JP7484146B2 - Image forming apparatus, image forming method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program.

Conventionally, inkjet printers using the inkjet (printing) method and flat screen textile printers using the screen (printing) method are known as image forming devices that form (print) images on fabric. The inkjet method is a method in which ink is ejected from multiple fine nozzles to form images on fabric, and is excellent at expressing fine designs and patterns. The screen method is a method in which a screen with holes in the pattern to be printed and to which color paste (dyed paste) is applied is pressed against the fabric, rubbing the color paste onto the fabric, and compared to the inkjet method, it is easier to form images of uniform density in high-density images.

Some fabrics on which images are formed are long and have seams. In this case, it is not desirable to press the seams against the screen, since the seams will be thicker than the other parts. For this reason, there is known a printing device that detects the seams of the fabric, and when the seams pass through the printing mechanism of the inkjet nozzle head or screen, feeds the fabric empty and does not print it (see Patent Document 1). There is also known a device that combines an inkjet unit and a screen unit.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-212851

In devices that combine an inkjet unit and a screen unit, there are cases where printing is desired in only one of the printing units. For example, a test chart may be used to adjust the printing unit. There are two types of test charts in inkjet printing: test charts such as nozzle check charts, where it is preferable for the inkjet image not to overlap with the screen image, and test charts that overlap the inkjet image and screen printing image, such as charts for adjusting the position of the inkjet printing unit and the screen printing unit.

However, the textile printing device in Patent Document 1 is not a device that combines an inkjet unit and a screen unit, and does not control one of the printing units.

The objective of the present invention is to control printing in a screen printing unit in an apparatus having an image forming unit that performs printing based on an acquired job and a screen printing unit that performs screen printing.

In order to solve the above problems, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
an image forming unit that prints an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a screen printing unit that screen-prints a screen image on the medium;
a control unit that controls driving of the screen printing unit in accordance with the acquired job,
The jobs include a job for printing a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit , and a job for printing a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit .

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising:
The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
The first control unit determines whether screen printing is required based on the acquired image data of the job, and transmits an instruction to turn on/off the screen printing in response to a result of the determination.
When the second control unit receives a command to turn on and off the screen printing, the second control unit controls the on and off of the screen printing unit based on the command to turn on and off the screen printing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
an acquisition unit that acquires screen printing on/off setting information associated with image data in the acquired job,
The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
the first control unit causes the image forming unit to print the image data of the acquired job on the medium, and determines whether or not screen printing is required based on the acquired setting information, and transmits an on/off command for the screen printing to the second control unit according to the result of the determination;
When the second control unit receives a command to turn on and off the screen printing, the second control unit controls the on and off of the screen printing unit based on the command to turn on and off the screen printing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect,
The acquisition unit is an operation unit that receives an operation input for turning on/off screen printing corresponding to the acquired job and acquires setting information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects,
The command to turn on/off the screen printing is an input/output signal, a communication command, or communication data.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth aspects,
The screen printing unit is a plurality of units,
the screen printing on/off command includes designation information for a screen printing unit to be driven among the plurality of screen printing units,
The second control unit controls the on/off of a designated screen printing unit based on the received screen printing on/off command.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
The acquired job may include an image of a marker indicating whether screen printing is required;
The image sensor further includes an image detector that detects an image of the marker printed on the medium.
The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
The second control unit controls on/off of screen printing of the screen printing unit based on the detected marker.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect,
The second control unit controls on/off of the screen printing unit based on at least one of the type and the presence or absence of the detected marker.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising:
The image detection unit is an optical axis sensor, a camera, or a line sensor.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects,
The screen printing unit is a plurality of units,
the marker includes designation information of a screen printing unit to be driven among the plurality of screen printing units,
The second control unit controls the on/off of a designated screen printing unit based on the detected marker.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects,
The image forming unit is an inkjet printing unit that performs inkjet printing.

The image forming method according to the present invention comprises the steps of:
an image forming process of printing an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a control step of controlling driving of a screen printing unit that screen prints a screen image on the medium in accordance with the acquired job,
The job includes a job to print a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit that prints the image on a medium , and a job to print a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit .

The program of the invention according to claim 13,
Computer,
an image forming unit that prints an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a screen printing unit for screen printing a screen image onto the medium;
a control unit that controls driving of the screen printing unit in response to the acquired job;
Function as a
The jobs include a job for printing a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit , and a job for printing a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit .

According to the present invention, in an apparatus having an image forming unit that performs printing based on an acquired job and a screen printing unit that performs screen printing, it is possible to control printing in the screen printing unit.

1 is a schematic front view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of image formation when all printing units in an image forming apparatus are driven. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a nozzle check chart, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a main scanning adjustment chart. 11 is a flowchart showing a first test chart print control process. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an example of image formation when screen printing is performed in the first test chart print control process. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an example of image formation when screen printing is not performed in the first test chart print control process. 13 is a flowchart showing a second test chart printing control process. 13 is a flowchart showing a third test chart printing control process. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of image formation when screen printing is performed in the second and third test chart print control processes. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of image formation when screen printing is not performed in the second and third test chart print control processes. 13 is a flowchart showing a fourth test chart printing control process.

The first to third embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in order with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. First, the device configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of image formation when all printing units in the image forming apparatus 1 are driven.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 1 uses both inkjet-type image formation and screen-type image formation. The image forming device 1 includes a delivery roller 11 for the medium M, a conveyor belt 10, a drive roller 12 as a conveyor roller for the conveyor belt 10, a driven roller 13, a guide roller 14, a pressure roller 15, a peeling roller 16, a shake-off roller 17, an inkjet printing unit 30, an image detection unit 64, a screen processing unit 40, a drying unit 19, a cleaning unit 20, and a gluing unit 21.

Medium M is a continuous medium such as fabric, and is wound around the pay-out roller 11. Medium M is paid out in response to the rotation of the pay-out roller 11, and medium M is guided and sent out to the conveyor belt 10 in response to the rotation of the guide roller 14. The number and arrangement of the guide rollers 14 are set so as to apply tension to the medium M so that it does not wrinkle. Then, medium M is pressed against the conveyor belt 10 by the pressure roller 15 and is placed on the conveyor belt 10, adhered to the surface of the conveyor belt 10 by glue.

The conveyor belt 10 is stretched between a drive roller 12 and a driven roller 13, and moves in a predetermined direction in accordance with the rotation of the drive roller 12. The driven roller 13 rotates in accordance with the movement of the conveyor belt 10.

The peeling roller 16 is positioned away from the conveyor belt 10 and pulls the medium M from the outer circumferential surface of the conveyor belt 10 with an appropriate tension to peel the glued medium M from the conveyor belt 10. The drying section 19 dries the ink and colored paste on the medium M peeled off by the peeling roller 16. The shake-off roller 17 shakes off the medium M with the image formed thereon that has been dried in the drying section 19 in a zigzag shape, ejects it, and stores it in the cart 18.

These feed roller 11, drive roller 12, driven roller 13, pressure roller 15, peeling roller 16, shake-off roller 17, and conveyor belt 10 are included in the conveyor unit. The conveyor unit is controlled to convey the medium M at a synchronized speed as a whole. Here, the conveyor unit also performs an intermittent conveying operation in which the conveying of the medium M is temporarily stopped in accordance with the image forming operation of the inkjet printing unit 30 and the screen processing unit 40.

The cleaning unit 20 cleans colored glue and other substances adhering to the surface of the conveyor belt 10. The gluing unit 21 glues the medium M to the surface of the conveyor belt 10 with an appropriate strength. Note that the cleaning and gluing operations do not have to be performed every cycle.

In the section (upper surface side) of the medium M that is adhered to the conveyor belt 10, the inkjet printing unit 30, the image detection unit 64, and the screen processing unit 40 are located facing the conveyor belt 10 (medium M) in that order from the upstream side. The image detection unit 64 is located downstream of the inkjet printing unit 30 and upstream of the screen processing unit 40, detects the image on the upper surface of the medium M, and generates detection information.

The inkjet printing unit 30 forms (inkjet prints) an image (inkjet image) on the medium M by ejecting ink from the openings of the nozzles arranged on the ejection surface on the lower side (the side facing the conveyor belt 10) and landing the ink on the medium M. The inkjet printing unit 30 has inkjet heads 32 (described later) each having nozzles capable of ejecting ink of a plurality of colors, and a carriage 33 that moves the inkjet heads 32, and is capable of forming a color image. Here, the inkjet printing unit 30 is of a scanning type (scan type) that can form a two-dimensional image by ejecting ink while scanning a nozzle row in which nozzles are arranged at a predetermined width in the conveying direction in the width direction. The scanning width in the width direction corresponds to the image forming width on the medium M, and the width in the conveying direction (one conveying distance) is here, for example, equal to the width L in the conveying direction of the screen printing unit as the auto screen of the screen processing unit 40 (i.e., the width of the image generation area by the screen printing unit). Alternatively, an image may be formed by scanning multiple times for each width shorter than the width L.

The screen processing unit 40 has screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O for applying color paste of a specific color to the medium M in a predetermined image pattern, and each screen printing unit 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O applies the color paste of each color to the medium M in sequence to form (screen print) an image (screen image) corresponding to each image pattern. Each screen printing unit 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O uses, for example, red, green, blue, gray, and gold (with gold powder), respectively, and can output images of red, green, blue, gray, and gold with the above-mentioned width L (image formation length) in the transport direction.

The spacing between the plates of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O is also set to width L. However, the number of screen printing units in the screen processing unit 40, the color of the color paste, the predetermined image pattern of the holes in the plate, and the spacing are not limited to the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming device 1 mainly comprises an inkjet unit 50 and a screen unit 60, and the inkjet unit 50 and the screen unit 60 are connected for communication. The inkjet unit 50 comprises a control unit 51 as a first control unit, an operation unit 52 as an acquisition unit, a display unit 53, an inkjet printing unit 30 as an image forming unit, and a communication unit 54, and each unit is connected via a bus 55.

The control unit 51 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. The CPU controls the overall operation of the inkjet unit 50. In particular, the control unit 51 reads out a program stored in the ROM using the CPU, expands it in the RAM, and executes various processes in cooperation with the program expanded in the RAM. The control unit 51 controls the inkjet printing unit 30 to form an inkjet image on the medium M. The RAM is a volatile memory that temporarily stores various information and programs. The ROM is a memory that stores information so that it can be read, and stores various data and programs. In particular, the ROM stores a first test chart printing control program for executing a first test chart printing control process described later.

The operation unit 52 accepts operation input from the user and outputs operation information corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 51. The operation unit 52 has, for example, a touch panel superimposed on the display panel of the display unit 53, and various keys.

The display unit 53 has a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (ElectroLuminescence) display, and displays various display information on the display panel based on the control of the control unit 51. The contents of the display information include, for example, a status screen, a menu screen, a setting screen, etc. related to inkjet image formation.

The inkjet printing unit 30 has a head drive unit 31, an inkjet head 32, a carriage 33, and a scan drive unit 34. Based on the control of the control unit 51, the head drive unit 31 outputs a voltage signal for deforming the piezoelectric element of the inkjet head 32 in a desired pattern. The waveform pattern of the voltage signal may be preset and stored.

The inkjet head 32 is provided for each of a number of colors, such as C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), and each has an ink tank, a flow path, a piezoelectric element, and a number of nozzles. The piezoelectric element is an actuator that applies pressure fluctuations to the ink in the nozzle to eject the ink from the nozzle. Note that the actuator is not limited to the piezoelectric element, and may be something else, such as a heating wire that heats the ink in the nozzle to generate bubbles.

The carriage 33 is a member on which the inkjet head 32 is mounted and which moves the inkjet head 32. The carriage 33 has, for example, a belt stretched between two pulleys that are rotated by a motor (not shown), and moves the head drive unit 31 and the inkjet head 32 by the rotation of the motor based on a drive signal output by the scan drive unit 34. The scan drive unit 34 generates a drive signal based on the control of the control unit 51, outputs it to the carriage 33 to drive it, and scans the head drive unit 31 and the inkjet head 32 in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction). Here, the motor of the carriage 33 can rotate in the opposite direction, and the scan drive unit 34 can output a drive signal to rotate the motor in either direction.

The communication unit 54 communicates with the screen unit 60 using a predetermined communication method, and also communicates with a PC (Personal Computer) 2 as an external device via a network using a predetermined communication method. The communication method between the communication unit 54 (inkjet unit 50) and the screen unit 60 is, for example, input/output signal line communication, serial communication, or a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The communication method between the communication unit 54 (inkjet unit 50) and the PC 2 (external device) is, for example, a wired or wireless LAN.

PC2 is a PC that is communicatively connected to the inkjet unit 50 of the image forming device 1. In particular, PC2 transmits job data including image data to be printed, and causes the image forming device 1 to perform printing.

The screen unit 60 includes a control unit 61 as a second control unit, an operation unit 62, a display unit 63, a screen processing unit 40, an image detection unit 64, a transport drive unit 65, a drying drive unit 66, a cleaning drive unit 67, a gluing drive unit 68, and a communication unit 69, and each unit is connected via a bus 70. The control unit C includes the control units 51 and 61.

The control unit 61 includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The CPU controls the overall operation of the screen unit 60. The control unit 61 reads out a program stored in the ROM using the CPU, expands it in the RAM, and executes various processes in cooperation with the program expanded in the RAM. The control unit 61 controls the screen processing unit 40 to form a screen image superimposed on the same area as the inkjet image on the medium M.

The operation unit 62 accepts operation input from the user and outputs operation information corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 61. The operation unit 62 has, for example, a touch panel superimposed on the display panel of the display unit 63, and various keys.

The display unit 63 has a display panel such as an LCD or an EL display, and displays various display information on the display panel based on the control of the control unit 61. The contents of the display information include, for example, a status screen related to screen image formation, a menu screen, a setting screen, etc.

The screen processing unit 40 has a screen driving unit 41 and screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O. The screen driving unit 41 drives the driving units of the squeegees (spatulas) of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O based on the control of the control unit 61. The screen printing unit 42R has a squeegee (spatula) and its driving unit, a plate with holes formed in a predetermined image pattern, and red color paste. Red color paste is applied to the plate of the screen printing unit 42R in advance. The screen printing unit 42R drives the driving unit of the squeegee in response to a driving signal from the screen driving unit 41, and applies pressure while moving the squeegee from the upper surface side of the screen printing unit, thereby attaching the color paste that has passed through the holes in the plate to the medium M, thereby forming a red screen image in the shape of the predetermined image pattern on the medium M. Screen printing units 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O form green, blue, gray, and gold screen images on medium M in the same manner as screen printing unit 42R.

In addition, in the screen processing section 40, at least one of the screen printing sections 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O can be installed, adjusted in position, removed, or replaced by a user (engineer).

The image detection unit 64 is composed of an optical axis sensor, a camera, a line sensor, etc., and detects an image of the upper surface of the medium M transported downstream of the inkjet printing unit 30 and upstream of the screen processing unit 40, and outputs the detection information (image data) to the control unit 61. However, in this embodiment, the image detection unit 64 is not used.

Based on the control of the control unit 61, the transport drive unit 65 outputs drive signals to each part of the transport unit to operate each part. Here, the transport drive unit 65 synchronously rotates at least the delivery roller 11, guide roller 14, pressure roller 15, drive roller 12, peeling roller 16, and shake-off roller 17 to adhere and move the medium M sent out from the delivery roller 11 onto the transport belt 10, and then peels it off from the transport belt 10 and discharges it. If there is a deviation in synchronization between the rollers, the transport drive unit 65 may individually fine-tune the rotation speed of each part.

Based on the control of the control unit 61, the drying drive unit 66 performs a predetermined operation to dry the ink and color paste on the medium M inside the drying unit 19. The predetermined operation is, for example, but is not limited to, a heat generating operation of a heating element such as a heater, or an air blowing operation by rotating a fan, or a combination of these.

The cleaning drive unit 67 operates the cleaning unit 20 to perform a cleaning operation based on the control of the control unit 61. Examples of cleaning operations include applying detergent and wiping. When the operation of the cleaning unit 20 is not performed continuously, the cleaning drive unit 67 may be capable of temporarily separating the cleaning unit 20 from the conveyor belt 10.

The gluing drive unit 68 operates the gluing unit 21 based on the control of the control unit 61 to apply a glue material that properly adheres the medium M to the surface of the conveyor belt 10.

The communication unit 69 is a communication unit that communicates with the inkjet unit 50 using a predetermined communication method. The communication method between the communication unit 69 (screen unit 60) and the inkjet unit 50 is, for example, input/output signal communication, serial communication, or a wired or wireless LAN.

As shown in FIG. 3, consider a configuration example in which screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, and 42A are arranged on the conveyor belt 10 as the screen processing unit 40 in the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 3, for ease of illustration and explanation, the inkjet images are simply represented as circular images, and the screen images are represented as "A", "B", "C" and solid colors, and the same applies to FIGS. 6, 7, 9, and 10.

In the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3, a case where image formation is performed by the inkjet printing unit 30 and all of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, and 42A installed in the screen processing unit 40 will be described. First, the inkjet image shown as a circular image is formed in a predetermined area of the medium M by the inkjet printing unit 30, the screen image shown as "A" is formed in the same area by the screen printing unit 42R, the screen image shown as "B" is formed in the same area by the screen printing unit 42G, the screen image shown as "C" is formed in the same area by the screen printing unit 42B, and a solid screen image is formed in the same area by the screen printing unit 42B. In this way, the inkjet image of the circular image, A, B, C, and the solid inkjet image are superimposed in order in the same area of the medium M.

Next, a test chart image formed by the image forming device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing an example of a nozzle check chart. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing an example of a main scanning adjustment chart.

The test chart is an image for adjusting the inkjet printing unit 30 and the screen processing unit 40. The test chart is divided into a first test chart for adjusting the inkjet printing unit 30 and the screen processing unit 40, and a second test chart for adjusting only the inkjet printing unit 30.

The second test chart includes a nozzle check chart, a main scan adjustment chart, and the like. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the nozzle check chart is a test chart for checking the state of the nozzles of the inkjet head 32. If there is a missing nozzle or foreign matter in the nozzle on the nozzle check chart, the nozzle will eject ink weakly or not at all, resulting in an image of the missing part. The nozzle check chart has areas with line drawings by multiple nozzles and their numbers.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the main scanning adjustment chart is a test chart for adjusting the position of ejection in the main scanning direction. The main scanning adjustment chart looks at the overlap between the lines of a certain reference head and a certain color head, and the user inputs the value as an adjustment value into the operation unit 52, and the control unit 51 adjusts the inkjet printing unit 30. This procedure is repeated, and the adjustment value is finally adjusted to 0. The main scanning adjustment chart shown in the figure has, for example, a red line (dotted line in the figure) of the third color (red) head No. 5 between the black lines (solid lines in the figure) of the reference head (black), and has the numerical adjustment value of each line and a number (35) indicating the reference head (black) and the third color (red) head No. 5.

The first test chart includes a test chart for adjusting the position of the inkjet printing unit 30 and the position of the screen processing unit 40. This test chart is a test chart for printing an inkjet image including a cross mark placed at an end position in the main scanning direction of the medium M, or a rectangular image having diagonal lines passing through four end positions of the medium M, and a screen image including a cross mark or a rectangular image having diagonal lines. However, this screen image is formed in advance on the plate of each screen printing unit of the screen processing unit 40.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the first test chart printing control process. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of image formation when screen printing is performed in the first test chart printing control process. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of image formation when screen printing is not performed in the first test chart printing control process.

In the inkjet unit 50 of the image forming device 1, for example, when a job (data) including image data of a test chart to be inkjet printed is received from the PC 2 via the communication unit 54, the control unit 51 executes a first test chart printing control process according to a first test chart printing control program stored in the ROM. In addition, in the screen unit 60, in response to the input of instruction information from the user via the operation unit 62, the control unit 61 controls the transport drive unit 65, the drying drive unit 66, the cleaning drive unit 67, and the gluing drive unit 68 to unwind the medium M from the unwind roller 11, and drive the guide roller 14, the pressure roller 15, the drive roller 12, the peeling roller 16, the drying unit 19, the shake-off roller 17, the cleaning unit 20, and the gluing unit 21 to start driving the respective units and the transport belt 10 to eject the medium M onto the dolly 18.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, the control unit 51 causes the inkjet printing unit 30 to start inkjet printing the image data of the test chart included in the received job onto the medium M (step S11). Then, the control unit 51 determines whether the image data of the test chart of the acquired job is image data of a first test chart to be screen printed (step S12).

If screen printing is to be performed (step S12; YES), the control unit 51 generates a screen-on command to perform screen printing, transmits the screen-printing-on command to the screen unit 60 via the communication unit 54 (step S13), and ends the first test chart printing control process.

If the image data is image data for a second test chart for which screen printing is not performed (step S12; NO), the control unit 51 generates a screen printing off command to the effect that screen printing is not to be performed, transmits the screen printing off command to the screen unit 60 via the communication unit 54 (step S14), and terminates the first test chart printing control process.

The screen printing OFF command and the screen printing ON command can take multiple forms, such as an input/output signal, a communication command, or communication data, depending on the communication method between the communication unit 54 and the communication unit 69. The screen printing ON command may also include information that matches the position of the inkjet image with the position of the screen image.

In response to step S13, the control unit 61 of the screen unit 60 receives a screen printing ON command from the inkjet unit 50 via the communication unit 69, and in response to the screen printing ON command, the screen drive unit 41 drives all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40 to screen print the test chart on the medium M.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, consider an image forming apparatus 1 in which screen printing units 42R and 42G are installed as the screen processing unit 40. In the image forming apparatus 1, corresponding to step S13, the inkjet printing unit 30 inkjet prints an inkjet image of the test chart (circular image in the figure) on the medium M, the screen printing unit 42R screen prints a red screen image of the test chart ("A" in the figure) in the same area as the inkjet image on the medium M, and the screen printing unit 42G screen prints a green screen image of the test chart ("B" in the figure) in the same area as the inkjet image on the medium M.

In response to step S14, the control unit 61 of the screen unit 60 receives a screen printing off command from the inkjet unit 50 via the communication unit 69, and in response to the screen printing off command, the screen driving unit 41 does not drive (turns off) all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40 until the inkjet image of the medium M passes through the screen processing unit 40, and the test chart is not screen printed on the inkjet-printed medium M.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in an image forming device 1 similar to that shown in FIG. 6, in response to step S13, the inkjet printing unit 30 inkjet prints only the inkjet image of the test chart (the circular image in the figure) onto the medium M.

The medium M on which the first test chart is printed is visually inspected by the user, and adjustment values for the inkjet printing unit 30 according to the inspection results are input via the operation unit 52, and the inkjet printing unit 30 is adjusted according to the input adjustment values, while the user adjusts each screen printing unit manually or otherwise according to the adjustment values. Alternatively, the medium M on which the first test chart is printed may be scanned with a scanner (not shown), and the adjustment values are input via the communication unit 54 to adjust the inkjet printing unit 30, while the user adjusts each screen printing unit manually or otherwise according to the adjustment values of each screen printing unit according to the scan results.

The medium M on which the second test chart is printed is visually checked by the user, and adjustment values for the inkjet printing unit 30 according to the check results are input via the operation unit 52, and the inkjet printing unit 30 is adjusted according to the input adjustment values. Alternatively, the medium M on which the second test chart is printed may be scanned with a scanner (not shown), and adjustment values for the inkjet printing unit 30 according to the scan results are input via the communication unit 54, and the inkjet printing unit 30 is adjusted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the image forming device 1 includes an inkjet printing unit 30 that prints an image generated based on an acquired job on a medium M, screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O that screen print a screen image on the medium M, and a control unit C that controls the driving of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O according to the acquired job.

Therefore, in an apparatus having an inkjet printing unit 30 that performs printing based on an acquired job and screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O that perform screen printing, printing by the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O can be controlled. In particular, unnecessary screen printing can be prevented, so that wasteful consumption of color paste can be prevented. In addition, there is no need to provide an on/off button for screen printing on each screen printing unit, and the device configuration can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to prevent color paste from adhering to other screen printing units due to screen printing by an incorrect screen printing unit. Furthermore, even if an apparatus that combines an inkjet unit and a screen unit has an inkjet printing mode that performs only inkjet printing, a screen printing mode that performs only screen printing, and an inkjet printing + screen printing mode that performs inkjet printing and screen printing as printing modes, the image forming apparatus 1 does not require the user to be aware of the printing mode, and the burden on the user can be reduced.

The control unit C also includes a control unit 51 that controls the inkjet printing unit 30, and a control unit 61 that controls the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O. The control unit 51 determines whether screen printing is required based on the image data of the acquired job, and sends a command to turn screen printing on and off to the control unit 61 based on the result of the determination. When the control unit 61 receives a command to turn screen printing on and off, it controls the on and off of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O based on the command to turn screen printing on and off. This allows the control of printing by the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O to be performed based on the acquired job.

The command to turn screen printing on and off is an input/output signal, a communication command, or communication data. Therefore, the command to turn screen printing on and off can be appropriately communicated according to the communication method of the communication units 54 and 69.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 11. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the second test chart printing control process. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the third test chart printing control process. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of image formation when screen printing is performed in the second and third test chart printing control processes. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image formation when screen printing is not performed in the second and third test chart printing control processes.

The device configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and uses the image forming device 1. However, instead of the first test chart printing control program, a second test chart printing control program for executing a second test chart printing control process described below is stored in the ROM of the control unit 51. Also, a third test chart printing control program for executing a third test chart printing control process described below is stored in the ROM of the control unit 61.

Next, the operation of the image forming device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11.

In the inkjet unit 50 of the image forming device 1, for example, when a job (data) including image data of the test chart and the marker is received from the PC 2 via the communication unit 54, the control unit 51 executes the second test chart printing control process according to the second test chart printing control program stored in the ROM. The marker has preset information on whether or not to perform screen printing, and the expression format differs depending on the information. In addition, in the screen unit 60, in response to the input of instruction information from the user via the operation unit 62, the control unit 61 controls the transport drive unit 65, the drying drive unit 66, the cleaning drive unit 67, and the gluing drive unit 68 to start driving the medium M to be fed from the feed roller 11, and to drive the guide roller 14, the pressure roller 15, the drive roller 12, the peeling roller 16, the drying unit 19, and the shake-off roller 17 to discharge the medium M to the cart 18 via each unit and the transport belt 10.

As shown in FIG. 8, first, the control unit 51 causes the inkjet printing unit 30 to start inkjet printing the image data of the test chart and the marker included in the received job on the medium M (step S21), and ends the second test chart printing control process. The marker in step S21 is, for example, a "●" shape when the test chart to be printed is the first test chart and screen printing is to be performed by all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40, and an "X" shape when screen printing is not to be performed for the second test chart. The "●" marker is formed on the medium M at a position (such as an end position) where the inkjet image and the screen image of the test chart do not overlap. The "X" marker is formed on the medium M at a position (such as an end position) where the inkjet image of the test chart does not overlap. When screen printing is not performed, the job may not include image data of the marker.

The third test chart printing control process is executed at a predetermined cycle in the screen unit 60 of the image forming device 1. When the predetermined cycle has elapsed since the previous execution of the third test chart printing control process in the screen unit 60, the control unit 61 executes the third test chart printing control process according to the third test chart printing control program stored in the ROM.

As shown in FIG. 9, first, the control unit 61 reads (detects) the inkjet image on the top surface of the medium M using the image detection unit 64, and acquires the detection result (step S31). The control unit 61 then determines whether the detection result acquired in step S31 includes an image of a marker and whether the marker is to be screen printed (turned on) (step S32).

If the marker is for screen printing (step S32; YES), the control unit 61 causes the screen driving unit 41 to drive all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40 to screen print the test chart on the medium M (step S33), and ends the third test chart printing control process.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, consider an image forming device 1 in which screen printing units 42R and 42G are installed as the screen processing unit 40. In the image forming device 1, corresponding to step S21, the inkjet printing unit 30 inkjet prints an inkjet image of the test chart (circular image in the figure) and a "●" marker on the medium M, the screen printing unit 42R screen prints a red screen image of the test chart ("A" in the figure) in the same area as the inkjet image on the medium M, and the screen printing unit 42G screen prints a green screen image of the test chart ("B" in the figure) in the same area as the inkjet image on the medium M.

If no marker is detected or the marker is not screen printed (step S32; NO), the control unit 61 causes the screen driving unit 41 to not drive (turn off) all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40 until the inkjet image of the medium M detected in step S31 passes through the screen processing unit 40 (step S34), and ends the third test chart printing control process. In this way, the test chart is not screen printed on the inkjet printed medium M.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, consider an image forming apparatus 1 in which screen printing units 42R and 42G are installed as the screen processing unit 40. In response to step S21, the inkjet printing unit 30 inkjet prints an inkjet image of a test chart (a circular image in the figure) and an "X" marker on the medium M. In response to step S32; NO, the medium M is not screen printed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the acquired job can include an image of a marker indicating whether or not screen printing is required. The image forming device 1 further has an image detection unit 64 that detects the image of the marker printed on the medium M. The control unit C includes a control unit 51 that controls the inkjet printing unit 30, and a control unit 61 that controls the inkjet printing unit 30. The control unit 61 controls the on/off of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O based on the detected marker. Therefore, printing by the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O can be controlled based on the acquired marker image.

The control unit 61 also controls the on/off of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O based on the type of marker detected. This allows the printing of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O to be controlled reliably and appropriately.

The image detection unit 64 is an optical axis sensor, a camera, or a line sensor. This allows the marker to be detected easily and reliably.

Third Embodiment
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flow chart showing a fourth test chart print control process.

The device configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and uses the image forming device 1. However, instead of the first test chart printing control program, a fourth test chart printing control program for executing a fourth test chart printing control process described below is stored in the ROM of the control unit 51.

Next, the operation of the image forming device 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the inkjet unit 50 of the image forming device 1, for example, when a job (data) including image data of a test chart is received from the PC 2 via the communication unit 54, the control unit 51 executes a fourth test chart printing control process according to a fourth test chart printing control program stored in the ROM. In addition, in the screen unit 60, in response to the input of instruction information from the user via the operation unit 62, the control unit 61 controls the transport drive unit 65, the drying drive unit 66, the cleaning drive unit 67, and the gluing drive unit 68 to unwind the medium M from the unwind roller 11, and drive the guide roller 14, the pressure roller 15, the drive roller 12, the peeling roller 16, the drying unit 19, the shake-off roller 17, the cleaning unit 20, and the gluing unit 21 to start driving the respective units and the transport belt 10 to eject the medium M onto the cart 18.

As shown in FIG. 12, first, step S41 is the same as step S11 of the first test chart printing control process in FIG. 5. Then, the control unit 51 accepts a setting input from the user via the operation unit 52 as to whether or not to perform screen printing according to the image data of the job, and acquires the operation setting information (step S42). The acceptance of the setting input from the user via the operation unit 52 as to whether or not to perform screen printing in step S42 and the storage of the operation setting information in RAM may be performed before step S41, and the operation setting information may be read from the RAM in step S42.

Then, the control unit 51 determines whether or not to perform screen printing based on the operation setting information acquired in step S42 (step S43). If screen printing is to be performed (step S43; YES), step S44 is executed, and the fourth test chart printing control process ends. If screen printing is not to be performed (step S43; NO), step S45 is executed, and the fourth test chart printing control process ends. Steps S44 and S45 are the same as steps S13 and S14 in FIG. 5. The processing of the screen unit 60 is the same as in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 52 that receives an operation input for screen printing on/off corresponding to the acquired job and acquires operation setting information. The control unit C includes a control unit 51 that controls the inkjet printing unit 30, and a control unit 61 that controls the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O. The control unit 51 causes the inkjet printing unit 30 to print the image data of the acquired job on the medium M, and determines whether screen printing is required based on the operation setting information acquired via the operation unit 52, and transmits a command to turn screen printing on/off to the control unit 61 according to the result of the determination. When the control unit 61 receives a command to turn screen printing on/off, it controls the on/off of the screen printing unit based on the command to turn screen printing on/off. Therefore, it is possible to control printing of the screen printing units 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, and 42O based on the acquired job.

In addition, instead of the operation setting information input from the operation unit 52, the setting information associated with the image data in the acquired job may be acquired, and the necessity of screen printing may be determined based on the acquired setting information.

The description of each of the above embodiments is an example of a suitable image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program according to the present invention, and is not limited to this. For example, the above first to third embodiments may be appropriately combined.

In each of the above embodiments, an inkjet printing unit is used as an example of an image forming unit, but the image forming unit is not limited to inkjet printing and may be any image forming unit that prints images generated based on an acquired job on demand.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, when screen printing is performed, all screen printing units installed as the screen processing unit 40 are driven to perform screen printing, but this is not limited to the above. In the first embodiment, the first test chart may be a test chart that allows the user to specify the screen printing unit to be driven among all screen printing units installed in the screen processing unit 40. For example, a screen printing unit corresponding to at least one color of the inkjet image of the first test chart is specified. Specifically, for example, if the inkjet image is a red cross mark, the screen printing unit 42R is specified. In step S14 of FIG. 5, a screen printing ON command including information on the specified screen printing unit is generated and transmitted. In response to the screen printing ON command received from the inkjet unit 50, the control unit 61 of the screen unit 60 drives the specified screen printing unit of the screen processing unit 40 to perform screen printing. Therefore, only any necessary screen printing unit can be driven to perform screen printing.

Similarly, in the second embodiment, it is possible to specify the screen printing unit to be driven by the first test chart, and in step S21 of FIG. 8, the marker indicating that screen printing is to be performed may be configured to have an expression format (shape, color, etc.) corresponding to the pattern of the screen printing unit specified in the screen processing unit 40. In step S33 of FIG. 9, the control unit 61 drives the specified screen printing unit according to the expression format of the read marker, and screen prints the test chart on the medium M.

The marker may be a symbol such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code such as a QR (Quick Response) code (registered trademark), and the symbol may include specification information for the screen printing unit to be driven. The control unit 61 decodes the image of the read marker to obtain the specification information, and drives the screen printing unit specified by the specification information to screen print the test chart on the medium M. In this configuration, the image detection unit 64 may be a symbol reader.

Similarly, in the third embodiment, it is possible to specify the screen printing unit to be driven by the first test chart, and in step S42 of FIG. 12, the specified screen printing unit to be driven is selected and input, and in step S45, a screen printing ON command is generated and transmitted according to the operation setting information including the information of the screen printing unit specified in step S42.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the image forming device 1 is configured to inkjet print and screen print the first test chart, but this is not limited to the above. The image forming device 1 may be configured to inkjet print and screen print an image based on normal image data that is not a test chart. For example, if the content of the image data of the job (data) includes solid areas, is a size that matches the screen width, has a design that is difficult to express only by screen printing such as a color containing gold powder, etc., the first normal image data is used for screen printing in addition to inkjet printing, and if the content of the image data of the job does not include solid areas, is not a size that matches the screen width, has a design that is difficult to express only by inkjet printing, etc., the second normal image data is used for not screen printing.

In the first embodiment, in step S11 of FIG. 5, the first normal image data or the second normal image data is inkjet printed, and in step S12, it is determined whether to perform screen printing depending on whether the acquired job is the first normal image data or the second normal image data. Similarly, in the second embodiment, in step S21 of FIG. 8, the first normal image data or the second normal image data is inkjet printed, and in step S32 of FIG. 9, it is determined whether to perform screen printing depending on whether the read image is the first normal image data or the second normal image data. Similarly, in the third embodiment, in step S41 of FIG. 12, the first normal image data or the second normal image data is inkjet printed, and in step S43, it is determined whether to perform screen printing depending on whether the acquired operation setting information is the first normal image data or the second normal image data.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the inkjet unit 50 may be configured to include an image detection unit 64. In this configuration, after step S21 in the second test chart printing control process of FIG. 8, the control unit 51 reads the inkjet image using the image detection unit 64, similar to step S31 in FIG. 9, and sends a command to turn screen printing on or off to the screen unit 60 depending on the marker detection result, similar to steps S12 to S14 in the first test chart printing control process of FIG. 5.

In addition, the detailed configurations and operations of the various components constituting the image forming device 1 in the above embodiment may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 Image forming apparatus 10 Conveyor belt 12 Drive roller 13 Driven roller 14 Guide roller 15 Press roller 16 Peeling roller 17 Shaking roller 18 Cart 19 Drying section 20 Cleaning section 21 Gluing section 50 Inkjet section C, 51 Control section 52 Operation section 53 Display section 54 Communication section 55 Bus 30 Inkjet printing section 31 Head driving section 32 Inkjet head 33 Carriage 34 Scanning driving section 60 Screen section 61 Control section 62 Operation section 63 Display section 64 Image detection section 65 Conveyor driving section 66 Drying driving section 67 Cleaning driving section 68 Gluing driving section 69 Communication section 70 Bus 40 Screen processing section 41 Screen driving section 42R, 42G, 42B, 42A, 42O Screen printing section M Medium

Claims (13)

an image forming unit that prints an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a screen printing unit that screen-prints a screen image on the medium;
a control unit that controls driving of the screen printing unit in accordance with the acquired job,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the job includes a job of printing a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit , and a job of printing a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit . The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
the first control unit determines whether or not screen printing is required based on the acquired image data of the job, and transmits an on/off command for the screen printing to the second control unit in response to a result of the determination;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the second control unit receives a command to turn on/off the screen printing, the second control unit controls the on/off of the screen printing unit based on the command to turn on/off the screen printing. an acquisition unit that acquires screen printing on/off setting information associated with image data in the acquired job,
The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
the first control unit causes the image forming unit to print the image data of the acquired job on the medium, and determines whether or not screen printing is required based on the acquired setting information, and transmits an on/off command for the screen printing to the second control unit according to the result of the determination;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the second control unit receives a command to turn on/off the screen printing, the second control unit controls the on/off of the screen printing unit based on the command to turn on/off the screen printing. The image forming device according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition unit is an operation unit that acquires setting information by accepting an operation input for turning on/off screen printing in response to the acquired job. The image forming device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the command to turn on and off the screen printing is an input/output signal, a communication command, or communication data. The screen printing unit is a plurality of units,
the screen printing on/off command includes designation information for a screen printing unit to be driven among the plurality of screen printing units,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second control unit controls on/off of a designated screen printing unit based on the received command for on/off of screen printing. The acquired job may include an image of a marker indicating whether screen printing is required;
The image detecting unit further includes an image detecting unit that detects an image of the marker printed on the medium,
The control unit is
a first control unit that controls the image forming unit and a second control unit that controls the screen printing unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second control unit controls on/off of the screen printing of the screen printing unit based on the detected marker. The image forming device according to claim 7, wherein the second control unit controls the on/off of the screen printing unit based on at least one of the type and the presence or absence of the detected marker. The image forming device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the image detection unit is an optical axis sensor, a camera, or a line sensor. The screen printing unit is a plurality of units,
the marker includes designation information of a screen printing unit to be driven among the plurality of screen printing units,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second control unit controls on/off of a designated screen printing unit based on the detected marker. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the image forming unit is an inkjet printing unit that performs inkjet printing. an image forming process of printing an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a control step of controlling driving of a screen printing unit that screen prints a screen image on the medium in accordance with the acquired job,
The image forming method includes a job of printing a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit that prints the image on a medium , and a job of printing a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit . Computer,
an image forming unit that prints an image generated based on the acquired job on a medium;
a screen printing unit for screen printing a screen image onto the medium;
a control unit that controls driving of the screen printing unit in response to the acquired job;
Function as a
The program includes a job for printing a test chart for adjusting only the image forming unit , and a job for printing a test chart for adjusting the positions of the image forming unit and the screen printing unit .

Images