JPS6135553B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a color copying apparatus that allows a user to select a favorite color with a simple operation.

Conventionally, color copying machines have focused on faithfully reproducing colors of original images, and the combinations of filters that separate the original image into multiple colors and corresponding developing devices have been limited.

That is, the conventional copying machine has an original platen 10 as shown in FIG.
1, the original image is scanned by the light of the exposure lamp 102, first the colors are separated by the blue filter 104, and a light image is irradiated onto the photoreceptor on the photoreceptor drum 107. The static electricity is removed by a static eliminator 106, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor. Then, this latent image is transferred to a yellow developer 110.
The visible image is visualized and transferred onto the copy paper 114 wound around the transfer drum 108. Next, filter 1
04 is changed to green, the same original image is scanned again, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor in the same manner as above. This latent image is made visible by a magenta developing device 111, and the visible image is transferred onto the copy paper and superimposed on the previous yellow image. Next, the filter 104 is changed to red and the cyan developing device 112 is operated to form a cyan visible image in the same manner as above, and this visible image is superimposed on the two-color image on the copy paper to form a three-color image. It forms an image. Thereafter, the copy paper is separated by the timing operation of the separating claw 109, and is fused and fixed in the fixing device 119 while being conveyed by a conveyor belt, and is discharged outside the machine as a copy with colors faithful to the original.

With the above conventional copying machines, the original image is printed in two colors such as red and black.
Even in the case of color, the color is reproduced by repeating the transfer three times as described above, so the copying time is the same as for three colors,
Copying efficiency is poor, and furthermore, it is not possible to easily change a specific color of the original image to a different favorite color, for example, a yellow portion of the original image to magenta, resulting in poor functional efficiency. Also, even if you try to obtain a color different from the original image by changing the combination of the filter and developer, the difference between the developer and color separation filter will be incorrect.
This method has drawbacks such as the combination can only be selected by a skilled operator who has specialized knowledge such as knowledge of color combinations and knowledge of the configuration of copying machines, and the operation for selecting combinations is complicated.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks by preparing a large number of programming members such as cards in which multiple combinations of color separation means and color reproduction means (for example, combinations of filters and developing devices) are programmed in advance. A reading means for reading the contents of the program is provided, and a reading signal is used to control the reading so that the reading is selected at a time necessary for the process. Further, the present invention provides a programming element such as a card in which a combination of color separation means and color reproduction means (for example, a combination of a filter and a developer) is programmed in advance, and also clearly indicates the original color and the copied color of the corresponding part. By preparing a large number of copies, the user determines the original color and the color of the completed copy, selects the desired card, inserts the program card into the color copying machine, and presses the start switch to print the desired color. By selecting the desired color reproduction means and color separation means at the appropriate time, the desired color can be accurately reproduced. Therefore, the operator only has to select a predetermined program card by determining the original color and the desired color, and can obtain a copy in the desired color without having any knowledge of color theory or copying machines.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the program card system will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows some examples of colors that can be obtained by combining color separation filters and developing devices. Here, Blue (B) is used as a color separation filter,
Green (G), Red (R), Neutral Density
(ND), Yellow (Y) as developer, Magenta
(M), Cyan (C), and Black (Bl) will be explained as examples.

No. 1 is a combination of B-Y, G-M, and R-C that allows a color exactly the same as the original color to be obtained after copying, and the number of overlapping transfers is three. No. 2 is a combination of B-Y and R-C, and the red part of the original is changed to Y, the blue and purple parts are changed to C, and the black part is changed to green and copied. For No. 4, the No. 1 method using three transfers may be used, especially for originals made of two colors, red and black, which are often seen in ledgers, etc.
If method No. 4 is used, the number of transfers is two, and the copying speed is high and the copying cost is low. on the other hand
In the No. 1 method, black is obtained by three transfers (three color toners overlap), so even if a slight registration error occurs, it becomes difficult to see. In particular, strict registration is required in accounting books as there are many detailed numbers. However, in method No. 4, red,
Since both black and black are transferred in one transfer, there is no difficulty in seeing due to registration.

Next, No. 1 and No. 4 in FIG. 2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 and the following drawings. FIG. 3 shows two examples of the above-mentioned No. 1 program card, in which the original color and the copied color are clearly indicated in letters or colors on the top of the card. At the bottom of the card, prescribed punches are made in the columns for developer (DEV) and filter (FIL). (a) is a method in which the card is moved and the DEV-FIL combinations are read in the desired order of activation, (b) is a stationary state. This is a method that reads the card. This program member may be a known programmable member such as a magnetic tape or the like.

4 shows a reading means for reading the card shown in FIG. 3, 301 is a program card, 302 is a lamp, and 303 is a hole 304 punched on the program card is a light receiving element. In other words, when you insert the No. 1 combination card, the light receiving elements of color separation filters B, G, R and developing units Y, M, and C are irradiated, so the photo switch is activated by each light receiving element.
PH-B, PH-G, PH-R, PH-Y, PH-M,
The output of PH-C becomes H level.

Figure 5 shows a signal generation circuit for sequentially operating the filters and developing device according to the settings set by the program card at the necessary times in the copying process.
b is a developer selection circuit, and b is a filter selection circuit. 401 is a counter consisting of FF CNT ₁ , 4
02 is a signal source for resetting CNT ₁ when the power is turned on or copying is completed, 403 is an OR gate,
404 is a single pulse generation circuit, 405 is an AND gate, 406 is a 4-input OR gate, 407 is an inverter, and 408 is the photo switch shown in FIG. A mode signal 409 comes from FIGS. 8 and 9, which will be described later, and represents an operating state signal of the copying machine.

Now, when the above card is inserted and the start button is pressed, 402 is canceled and CNT ₁ becomes ready for counting. Then, the copying machine starts operating and the photosensitive drum
After the forward idle rotation, the photosensitive characteristics are repeated and the first exposure scan is started. The counter CNT ₁ increments by the signal of this first exposure scan (described later), and the terminal 1 of CNT ₁ becomes H. Now, PH-Y, PH-M, PH-
Since the CN output is at level H, the output of gate A becomes H. Moreover, since the output of gate A' is L, the pulse generator 404 does not operate, so the developing device is prepared for the first exposure. Incidentally, the timing at which the developing device actually starts operating and the operating time will be described later with reference to FIG. At the second exposure, mode signal 4
The pulse from 09 causes CNT ₁ to step again.
Therefore, terminal 2 of CNT ₁ becomes H, so the output of gate B becomes H, and the developing device changes to M. Similarly, at the third exposure, the output of gate C becomes H, so the developing device is replaced by C.

Furthermore, when the number of copies is two or more, exposure is started continuously, so CNT ₁ advances and terminal 4 becomes H. but
Since the output of PH-BK is L, the output of gate D remains low, and the output of gate D' becomes high. Therefore, the pulse generator 404 is activated to further advance CNT ₁ . Therefore, developing device BK does not operate and the output of gate A becomes H, so developing device Y is prepared again. Thereafter, the developing units M and C are sequentially switched in the same manner as described above. When a predetermined number of sheets have been developed, the photosensitive drum enters a process of post-rotation for post-processing such as surface cleaning. The development processing mode signal from 409 is stopped, and the counter _CNT1 is cleared by the reset signal from 402 due to the stopping of the copying machine.

Note that the filter selection switching circuit b also exhibits almost the same effect as in the case of the above-mentioned developing device. However, 4
12 is a photo switch for detecting the contents of the filter on the program card. Also, the timing at which the filter is actually activated is the development processing mode signal 1.
10 (for example, at the home position of the photosensitive drum), and the operating conditions are set as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later.

FIG. 6 shows a means for reading the card shown in FIG. 3a, in which 502 is a lamp and 505 is a light receiving element.
When the card 503 is inserted into the reading slot of the copying machine, the card 503 is conveyed by the roller 501 and read in the order of the punched holes 504.

FIG. 7 is an example of a filter and developer selection circuit applied to FIG. 6. REG ₁ to ₆ are registers for storing signals from the light receiving elements, MUL ₁ to ₄ are multiplexers having a well-known configuration that selects outputs according to mode signals α and β, 603 is a quaternary counter,
609 is a display decoder, and 610 is a display device. The number 4 in the line indicates the number of lines corresponding to Y, M, C, BK or B, G, R, ND. If you insert the card punched with the combination No. 1 in Figure 2, the photo switch group 601 will display PH-Y and PH-.
M and PH-C sequentially output level H. First, PH
When -Y becomes H, the counter 603 is incremented via the gate 602, and H is output from the terminal. As a result, the terminal of the register REG ₁ becomes H, and the code 0001 at that time is stored in the register in order from PH-BK. Further cards progress and PH-M
When becomes H, the counter 603 increments and the terminal becomes H.
Next, store code 0010 in register REG ₂ .
Similarly, when PH-C becomes H, code 0100 is stored in register _REG3 .

When the reading of the card is completed and the copy start button is pressed, and the first exposure scan begins, the 8th
α becomes H and β due to the process mode signal shown in Figure 9.
becomes H, thereby causing the multiplexer to
The contents stored in register REG ₁ are output through MUL ₁ and MUL ₂ . That is, the output Y is H, M,
C and BK become L and select the yellow developer.

In addition, the above α and β signals can be expressed as a logical formula: α=E×P(1)+×(2) β=E×P(1)+E×P(2)+ExP(3) ing. Here, E×P(n) is the nth
During the second exposure scan period, a signal at level H is generated by a mode signal generation circuit, which will be described later.

Therefore, when entering the second exposure, α becomes L and β becomes H.
Then, the contents of REG ₂ are output by the action of the multiplexer, and the output M becomes H and the others become L, thereby selecting the magenta developer. Similarly, when the third exposure starts, the multiplexer MUL ₂ outputs the contents of REG ₃ , and the output C becomes H to select the cyan developer. Furthermore, when the fourth exposure starts, the contents of REG ₁ are outputted again according to the first time α and β, and the yellow developer is selected, making it possible to develop a large number of sheets. The copying machine is set so that copying cannot be started while the card is being read, and the quaternary counter 603 is set to an initial reset when the power is turned on.
It is reset by the start signal 605 or the copying signal 606. Furthermore, the output of each register storing the card contents is sent to a well-known decoder 60.
9, the image is displayed on a display 610 so that an operator can monitor the developing units and their driving order. Incidentally, the operating timing and time of the developing device are determined as shown in FIG. 9, which will be described later.

The selection of the filter can be done in the same way as in the case of the developer, so a description of the circuit will be omitted. However, in order to actually selectively drive the filter, the drive is conditioned as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later.

Next, mode signals indicating the selection timing of the developer and filter in FIGS. 5 and 7 will be explained. FIG. 8 shows a mode signal generating circuit, and a and b schematically show a time chart of a copying sequence. Taking transfer color copying as an example, the period
PP is the pre-rotation period of the transfer drum, PRO ₁ is the color process for the first sheet, PRO ₂ is the color process for the second and subsequent sheets, LP is the post-rotation period of the transfer drum, M,
N, P, and Q represent the lengths and ranks of the above-mentioned periods using numerical values. In b, PP ₁ to PP ₃ are process modes of 3 previous rotations, PRO ₁ -A to _{PRO 2} -C
indicates a process mode for each color represented by Y, M, and C development, and LP ₁ to _{LP 3} indicate a process mode for three post-rotations, and different equipment is activated for each of these modes. Here, M, N, P, Q are each 4,
It is preset to 7, 11, and 15, but since it is a three-color process, there is no PRO mode corresponding to 7 or 11.
The above process mode is defined by, for example, a hexadecimal counter related to the drum home position in circuit c, and is output as a process mode signal.

In the circuit, CNT ₁ is a counter that counts the drum home signal DHP, and A, B, C, and D are counters CNT ₁
COT is a comparator that compares the output of and the set values M, N, P, Q, and when they match, activates the pulse generators T ₁ to _{T 4} to generate one pulse.
MUL, a controller that generates control signals α, β, and γ according to b and c and the count-up signal CUP, sets the counter CNT ₁ to one of the set values 718 to 720 according to α, β, and γ. The multiplexer DEC ₁ is a decoder that converts the output of the counter CNT ₁ into a process mode signal.

When the copy button is pressed, the signal DHP advances the counter CNT ₁ by the home position detection switch 117 (FIG. 1) attached to the transfer drum. This output is a 4-bit signal and is sent to digital comparators A, B,
It enters C and D and is compared with M, N, P, and Q. On the other hand, the CNT ₁ output simultaneously enters the decoder DEC ₁ , and the output terminals corresponding to the mode numbers of the decoder (Figure b) are switched to H level one after another for each DHP.

When the transfer drum outputs the fourth DHP signal, A outputs a matching output, activates the pulse circuit 711, sets the a output to H, and simultaneously generates one pulse e of 716. Counter CNT ₁ is activated by these a and e signals.
is skipped. In other words, the MUL connecting the counters 718 and 710 is controlled by the controller COT. Now when a becomes H, α is set to H and CNT ₁ and 718 are connected, so CNT ₁ becomes 1, 2, 3,
When it advances to 4 and reaches 4, the code of 4 is 0100.
Read via MUL717. Here, if the forward rotation setting is 3 or less, for example, if M is 3
CNT ₁ will advance to 1, 2 and then skip to 4.

From 4 onwards, it advances again by the DHP signal, and becomes 7 when the first three-color color process is completed. Therefore, B produces signals b and e. These b and e signals cause β to become H in COT, so □8 of 719 is read into CNT ₁ through MUL. This causes CNT ₁ to skip from 6 to 8. From 8 onwards, it advances again by the DHP signal, and when the color process for the second sheet is completed and CNT ₁ reaches 11, comparator C outputs one-shot pulses c and e to COT and CNT ₁ .

However, at this point, if the copy number counter (not shown) does not send a count-up signal CUP indicating that the set number of copies matches the number of copies, the controller
□8 of 719 is read into CNT ₁ by β again by COT. That is, CNT ₁ skips from 10 to 8. The DHP signal advances again, and when CNT ₁ reaches 11 after the third color process, the count-up signal CUP becomes H, so 720 〓 is read into CNT ₁ through MUL by γ. That is, CNT ₁ skips from 10 to 12. CNT ₁ advances again by the DHP signal, and at 15, T ₃ is activated by the output of comparator D to generate a coincidence pulse d.
The signal stops the operation of the copier drive system and completes the entire process. Note that the counter CNT ₁ is reset by the reset signal RESET when the copying operation is stopped.
Realized.

As above, the process mode becomes decoder.
A level signal is output from the output terminals 1 to 14 of the DEC ₁ , and the necessary equipment in the corresponding mode is controlled based on this signal.

Therefore, the developer and filters are selected by generation of mode signals corresponding to color process modes PRO ₁ -A to PRO ₂ -C. For example, in the case of three colors, filters B, G, and R are connected to the decoder terminal 4, respectively. ,5,6
and signals from 8, 9, and 10. That is, the output of the decoder is made to correspond to MODESIG in FIG. 5 or EXPSIG for α and β in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a process mode signal generation circuit for a copying machine corresponding to monochrome, two-color, and three-color color modes. 802 is an AND gate, and 803 to 805 are signals for determining the color mode, which are obtained from symbols incorporated in the program card (FIG. 3). That is, punch holes in the three-color copy are detected by the photo switch COPY-3 as shown in FIG. Even in the case of Fig. 6, the counter 603 of Fig. 7
The color mode is determined by Final mode signals PP ₁₉ to LP _3c in each color mode are generated by this color mode signal and the process mode signal by the decoder shown in FIG.

Next, a timing circuit for actually operating the developer and filter in the sequence shown in FIG. 10a will be explained with reference to FIGS. 10b and 11. To achieve this, in addition to one DHP per rotation of the transfer drum,
A pulse generator (disk 118 in Fig. 1) that generates a large number of pulses DSP with one rotation of the transfer drum is separately installed.
These pulses are counted by a counter CNT ₂ in FIG. 8d and a decoded signal is generated by a decoder DEC ₂ , thereby generating signals DSP ₀ to ₉ for detecting the position of the transfer drum from the home position. As an example, assuming that the transfer drum generates 10 pulses per revolution (Fig. 8e), the number written on the time chart in Fig. 10a indicates the DSP number. In other words, developer Y is
It shows that it starts from DSP ₃ and stops at DSP ₂ of the next zone.

Therefore, the timing of starting and ending the operation of the developing device is determined by the selection signals Y, M, and C from FIGS. 5 and 7 and the DSP from DEC ₂ of FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 10b. Ru.

In order to set the filters at the same location after selection, the filters are set by filter home position signals MS-ND to MS-B and selection signals ND to B for each filter, as shown in FIG.

That is, when the filter ND is not in the predetermined position when the ND selection signal is generated according to FIG. 5 or FIG. 7, that is, when the signal MS-ND is at the level L,
An output level H signal is output from gate 3 by inverter 1 and gate 2, and operates relay K via amplifier 4. Filter motor FM operates at contact K and rotates the filter. Then, when the filter ND comes to the predetermined position, the output from the gate 3 becomes the level L due to the H signal of MS-ND, and the relay K
is solved. Therefore, the driving of the filter motor FM is stopped and the electric charge of the capacitor C is discharged through the contact K, and the motor FM is momentarily stopped and the filter motor FM is stopped.
Set ND. Other filters are set in the same way.

As described above, the present invention performs color copying using a program member in which multiple combinations of color separation means and color reproduction means are programmed, making it possible to obtain color images with colors different from the original with extremely simple steps. Become.

In addition, filters are used as color separation means and color reproduction means.
The present invention is applicable not only to the developing device but also to other devices that should be selected for setting a color image, such as means for improving color development.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a color copying apparatus, FIG. 2 is a table showing combinations of filters and developing units,
FIG. 3 is an example of a program card, FIGS. 4 and 6 are schematic perspective views of the program card reading means, and FIG.
Fig. 7 is a developing device and filter selection circuit diagram, Figs. 8 and 9 are process mode signal generation circuit diagrams,
FIG. 10a is a time chart of a process sequence, b is an operating circuit of a developing device, and FIG. 11 is an operating circuit diagram of a filter. In the figure, 104 is a filter, 110 to 113
301 is a program card, 304 is a reading means, and 401, 411, and 603 are counters. 〓〓〓〓〓

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A color separation means that separates an original image into a plurality of colors, and a plurality of color reproduction means that reproduces a color separated image using a plurality of different color materials, and a plurality of different sets of the color separation means and the color reproduction means, respectively. The color image forming apparatus is a color image forming apparatus controlled by a program member such as a plurality of cards in which registration is programmed in advance and is capable of recognizing converted colors after formation for each color of an original image, and the color image forming apparatus is A color image forming apparatus using a program member, comprising: a reading means for reading information of the plurality of combinations; and a control means for causing color image formation of the plurality of combinations according to the read information.