the print job data to the data analysis unit 120.

  Further, when receiving the print job data transmitted from the PC 1, the communication unit 110 of this embodiment gives a unique identification number (hereinafter referred to as “job number”) and stores it in the received data storage unit 150. Is also performed to notify the data analysis unit 120.

  The data analysis unit 120 reads print job data from the received data storage unit 150 in accordance with the notification from the communication unit 110, and performs processing for converting the read print job data into print image data for each page. For example, when the print job data received from the PC 1 is print image data in which an image to be printed is processed by encoding or the like, it can be processed by the control unit 130 and the image forming unit 140 by performing a decoding process. Performs processing to convert to formatted print image data.

  The data analysis unit 120 stores the converted print image data in the print image data storage unit 160 in a format that can be identified in units of print jobs.

  The data format stored in the print image data storage unit 160 is not limited, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that the format is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 conceptually shows data stored in the memory space constituting the print image data storage unit 160. In FIG. 2, data of the first two print jobs in the print image data storage unit 160 are shown as an example. Specifically, in FIG. 2, an example in which a print job with a job number “2011007070915” and a print job with a job number “201007070917” are stored at the top of the memory space that configures the print image data storage unit 160. Shows about.

  In this embodiment, the job number of each print job is a numerical value based on the date and time when the communication unit 110 received the job, but the job number assignment format is not limited. In this embodiment, for example, the job number “201007070915” indicates that it was received by the communication unit 110 at “9:15 on July 7, 2010”.

  In FIG. 2, two pages of print image data (PD11 and PD12 in FIG. 2) constituting a print job having a job number “2011007070915” and one page constituting a print job having a job number “2011007070917”. Print image data (PD21 in FIG. 2) is stored.

  Data indicating the head of the print job (hereinafter referred to as “job start identification data”) SD1 is stored in the memory in front of the print image data PD11 and PD12 constituting the print job having the head job number “201007070915”. Stored. It is assumed that the job start identification data SD1 includes job number information of the print job as shown in FIG.

  In the memory behind the print image data PD11 and PD12, data representing the end of the print job (hereinafter referred to as “job end data”) ED1 is stored. Further, job start identification data SD2 of the next print job (job number: “2011007070915”) is stored further behind the job end identification data ED1, and print image data PD21 is further stored behind the job start identification data SD2.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in the print image data storage unit 160 of this embodiment, the data of each print job is composed of job start identification data, one or a plurality of print image data, and job end identification data. Yes. The print image data storage unit 160 only needs to manage print image data for each print job, and the specific format is not limited to the format shown in FIG. 2. For example, a database format or the like is applied. You may do it.

  Further, the data analysis unit 120 holds information related to the control of the print job (hereinafter referred to as “print job control information”) for each print job, and notifies the control unit 130 of the information. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the print job control information includes at least the job number of the print job.

  The control unit 130 integrally controls each component constituting the printer 10 and includes a data transfer unit 131, a job management unit 132, and an image formation management unit 133.

  In this embodiment, the control unit 130 is described as being a part of the components of the printer 10, but some or all of the functions of the control unit 130 may be configured as separate control devices. In that case, for example, only the functions of the job management unit 132 and the job stacker 170 may be constructed as separate control devices. For example, the control program of the embodiment (a program corresponding to the functions of the job management unit 132 and the job stacker 170) or the like is added to an information processing apparatus (for example, a PC or a workstation) having a program implementation configuration such as a processor and memory. You may make it construct | assemble the above-mentioned control apparatus by installing. In that case, the control device may be connected to the network 2 to communicate with the printer 10 to perform control.

  The data transfer unit 131 reads out data for each print job (print image data) from the print image data storage unit 160 in accordance with an instruction from the job management unit 132 and transfers the data to the image forming unit 140. When the data transfer unit 131 finishes transferring one print job, the data transfer unit 131 notifies the job management unit 132 of the job number of the print job that has been transferred.

  The job management unit 132 manages the progress of each print job, and instructs the image formation management unit 133 to perform print processing for each print job. Specifically, the job management unit 132 manages each print job by managing the contents of the job management table 171 stored in the job stacker 170. Details of print job management by the job management unit 132 (including details of the contents of the job management table 171) will be described later.

  The image formation management unit 133 controls the operation of the image formation unit 140 based on an instruction from the job management unit 132.

  The image forming unit 140 performs an image forming process (printing process) on the print medium S of the print image data transferred from the data transfer unit 131 based on the control from the control unit 130 (image formation management unit 133). A development processing unit 141 and a fixing unit 142.

  Next, an outline of a hardware configuration of the printer 10 (a configuration centering on the development processing unit 141 and the fixing device 142) will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The printer 10 includes a paper feed cassette c on which the print medium S is accumulated. Then, the print medium S stacked at the top in the paper feed cassette c is fed out by the hopping roller hr, and the fed print medium S is supplied to the development processing unit 141 by a pair of pinch rollers pr. .

In the development processing unit 141, the print medium S supplied from the pinch roller pr is conveyed by the conveyance belt 141b in the medium conveyance direction (the direction of arrow e in FIG. 3). The development processing units 141 are arranged in series. The four toner image forming units 141a (141a-1 to 141a-4) are provided. The number of toner image forming units 141a arranged in the development processing unit 141 and the color of the toner agent are not limited.

  The toner image forming units 141a-1 to 141a-4 are for developing toner images on the print medium S by using a toner agent (developer) of any one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively. . In each toner image forming unit 141a (141a-1 to 141a-4), a photosensitive drum 141e (141e-1 to 141e-4) is charged by a charging roller (not shown) and rotated by an optical head (not shown). The image (electrostatic latent image) based on the image data is written on the image 141e (141e-1 to 141e-4), and the image (electrostatic latent image) is developed with a toner agent, whereby the toner image becomes the photosensitive drum 141e ( 141e-1 to 141e-4).

  Transfer rollers 141f-1 to 141f-4 for transferring toner images to the print medium S are disposed inside the transport belt 141b at positions facing the photosensitive drums 141e-1 to 141e-4, respectively. ing. The transfer rollers 141f-1 to 141f-4 press the opposing photosensitive drum 141f against the print medium S passing on the conveying belt 141b, and transfer the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 141f to the print medium S. In other words, in the printer 10, electrophotographic image formation is performed in which a toner image using a toner agent as a developer is transferred to the print medium S.

  Note that the downstream end of the transport belt 141b in the medium transport direction is supported by the driving roller 141c, and the upstream end in the medium transport direction is supported by the driven roller 141d. The drive roller 141c is driven (rotated) by a motor (not shown), and the driven roller 141d is supported in the printer 10 so as to be rotatable. That is, the driven roller 141d rotates as the driving roller 141c rotates.

  The configuration for supplying the print medium S to the development processing unit 141 and the printer 10 and the specific configuration for transporting the print medium S within the printer 10 are not limited. The technology described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-249663 can be applied.

  In the image forming unit 140, the print medium S on which the toner images are formed by the toner image forming units 141a-1 to 141a-4 is supplied to the fixing device 142 by the transport belt 141b. Then, the print medium S fixed by the fixing device 142 is discharged and deposited (placed) on the discharge tray tr.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the fixing device 142 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fixing device 142.

  In the fixing device 142, as shown in FIG. 4, a heating roller 142b, a pressure roller 142c, a heater 142d, and a temperature sensor 142e are arranged in the fixing device frame 142a.

  An arrow e in FIG. 4 indicates the medium conveyance direction on the medium conveyance path for conveying the print medium S in the printer 10.

  In the fixing device 142, a heating roller 142b is disposed in the upper direction of the medium conveyance path in the fixing device frame 142a. A pressure roller 142c is disposed at a position facing the heating roller 142b across the medium conveyance path. The pressure roller 142c is supported rotatably at the above-described position.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, a heater 142d for heating the heating roller 142b and the like is disposed inside the heating roller 142b. In addition, a temperature sensor 142e for measuring the temperature of the heating roller 142b and the like is disposed inside the fixing device frame 142a. Further, the heating roller 142b is rotated (driven) by a motor (not shown). As the heating roller 142b rotates, the pressure roller 142c also rotates.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the heating roller 142b and the pressure roller 142c sandwich the print medium S and rotate in the medium conveyance direction (arrow e in FIG. 4) on the medium conveyance path. The heating roller 142b and the pressure roller 142c apply heat and pressure when sandwiching the print medium S, and perform a fixing process of the toner image formed on the print medium S.

  The hardware configuration of the fixing device 142 is not limited to the configuration of FIG. 4, and the same configuration as that of various existing fixing devices can be applied.

  For example, in FIG. 4, one heater 142d is arranged in the heating roller 142b, but the position and number of heaters arranged in the fixing device frame 142a are not limited. As the heater 142d, for example, a halogen lamp or the like that is used in a fixing device of an existing printer can be applied.

  For example, in FIG. 4, one temperature sensor 142e is arranged in the vicinity of the heating roller 142b, but the position and number of the temperature sensors to be arranged in the fixing device frame 142a are not limited. As the temperature sensor 142e, the same one as that used for a fixing device of an existing printer, such as a thermistor or a thermostat, can be applied.

  As described above, the hardware configuration of the fixing device 142 is not limited. Specifically, for example, the technique described in the above-mentioned Reference 1 (particularly, the configuration shown in FIG. 3 of Reference 1) is applied. Can do.

  The image formation management unit 133 manages operations of the image formation unit 140 (development processing unit 141, fixing unit 142, and the like).

  For example, the image formation management unit 133 manages and controls the speed at which the printing medium S is transported in the printer 10 (hereinafter referred to as “transport speed”) and the temperature at which the fixing device 142 performs the fixing process.

  First, control of the conveyance speed of the development processing unit 141 by the image formation management unit 133 will be described.

  The image formation management unit 133 includes at least a conveyance speed on the medium conveyance path (hereinafter referred to as “medium conveyance speed”) from when the printing medium S is supplied to the development processing unit 141 until the fixing process by the fixing device 142 is completed. Manage). Specifically, the image formation management unit 133 controls a motor that drives each roller or the like disposed on the medium conveyance path to set a conveyance speed (hereinafter referred to as “set medium conveyance speed”). And In this embodiment, description will be made using PPM (Page per Minute) as the medium conveyance speed. PPM represents the number of A4-sized print media printed per minute. For example, when the set medium conveyance speed is 1 PPM, it is assumed that the print medium moves on the medium conveyance path at a speed of printing one A4 size print medium per minute.

  The specific configuration in which the image formation management unit 133 controls each motor to control the conveyance speed is not limited. For example, the technique described in Reference 1 may be applied.

  Next, temperature management related to the fixing device 142 by the image formation management unit 133 will be described.

  For example, the image formation management unit 133 controls the output of the heater 142d using the temperature measurement result of the temperature sensor 142e of the fixing device 142, thereby controlling the temperature of the fixing device 142 (hereinafter referred to as "fixing device temperature"). Is a set temperature (hereinafter referred to as “set fixing device temperature”). In this embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the image formation management unit 133 sets the temperature of the heater 142d so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 142e installed in the vicinity of the heating roller 142b becomes the set fixing device temperature. It is assumed that the output is controlled.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is one temperature sensor 142e arranged as described above. However, when a plurality of temperature sensors are arranged, for example, according to the measurement results of the plurality of temperature sensors, The output of the heater 142d may be controlled. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is one heater 142d arranged as described above. However, when a plurality of heaters are arranged, the temperature of the fixing device 142 is controlled by controlling the plurality of heaters. Management may be performed. The specific configuration in which the image formation management unit 133 controls the temperature of the fixing device 142 is not limited. For example, the technique described in Reference 1 may be applied.

  In this embodiment, the image formation management unit 133 switches the set conveyance speed and the set fixing device temperature according to the print mode instructed from the job management unit 132. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the image formation management unit 133 corresponds to the normal print mode and the two power-saving print modes that operate at a lower printing speed but consume less power than the normal print mode. . That is, the image formation management unit 133 controls the power consumption of the image forming unit 140 by controlling the set fixing device temperature, and controls the printing speed by controlling the set medium conveyance speed.

  Hereinafter, the set fixing device temperature in the normal printing mode is referred to as Te1, and the set medium conveyance speed is referred to as Vp1. In the power saving printing mode, the set fixing device temperature is referred to as Te2, and the set medium conveyance speed is referred to as Vp2. The relationship between Te1 and Te2 is Te1> Te2. The relationship between Vp1 and Vp2 is Vp1> Vp2.

  Next, the control processing for the image formation management unit 133 (image formation unit 140) by the job management unit 132 and details of the contents of the job management table 171 will be described.

  As described above, the job management unit 132 manages each print job by managing the contents of the job management table 171 stored in the job stacker 170.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of the job management table 171.

  The job management table 171 manages print mode information in association with job numbers for print jobs for which print processing has not been completed.

  In the job management table 171, the item of job number is an identifier for identifying the print job.

  The item of the print mode in the job management table 171 indicates a print mode when performing printing related to the print job, and information on either “power saving print mode” or “normal print mode” is set. The specific data format input to the print mode item in the job management table 171 is not limited to the content shown in FIG. 5, and may be, for example, a format of flag information (for example, “1” or “2”). good.

  The job management table 171 shown in FIG. 5 indicates that the print job related to the upper row is a print job to be executed first. The job management unit 132 according to the present embodiment is described as a case where the print processing of each print job is executed by FIFO (First In First Out) in principle. However, the processing order depends on the priority of each print job. May be replaced. In that case, the data of each row may be rearranged in the order in which print processing is performed first on the job management table 171.

  When the job management unit 132 is notified of print job control information (information including a job number) related to a new print job from the data transfer unit 131, the job management unit 132 adds a line related to the print job to the end of the job management table 171. And enter the job number. Then, the job management unit 132 determines a print mode corresponding to the newly added print job, and inputs it to the print mode item of the job management table 171. Then, the job management unit 132 performs processing for deleting information (row) of the print job for which print processing has been completed from the job management table 171.

  In this embodiment, each time a print job arrives, the job management unit 132 determines the print mode of the arrived print job according to the status of the preceding print job. Specifically, in this embodiment, when the number of preceding print jobs (print jobs registered in the job management table 171) is less than N, the job management unit 132 displays the received print job. It is determined that the print processing is performed in the power saving print mode, and when the number of preceding print jobs is N or more, it is determined that the incoming print job is performed in the normal print mode. In this embodiment, it is assumed that N as the threshold is “1”. The specific method for determining the print mode for each print job is not limited.

(A-2) Operation of the First Embodiment Next, the operation of the printer 10 of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer 10 when a new print job arrives.

  First, in the printer 10, it is assumed that print job data is received by the communication unit 110 (S101), a unique job number is assigned to the print job, and stored in the received data storage unit 150 (S102).

  Then, the job number of the print job that has arrived at the data analysis unit 120 from the communication unit 110 is notified (S103).

  Then, the data analysis unit 120 analyzes newly arrived print job data (data stored in the received data storage unit 150), converts it into print image data for each page, and stores the print image data in the print image data storage unit 160. Stored (S104).

  Then, the data analysis unit 120 notifies the control unit 130 (job management unit 132) of print job control information (information including at least the job number) of the incoming print job (S105).

  Then, the job management unit 132 determines the print mode of the notified print job (S106). Details of the print mode determination process for the print job in step S106 will be described later.

  Then, based on the notified print job control information and the determined print mode, the job management unit 132 registers the information (row) of the print job in the job management table 171 of the job stacker 170 (S107). . Specifically, the job management unit 132 uses the job stacker 170 (job management table 171) to store the job number included in the notified print job control information and the print mode information (line) determined in step S106 described above. ) Is added.

  Next, details of the processing in step S106 described above will be described.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing processing for determining the print mode of the print job in step S106 described above.

  When the job management unit 132 acquires the job number of the newly arrived print job, the job management unit 132 refers to the job management table 171 of the job stacker 170 (S201), and the number of print jobs preceding the print job is N or more. Whether or not (S202).

  If it is determined in step S202 described above that the number of preceding print jobs is N or more, the job management unit 132 determines that the print mode of the print job is the normal mode (S203).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 described above that the number of preceding print jobs is less than N, the job management unit 132 determines that the print mode of the print job is the power saving mode (S204).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the control unit 130 performs print execution control processing for each print job based on the contents of the job management table 171.

  First, it is assumed that the job management unit 132 of the control unit 130 acquires the job number and print mode information of the next print job to be printed from the job management table 171 of the job stacker 170 (S301).

  Then, the job management unit 132 sets the print mode of the print job in the image formation management unit 133. Then, the image formation management unit 133 sets the set fixing device temperature and the set medium conveyance speed according to the print mode set from the job management unit 132 (S302).

  Then, the job management unit 132 controls the data transfer unit 131 to sequentially read the print image data following the job start identification data at the head of the print job to be printed. Then, the data transfer unit 131 reads out the print image data in the same manner until there is no print image data to be read and job end identification data is detected (S303, S304).

  If the data transfer unit 131 detects job end identification data, the data transfer unit 131 reports the fact to the job management unit 132 (S305).

  Then, the data transfer unit 131 performs a process of sequentially transferring the read print image data to the image forming unit 140 (S306).

  Then, the image formation management unit 133 performs control to maintain the set fixing device temperature and the set medium conveyance speed while the image forming unit 140 performs the printing process for the print job (S307).

  Then, the job management unit 132 deletes the information (row) of the print job from the job management table 171 of the job stacker 170 (S308).

  As described above, the control unit 130 performs control related to print processing of one print job, and when the print job to be printed next is in the job stacker 170 (job management table 171), the next print job is processed. The same processing is performed from the processing in step S301 described above.

  Next, transition of the contents of the job stacker 170 (job management table 171) when the control unit 130 operates will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. In the following example, it is assumed that N as a threshold value applied in step S202 is 1.

  First, it is assumed that no print job is registered in the job management table 171 as an initial state. In this state, it is assumed that one print job has arrived at the control unit 130 and the job number “2011007070915” has been assigned to the print job. At this time, since no print job is registered in the job management table 171, in step S202 described above, the job management unit 132 determines that the number of preceding print jobs is less than N (less than 1). The print mode of the print job is determined as the power saving print mode. The contents of the job management table 171 are set as shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, before the print processing of the print job “2011007070915” is completed, one new print job arrives at the control unit 130, and the job number “2011007070917” is assigned to the print job. Shall. At this time, since one print job is registered in the job management table 171 as shown in FIG. 9A, in step S202 described above, the job management unit 132 determines the number of preceding print jobs. Is determined to be N or more (1 or more), and the print mode of the print job is determined as the normal print mode. The contents of the job management table 171 are set as shown in FIG.

  When the contents of the job management table 171 are in the state shown in FIG. 9B and a new print job comes after that, as shown in FIG. 9C, all the print modes of those print jobs are set. The normal print mode is determined.

(A-3) Effects of First Embodiment According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

  In the printer 10 of the first embodiment, when N or more preceding print jobs are accumulated in the job stacker 170, it is determined that the job is congested (a queue of a predetermined number or more is generated). For a newly arrived print job, priority is given to the print speed, and print processing is executed in the normal print mode. In the printer 10, when the number of staying print jobs is N or less in the job stacker 170, it is determined that the job is empty (the queue is equal to or lower than the predetermined value), and priority is given to operating with power saving. Then, the print processing is executed in the power saving print mode for the newly arrived print job.

  Further, when the image forming unit 140 operates in the power saving printing mode, the temperature of the fixing device 142 is lower than that in the normal printing mode, but the medium transport speed is slower than that in the normal printing mode. Passes through the fixing device 142 slowly, and the toner image can be sufficiently fixed on the printing medium S. In other words, even when the image forming unit 140 operates in the power saving printing mode, it is possible to perform image formation with the same image quality as in the normal printing mode by adjusting the medium conveyance speed.

  As described above, the printer 10 determines the print mode of a newly arrived print job according to the status of the preceding print job, flexibly supports all of the printing speed, power consumption, and image quality, and is efficient. A printing process can be executed.

(B) Second Embodiment Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus, a control apparatus, and a program according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the image forming apparatus of this embodiment is a printer.

(B-1) Configuration of Second Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment and a connection relationship with each apparatus related to the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. It is a block diagram.

  The printer 10A according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the control unit 130 and the job stacker 170 are replaced with the control unit 130A and the job stacker 170A. The control unit 130A is different from the first embodiment in that the job management unit 132 is replaced with the job management unit 132A. Further, the job stacker 170A is different from the first embodiment in that the job management table 171 is replaced with the job management table 171A.

  In the job management unit 132 according to the first embodiment, when a print job arrives, the print mode of the print job is determined. However, the job management unit 132A of this embodiment stacks (registers) an incoming print job in the job management table 171A of the job stacker 170A, and then determines a print mode when executing print processing for the print job.

  In this embodiment, when the job management unit 132A starts executing print processing for a print job, the job management unit 132A determines the print mode according to the status of the print job subsequent to the print job. Specifically, in this embodiment, the job management unit 132A starts print processing when the number of subsequent print jobs (subsequent print jobs registered in the job management table 171A) is less than M. The print mode of the print job to be performed is determined as the power saving print mode, and when the number of subsequent print jobs is M or more, the print mode of the print job for starting the print processing is determined as the normal print mode. . In this embodiment, it is assumed that M as the above-mentioned threshold is “1”. The specific method for determining the print mode for each print job is not limited.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of the job management table 171A.

  As described above, since the job management unit 132A determines the print mode when executing print processing for each print job, the job management table 171A of this embodiment prints each print job as shown in FIG. It differs from the first embodiment in that the information (column) of the mode item is omitted.

(B-2) Operation of Second Embodiment Next, the operation of the printer 10A of the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer 10A when a new print job arrives.

  Note that the operations in steps S401 to S405 shown in FIG. 12 (processing until the control unit 130A is notified of the print job control information of the incoming print job) are the same as those in the first embodiment (steps S101 to S105). Since it is the same as the operation, detailed description is omitted.

  Based on the notified print job control information (information including the job number), the job management unit 132A registers the information (row) of the print job in the job management table 171A of the job stacker 170A (S406). .

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the control unit 130A performs print execution control processing for each print job based on the contents of the job management table 171A.

  First, it is assumed that the job management unit 132A of the control unit 130A has acquired information on the job number of the print job to be printed next from the job management table 171A of the job stacker 170A (S501).

  The job management unit 132A determines the print mode of the print job related to the acquired job number, and notifies the image formation management unit 133 of the print mode with the print mode notification unit 134 (S502). Details of the print mode determination process for the print job in step S502 will be described later.

  Then, the image formation management unit 133 sets the set fixing device temperature and the set medium conveyance speed according to the print mode notified from the job management unit 132A (S503).

  Thereafter, the control unit 130A performs a print execution control process for the print job by the processes in steps S503 to S509. This operation is the same as that in the first embodiment (the above-described steps S303 to S308). Therefore, detailed explanation is omitted.

  Next, details of the processing in step S502 described above will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing for determining the print mode of the print job by the job management unit 132A in step S502 described above.

  When the job management unit 132A acquires the job number of the print job for executing the print processing, the job management unit 132A refers to the job management table 171A of the job stacker 170A (S601), and the number of print jobs subsequent to the print job is M or more. It is confirmed whether or not there is (S602).

  If it is determined in step S602 described above that the number of subsequent print jobs is M or more, the job management unit 132A determines that the print mode of the print job is the normal mode (S603).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S602 described above that the number of subsequent print jobs is less than M, the job management unit 132A determines that the print mode of the print job is the power saving mode (S604).

  Then, the determined print mode is notified to the image formation management unit 133 by the print mode notification unit 134 of the job management unit 132A (S605).

  Next, transition of the contents of the job stacker 170A (job management table 171A) when the control unit 130A operates will be described with reference to FIG. In the following example, it is assumed that M as a threshold value applied in step 602 is 1.

  First, as an initial state, it is assumed that no print job is registered in the job management table 171A. In this state, it is assumed that one print job arrives at the control unit 130A, and the job number “2011007070915” is assigned to the print job. The contents of the job management table 171A are set as shown in FIG.

  Then, it is assumed that the print processing for the print job having the job number “2011007070915” is started in the control unit 130A in the state where the contents of the job management table 171A are as shown in FIG. At this time, since no subsequent print job is registered in the job management table 171A, in step S602 described above, the job management unit 132A determines that the number of subsequent print jobs is less than M (less than 1). Then, the print mode of the print job is determined as the power saving print mode.

  Assume that three new print jobs have arrived at the control unit 130 </ b> A while the image forming unit 140 performs print processing for the print job having the job number “2011007070915”. The three print jobs that have arrived are assigned job numbers “2011007070917”, “2011007070918”, and “2011007070920”, respectively, and are registered in the job management table 171A. The contents of the job management table 171A are set as shown in FIG.

  After that, it is assumed that the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070915” is completed, and the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070917” is started in the control unit 130A. At this time, the contents of the job management table 171A are as shown in FIG. Accordingly, since two subsequent print jobs are registered in the job management table 171A, in step S602 described above, the job management unit 132A determines that the number of subsequent print jobs is M or more (1 or more). The print mode of the print job is determined as the normal print mode.

  After that, it is assumed that the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070917” is completed and the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070918” is started in the control unit 130A. At this time, the contents of the job management table 171A are as shown in FIG. Accordingly, since one subsequent print job is registered in the job management table 171A, in step S602 described above, the job management unit 132A determines that the number of subsequent print jobs is M or more (1 or more). The print mode of the print job is determined as the normal print mode.

  After that, it is assumed that the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070918” is completed, and the print processing for the print job with the job number “2011007070920” is started in the control unit 130A. In the job management table 171A, no subsequent print job is registered. At this time, the contents of the job management table 171A are as shown in FIG. Accordingly, since no subsequent print job is registered in the job management table 171A, in step S602 described above, the job management unit 132A determines that the number of subsequent print jobs is less than M (less than 1). The print mode of the print job is determined as the power saving print mode.

(B-3) Effects of Second Embodiment According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

  In the printer 10A, when executing print processing for a print job, if there are M or more subsequent print jobs in the job stacker 170A, it is determined that the job is congested (a queue of a predetermined number or more has occurred). For a print job to be executed, printing is performed in the normal print mode giving priority to the print speed. In the printer 10A, when the print process is executed for the print job, if the subsequent print job is less than M in the job stacker 170A, it is determined that the job is empty (the queue is equal to or less than a predetermined value). The print job to be executed from now on is printed in the power saving print mode with priority on low power consumption. As a result, the printer 10 can determine the print mode of the print job for executing the print processing according to the status of the subsequent print job, and perform efficient printing.

  As described above, in the printer 10A, by determining the print mode of the print job for executing the print processing according to the status of the subsequent print job, the print speed, power consumption, It is possible to flexibly handle all image quality and to execute efficient printing processing.

(C) Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may include modified embodiments as exemplified below.

(C-1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the image forming apparatus of the present invention is used as a printer has been described. However, the application of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited, and may be a printing machine, a copying machine, a composite machine. You may make it apply to other types of image forming apparatuses, such as a machine and a facsimile.

(C-2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the control unit (image formation management unit) has only two print modes corresponding to the normal print mode and the power-saving print mode. The number is not limited.

  For example, it is assumed that the control unit (image formation management unit) corresponds to a print mode (hereinafter referred to as “speed priority print mode”) in which the set medium conveyance speed is higher than the normal print mode. For example, in the second embodiment, when the number of print jobs subsequent to the print job to be executed by the control unit is greater than M (I is an arbitrary number greater than or equal to M), The above speed priority print mode may be applied with priority given to speed over image quality. In the speed priority print mode, the set medium transport speed is higher than that in the normal print mode. Therefore, the image formation image quality is lower than that in the normal print mode, but the print job can be processed earlier. When the number increases, convenience for the user increases.

(C-3) In each of the embodiments described above, when determining the print mode of each print job, the control unit (job management unit) determines the print mode according to the status of the print job preceding or succeeding the print job. However, the print mode of the print job may be determined in consideration of other factors.

  For example, the control unit (job management unit) determines the print mode of the print job in consideration of the number of print pages of the preceding or succeeding print job in addition to the number of print jobs preceding or following the print job. You may make it do. For example, in the control unit of the second embodiment, even if the number of print jobs subsequent to the print job to be executed is less than M (for example, M = 5), printing related to the subsequent print job is performed. When the total number of pages is J or more (for example, J = 30 pages), the print process may be executed in the normal print mode for the print job. In the case of this modification, the print job control information supplied from the data analysis unit to the control unit must include the number of pages of the print job. In addition, it is necessary to add and manage the number of pages of each print job in the job stacker (job management table).

  In addition, for example, the control unit (job management unit) manages a user identifier (for example, a user ID or a client name (host name)) that identifies a request source of each print job by using a job stacker (job management table). When determining the print mode of each print job, the user identifier of the print job preceding or following the print job may be considered.

  For example, in the control unit of the first embodiment, even if the number of print jobs preceding a newly arrived print job is N or more, the user identifiers of the preceding print jobs are all newly arrived print jobs. If they are the same, the print job may be determined to be printed in the power saving print mode. Even if many print jobs stay in the printer (control unit), if all the print jobs are related to the same user, only one user is affected even if the print speed is slow. Therefore, by adopting a configuration such as that of the above-described modified example, it is possible to give priority to an operation with power saving when there are few users who have an influence in the printer (control unit).

(C-4) In the control unit of each of the embodiments described above, once the printing process is started by the image forming unit for each print job, the print mode is not changed in the middle. The print mode may be changed in the middle of the print job being printed.

  For example, in the control unit of the second embodiment, there is a case where there is a print job (for example, the number of print pages is 100) in which the image forming unit has started print processing in the power saving print mode. Suppose. The fact that the control unit of the second embodiment has decided to execute the print processing in the power saving print mode for the print job means that the print subsequent to the print job is started when the print job of the print job is started. The job was less than M. Here, it is assumed that a new print job arrives at the printer (control unit) while the print process of the print job is being executed, and the number of print jobs subsequent to the print job becomes M or more. In such a case, even if the print job is once being printed in the power saving print mode (for example, printing the 60th page from the top), the control unit In consideration of the presence, the print job may be switched to the normal print mode to perform the printing process.

(C-5) In each of the embodiments described above, for example, a threshold for shifting from the normal mode to the power saving mode (the number of subsequent jobs) and a threshold for shifting from the power saving mode to the normal mode (subsequent jobs) The number may be a different value. This is because it takes time because the fixing device is cooled when shifting from the normal mode to the power saving mode. Specifically, for example, the threshold (number of subsequent jobs) when shifting from the normal mode to the power saving mode is “5”, and the threshold (number of subsequent jobs) when shifting from the power saving mode to the normal mode is “2”. It is good.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... PC, 2 ... Network, 10 ... Printer, 110 ... Communication part, 120 ... Data analysis part, 130 ... Control part, 131 ... Data transfer part, 132 ... Job management part, 133 ... Image formation management part, 140 ... Image Forming unit 141 ... Development processing unit c ... Paper feeding cassette, pr ... Pinch roller, hr ... Hopping roller, tr ... Discharge tray, 142 ... Fixer, 141a ... Toner image forming unit, 141b ... Conveying belt, 141c ... Drive roller, 141d ... driven roller, 141f ... transfer roller, 142a ... fuser frame, 142b ... heating roller, 142c ... pressure roller, 142d ... heater, 142e ... temperature sensor, 150 ... received data storage, 160 ... printed image Data storage unit, 170 ... job stacker, 171 ... job management table.

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus having a plurality printing modes of different image forming speeds及beauty power consumption,
Image forming means for performing image formation on the medium according to the contents of the image forming job on the medium;
Job management means for managing jobs to be executed by the image forming means;
Image formation control means for controlling the image forming means to operate in any of the plurality of print modes;
Print mode setting means for setting one of the plurality of print modes for each job according to the number of jobs waiting for image formation processing;
Each time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the print mode setting unit is configured to execute the plurality of jobs for the received job according to the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing preceding the received job. One of the print modes is set. An image forming apparatus, wherein:   The image forming control means corresponds to at least a first printing mode that prioritizes image forming speed and a second printing mode that consumes less power than the first printing mode. The image forming apparatus described in 1. The print mode setting means sets the first print mode for the received job when the number of the jobs is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and when the number of the jobs is less than the predetermined number, The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second print mode is set for the received job. The image forming means includes
A developing unit for transferring a developer image by the developer to the medium;
A fixing unit that fixes the developer image by performing at least heat treatment on the medium on which the developer image has been transferred by the developing unit;
The image formation control means controls the power consumption of the image formation means by adjusting the set temperature of the fixing unit, and further controls the image formation speed by adjusting the speed of conveying the medium. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In a control device that controls an image forming apparatus that performs image formation on a medium according to the contents of an image formation job on the medium,
Job management means for managing jobs to be executed by the image forming apparatus;
Depending on the number of jobs of the image forming process standby, and set any of the image forming speed及beauty power consumption for each job of a plurality of different print modes, print mode setting means for instructing to the image forming apparatus And
Each time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the print mode setting unit is configured to execute the plurality of jobs for the received job according to the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing preceding the received job. A control device that sets one of the print modes. The plurality of print modes include at least a first print mode that prioritizes image formation speed and a second print mode that consumes less power than the first print mode. 5. The control device according to 5. The print mode setting means sets the first print mode for the received job when the number of the jobs is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and when the number of the jobs is less than the predetermined number, The control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second print mode is set for the received job. A computer mounted on a control device that controls an image forming apparatus that performs image formation on a medium in accordance with the contents of an image formation job on the medium,
Job management means for managing jobs to be executed by the image forming apparatus;
Depending on the number of jobs of the image forming process standby, and set one of the image forming speed及beauty power consumption for each job different of a plurality of print modes, functions as a print mode setting means for instructing to the image forming apparatus Let
Each time the image forming apparatus receives a new job, the print mode setting unit is configured to execute the plurality of jobs for the received job according to the number of jobs waiting for image forming processing preceding the received job. A control program that sets one of the print modes.   The plurality of print modes include at least a first print mode that prioritizes image formation speed and a second print mode that consumes less power than the first print mode. 8. The control program according to 8. The print mode setting means sets the first print mode for the received job when the number of the jobs is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and when the number of the jobs is less than the predetermined number, The control program according to claim 9, wherein the second print mode is set for the received job.

Images