JP2000353071A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an image forming apparatus capable of efficiently sharing a print job in a copying machine network system while considering an apparatus requiring maintenance. SOLUTION: In any one of the connection network systems, a connection start button on an operation unit is pressed. At that time, an inquiry is made to the slave through the connection I / F as to whether or not the maintenance time has come. If the slave has already reached the maintenance time, the connection operation is not performed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure on the slave unit side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus in a copying machine network system in which a copying operation for one image is shared by a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as copying apparatuses. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can be applied to a case where a single print job is shared by a plurality of network printers, etc., with respect to a connection operation with another image forming apparatus when a maintenance time has arrived.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As prior art according to the present invention, for example,
There is a "digital copier network system" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-98038. This publication discloses a digital copying machine network system in which at least two or more digital copying machines are provided with a communication means for communicating operation commands and image information. If
It has a user restricting means that enables an operation using a function of a digital copying machine that is not available other than the operating device, and when each of the networked digital copying machines has a user restricting function, When using the functions of other digital copiers remotely, the functions of other digital copiers can be used without going to other digital copiers, and the operability and work efficiency of the use restriction function are reduced. It is to improve. For example, when copying 100 originals, if two image forming apparatuses share the work, printing is performed on 50 sheets per sheet, so copying takes half the time required when copying on one sheet. can do. This is called a connection operation.

[0003]

However, since the image forming apparatuses connected to each other can perform the image forming operation independently, the degree of consumption may differ depending on the frequency of use. is expected.

[0004] In order to determine the maintenance time of the machine, a counter called a PM counter is prepared. This PM counter is counted by one for each image forming operation. When the counter reaches a specific counter value, (1) the maintenance time is reached on the operation unit, (2) remote diagnosis Processing such as notifying the service center that the maintenance time has arrived via the device is implemented.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of efficiently sharing a print job while considering an apparatus requiring maintenance.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
An image forming apparatus connected to a copier network system, comprising: document reading means for reading a document; printing means for printing a read image; and transferring the read image information to another image forming apparatus serving as a slave. And an operation selecting means for selecting a single operation and a connecting operation, wherein the counter indicating the maintenance time of the other image forming apparatus when the connecting operation is selected. It is characterized in that it is not connected as a slave unit to another image forming apparatus which has been confirmed and has reached the maintenance time.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, when the other image forming apparatus is not connected to the other image forming apparatus due to reaching a maintenance time of the other image forming apparatus as the slave unit, When the connection operation is selected, a warning notifying the connection is displayed on the operation panel.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the maintenance time has already arrived, and another image forming apparatus as the slave has not yet reached the maintenance time. When the connection operation is selected in this state, only the operation of reading the original is performed, and all the operations of forming an image are performed only by another image forming apparatus as the slave unit.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, terms commonly used in the present specification will be explained and defined. (1) “Image reading device”, “image reading unit” The “image reading device” used in the digital PPC irradiates a light source to a document, and reflects the reflected light on a “solid-state imaging device (CC)”.
D)), an apparatus having a function of performing conversion into an electric signal and performing “necessary image processing” is used.

Here, the "necessary image processing" means the following processing. Quantization: The analog data converted into electric signals by the CCD is converted into binary or multi-valued data. Shading correction: Corrects irradiation unevenness of a light source for irradiating a document and sensitivity variation of a CCD. MTF correction: Corrects blur caused by the optical system. Magnification processing: The image reading density is changed, and data interpolation is performed using the read image data.

(2) "Image Forming Apparatus", "Image Writing Section" The "image forming apparatus" or "image writing section" used in the digital PPC converts an image sent by an electric signal into electrophotography, heat-sensitive, and thermal transfer. This is an apparatus for forming on plain paper, thermal paper, or the like by means such as ink jet, ink jet, or the like.

(3) "Video signal", "image data" The electric signal of the image converted by the "image reading device", the electric signal of the image inputted to the "image forming device", and the electric signal of the image Signals for synchronizing with signals are collectively expressed as "video signal" or "image data".

(4) "Control signal", "command" In order to exchange "video signal" between "image reading apparatus", "image forming apparatus", and "application", information is transmitted between apparatuses. There is a need. This means is referred to as "control signal" or "command" issuance.

(5) "extended function", "application (abbreviated as application)", "memory function", "memory unit" A major feature of the digital PPC is that an image is converted into an electric signal and read, and the electric signal is converted into an image. Restore on forming equipment. By providing means for changing and transmitting the read electrical signal in various ways, it can be applied to fields other than the conventional analog PPC. In addition to realizing functions such as FAX, page printer, scanner, and file system, recently, even when executing the PPC function, the read image data is temporarily stored in a storage device such as a DRAM, and the image data is stored as needed. By reading the data,
For a plurality of copies, a function of executing a plurality of prints in one scan, or a function of printing a plurality of originals on one transfer sheet (hereinafter, a memory function) is also realized. Functions that can be realized only by these digital PPC systems are expressed as “extended functions” or “apps”. In the present invention, the memory unit is also used as a buffer for transferring image data between machines on a network.

(6) "System Controller", "System" In executing the copy mode, in order to form an image in the image writing unit, a paper transport process, an electrophotographic process process, an abnormal state and a sheet cassette state (paper state). The controller that controls the scanner operation and the “ON / OFF” of the light source in order to monitor the inside of the device (e.g., presence or absence) and read an image by the image reading unit is collectively referred to as a “system controller”. In addition, recent digital PPCs have extended functions
Not only one but also multiple applications are being installed at the same time. As described above, a digital PPC sharing one resource may be referred to as a “system”, and a controller that controls this system may be referred to as a “system controller”.

(7) “Resource”, “Resource” Functional unit units shared by a plurality of applications are expressed as “resource” and “resource”. The above-mentioned “system controller” controls the system in resource units. The resources managed by the digital PPC of the present invention include “image reading device”, “image forming device”, “operation unit”, “memory”, “peripheral device (ADF, sorter, automatic duplex unit, etc.)” and the like. is there.

(8) "User Restriction" In particular, there is a case where the user does not want to permit unlimited use of the PPC using the electrophotographic process because of its large consumption. At this time, in order to identify, limit, and manage "users", "user restricted devices" such as "coin rack", "key counter", "key card", and "prepaid card"
Or "PIN".

(9) "User setting" When the system becomes complicated, it is necessary to individually deal with each user. Since it is impossible to satisfy all of these measures at the time of shipment from the factory, it is essential to take measures in the market. Therefore, usually, a non-volatile RAM is provided to enable system setting according to a user's request, but this function is expressed as "user setting".

(10) "Idle state" A state in which no operation is performed by the user for a certain period is referred to as an "idle state", and other states are referred to as a "busy state". The time until the transition from the “busy state” to the “idle state” can be set by the user.
For example, not only during the copying operation but also after the copying operation is completed, the state does not transit to the “idle state” unless a non-operation state by the user continues for a certain period.

(11) "Weekly timer" A function for turning on / off the power in accordance with the "ON / OFF" time set for each day of the week. For this function, an operation for adjusting the time of the clock module and an operation for setting the “ON / OFF” time for each day of the week are required.

(12) “Preheating” The fixing temperature is controlled by lowering the fixing temperature by a certain temperature (for example, 10 ° C.)
In this mode, power consumption is saved by turning off the operation unit display. The setting of this mode is automatically set after a certain period of time from when there is no operation or operation depending on the key input on the operation unit or the machine setting. The mode is released when a human standing sensor detects that a person stands in front of the machine, depending on a key input on the operation unit or a machine setting.

(13) "Reload" A state in which the fixing temperature reaches the fixing-possible temperature and copying is possible is called reloading.

(14) "Interrupt mode" This mode is for temporarily interrupting the copying operation and performing copying during the execution and operation of the copying operation.
By setting this mode, the previous copy mode and, if copying is in progress, the progress information is stored in the non-volatile RAM, the mode is shifted to the interrupt mode, and the mode is initialized. After the copy operation is executed, when the interrupt mode is released, the mode and the information stored in the nonvolatile RAM are returned, the state before the interrupt mode is set is restored, and the mode before the interrupt can be continued by restarting. The setting / cancellation of this mode can be performed using keys on the operation unit.

(15) “CSS” (or “remote diagnosis system”, “image forming apparatus management system”) FIG. 15 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an example of the image forming apparatus management system. The management device 141 installed and the PPC 14 installed by the user
6 are connected via a public line network 142. On the user side, a communication control device 143 for controlling communication with the management device 141 is installed, and the PPC 146 of the user originates from the communication control device 14.
3 is connected. A telephone 144 and a facsimile 145 can be connected to the communication control device 143, and can be installed by inserting the communication control device 143 into a user's existing line. A plurality of PPCs 146 can be connected to the communication control device 143, but there may of course be a single PPC 146. These PPCs 146 need not be of the same type, and may be different models or devices other than the PPC 146. Here, for convenience of explanation, one communication control device 143 has a maximum of five PPCs 14.
6 is connectable.

Communication control device 143 and a plurality of PPs
The C146 is connected in multi-drop according to the RS-485 standard. Communication control device 143 and each PPC1
The communication control between 46 is performed by a basic data transmission control procedure. By establishing a data link by a polling / selecting method of centralized control using the communication control device 143 as a control station, any PP
Communication with C146 is enabled. Each PPC 146
Can be set a unique value by an address setting switch, whereby the polling address and the selecting address of each PPC 146 are determined.

FIG. 1 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation unit of the example shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of display on the liquid crystal touch panel of the example shown in FIG.

The document bundle placed on the document table 12 of the automatic document feeder (hereinafter, ADF) 11 with the image side of the document facing up is pressed when the print key 34 on the operation unit 30 is pressed.
The document is fed from the lowermost document to a predetermined position on the contact glass 16 by the feeding roller 13 and the feeding belt 14. Contact glass 1 by reading unit 50
After the image data of the document on the document 6 is read, the document that has been read is discharged by the feed belt 14 and the discharge roller 15. Further, when the document set detecting means 17 detects that the next document is present on the document table 12,
The document is fed onto the contact glass 16 in the same manner as the previous document. The feed roller 13, the feed belt 14, and the discharge roller 15 are driven by a motor.

The transfer sheets stacked on the first tray 18, the second tray 19, and the third tray 20 are supplied to the first sheet feeding device 2 respectively.
The paper is fed by a first paper feeder 22 and a third paper feeder 23, and is transported by a vertical transport unit 24 to a position where it contacts the photoconductor 25. The image data read by the reading unit 50 is written on the photoconductor 25 by the laser from the writing unit 57, and
9, a toner image is formed. The toner image on the photoconductor 25 is transferred while the transfer paper is conveyed by the conveyance belt 26 at the same speed as the rotation of the photoconductor 25. Thereafter, the image is fixed by the fixing unit 27, and is discharged to the finisher 100 of the post-processing device by the sheet discharging unit 28.

The finisher 100 of the post-processing apparatus can guide the transfer paper conveyed by the paper discharge roller of the main body in the direction of the normal paper discharge roller 102 and the direction of the stapling section. By switching the switching plate 101 upward, the normal discharge tray 10
4 can be discharged. Switching plate 101
Is switched downward, the transport rollers 105,
The sheet can be conveyed to the staple table 108 via the 107. The transfer paper loaded on the staple table 108 is
Each time one sheet is ejected, the paper end faces are aligned by the jogger 109 for paper alignment, and are stapled by the stapler 106 when a part of the copy is completed. The transfer paper group bound by the stapler 106 is stored in the stapling completion paper discharge tray 110 by its own weight.

On the other hand, a normal paper discharge tray 104 is a paper discharge tray that can move back and forth. The paper discharge tray 104 that can be moved back and forth moves back and forth for each original or for each copy unit sorted by the image memory, and sorts out the discharged copy paper easily.

When images are formed on both sides of the transfer paper, the transfer paper fed from each of the paper feed trays 18, 19, and 20 and formed is not guided to the paper discharge tray 104, but the path is switched. By setting the branch claw 112 for the upper side,
The stock is temporarily stored in the double-sided paper feed unit 111. afterwards,
The transfer paper stocked in the duplex paper supply unit 111 is re-fed from the duplex paper supply unit 111 in order to transfer the toner image formed on the photoconductor 25 again. It is set on the lower side and guided to the paper discharge tray 104. As described above, the duplex sheet feeding unit 111
Is used to create images on both sides of the transfer paper.

The photosensitive member 25, the conveyor belt 26, the fixing unit 27, the sheet discharging unit 28, and the developing unit 29 are driven by a main motor (not shown),
Drives 1, 22, and 23 are transmitted from a main motor by a paper feed clutch (not shown). Also,
The vertical transport unit 24 is driven to transmit the drive of the main motor by an intermediate clutch (not shown).

The operation unit 30 includes a liquid crystal touch panel 31,
There are a numeric keypad 32, a clear / stop key 33, a print key 34, and a mode clear key 35. The liquid crystal touch panel 31 displays function keys 37, the number of copies, a message indicating the state of the image forming apparatus, and the like.

When the operator touches the key displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 31, the key indicating the selected function is inverted to black. Also, when you need to specify the details of the function (for example, if it is a variable magnification, etc.)
By touching a key, a detailed function setting screen is displayed. As described above, since the liquid crystal touch panel 31 uses the dot display device, it is possible to graphically perform an optimal display at that time.

In FIG. 3, the upper left is a message area 81 for displaying a message such as "Can copy" or "Please wait", and the right is a copy number display section 82 for displaying the set number, and the image below it. An automatic density key 83 for automatically adjusting the density, an automatic paper selection key 84 for automatically selecting the transfer paper, a sort key 86 for designating a process for aligning copies one by one in a page order, and a process for sorting the copies for each page. A stack key 87 for designating, a staple key 88 for designating a process of binding the sorted items one by one, and a 1: 1 key 8 for setting the magnification to 1: 1
5, a scaling key 89 for setting an enlargement / reduction ratio, a double-sided key 90 for setting a double-sided mode, an erase / move key 91 for setting a binding margin mode and the like, and a print key 92 for setting a stamp, date, page and the like. It is. The key of the selected mode is shaded.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, the image reading means of the present invention and the operation up to the formation of a latent image on a recording surface will be described. A latent image is a potential distribution generated by converting an image into optical information and irradiating the image on the photoreceptor surface. The reading unit 50 includes a contact glass 16 on which a document is placed and an optical scanning system. The optical scanning system includes an exposure lamp 51, a first mirror 52, and a lens 5.
3, the CCD image sensor 54 and the like.
The exposure lamp 51 and the first mirror 52 are fixed on a first carriage (not shown), and the second mirror 55 and the third mirror 56 are fixed on a first carriage (not shown).

When reading the original image, the first carriage and the second carriage are moved by two so that the optical path length does not change.
It is mechanically scanned at a relative speed of one to one. This optical scanning system is driven by a scanner drive motor (not shown).
The document image is read by the CCD image sensor 54, converted into an electric signal, and processed. The image magnification is changed by moving the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 in the horizontal direction in FIG. That is, the positions of the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 in the left-right direction are set corresponding to the designated magnification.

The writing unit 57 includes a laser output unit 58, an imaging lens 59, and a mirror 60. Inside the laser output unit 58, a rotating polygonal surface that rotates at a high speed at a high speed by a laser diode as a laser light source and a motor. A mirror (polygon mirror) is provided. The laser light emitted from the laser output unit 58 is polarized by a polygon mirror that rotates at a constant speed, passes through the imaging lens 59, is turned back by the mirror 60, and forms a focused image on the surface of the photoconductor.

The polarized laser beam is exposed and scanned in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 25, and records an image signal output by a selector of an image processing unit described later in units of lines. I do. An image (electrostatic latent image) is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 25 by repeating main scanning at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the rotation speed and the recording density of the photoconductor 25.

As described above, the laser beam output from the writing unit 57 is applied to the photosensitive member 25 of the image forming system. At a position near one end of the photoconductor 25 where the laser beam is irradiated, a beam sensor (not shown) for generating a main scanning synchronization signal is arranged. Based on the main scanning synchronization signal, control of image recording start timing in the main scanning direction,
Further, a control signal for inputting / outputting an image signal to be described later is generated.

FIG. 4 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining the image processing section (image reading section and image writing section) in the example shown in FIG. The light emitted from the exposure lamp 51 is applied to the original surface, and the reflected light from the original surface is imaged by an imaging lens (not shown).
At 4, the light is received and photoelectrically converted, and is converted to a digital signal at the A / D converter 61. The image signal converted into the digital signal is subjected to MTF correction, γ correction and the like in the image processing unit 63 after being subjected to shading correction 62. In the selector 64, the destination of the image signal to the scaling unit 71 or the image memory controller 65 is switched.

The image signal that has passed through the scaling section 71 is scaled in accordance with the scaling factor and sent to the writing unit 57. Between the image memory controller 65 and the selector 64,
The image signal can be input and output in both directions. Although not specifically shown in FIG. 4, the image processing unit (I
PU), a plurality of data inputs so as to process not only image data input from the reading unit 50 but also image data supplied from the outside (for example, data output from a data processing device such as a personal computer). It has the function of selecting output.

A CP for setting the image memory controller 65 and the like and controlling the reading unit 50 and the writing unit 57
U68 and ROM for storing its program and data
69, and a RAM 70. Further, the CPU 68 can write and read data in the image memory 66 via the memory controller 65.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an image signal for one page in the selector 64 of the example shown in FIG. “/ FGATE” indicates an effective period of one page of image data in the sub-scanning direction. “/ LSYNC” is
This is a main scanning synchronization signal for each line, and an image signal becomes valid at a predetermined clock after this signal rises. A signal indicating that the image signal in the main scanning direction is valid is
“/ LGATE”. These signals are synchronized with the pixel clock “VCLK”, and data of one pixel is sent for one cycle of “VCLK”. Image processing unit (I
PU) is a separate “/ FGATE”, “/ LSYNC”, “/ LGAT” for each of image input and output.
E "and" VCLK ", and various image input / output combinations can be realized.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining details of the memory controller 65 and the image memory 66 in the example shown in FIG. The memory controller 65 includes an input data selector 41, an image composition 42, a primary compression / decompression 4
3, an output data selector 44 and a secondary compression / decompression 45 block. The setting of control data in each block is performed by the CPU 68. Addresses and data in FIG. 5 indicate image data, and data and addresses connected to the CPU 68 are not shown.

The image memory 66 comprises primary and secondary storage devices 46 and 47. The primary storage device 46 can perform high-speed access to, for example, a DRAM or the like so that data can be written to the memory substantially in synchronization with the transfer speed of the input image data, or data can be read from the memory at the time of image output at a high speed. Use the right memory. Also, the primary storage device 46
Has a configuration (interface unit with a memory controller) that can be divided into a plurality of areas and simultaneously execute input / output of image data according to the size of image data to be processed.

In order to enable the input and output of image data for each divided area to be executed in parallel, the interface with the memory controller is connected to two sets of address and data lines for reading and writing. This enables an operation of outputting (reading) an image from the second area while inputting (writing) the image to the first area.

The secondary storage device 47 is a large-capacity memory for storing data for synthesizing and sorting input images. If elements that can be accessed at high speed are used for both the primary and secondary storage devices, data processing can be performed without distinction between primary and secondary storage, and control is relatively simple.
Since the elements such as AM are expensive, the access speed to the secondary storage device is not so fast. Has become. By adopting the configuration of the image memory as described above, it is possible to realize an image forming apparatus capable of performing processing such as input / output, storage, and processing of a large amount of image data with an inexpensive and relatively simple configuration. Become.

Next, an outline of the operation of the memory controller 65 will be described. (1) Image Input (Save to Image Memory) The input data selector 41 selects image data to be written to the image memory (primary storage device 46) from a plurality of data. The image data selected by the input data selector 41 is supplied to an image synthesizing unit 42, and synthesizes with the data already stored in the image memory.
The image data processed by the image synthesis 42 is compressed by a primary compression / decompression 43, and the compressed data is written to a primary storage device 46. The data written in the primary storage device 46 is subjected to secondary compression / decompression 45 as necessary.
Are further compressed and stored in the secondary storage device 47.

(2) Image Output (Read from Image Memory) At the time of image output, image data stored in the primary storage device 46 is read. When the image to be output is stored in the primary storage device 46, the image data in the primary storage device 46 is decompressed by the primary compression / decompression 43, and the decompressed data or the decompressed data is obtained. The data after image synthesis with the input data is output to the output data selector 4.
4. Select and output. The image combining unit 42 combines the data of the primary storage unit 46 with the input data (has a function of adjusting the phase of the image data), and selects the output destination of the combined data (image output, output to the primary storage unit 46). Such as write-back and simultaneous output to both output destinations).

If the image to be output is not stored in the primary storage device 46, the output target image data stored in the secondary storage device 47 is expanded by the secondary compression / expansion 45, and expanded. After the subsequent data is written in the primary storage device 46, the above-described image output operation is performed.

The operation reservation described in this embodiment is as follows.
In this case, the copying operation cannot be started when the fixing machine is being heated in the copying machine, but by setting the mode and setting the original and ending the reservation, the fixing operation is automatically performed when the copying operation is enabled after the fixing heating is completed. This is the function to start the copy operation. In this embodiment, the operation reservation can be made during the fixing heating. However, any object that becomes operable with the lapse of time is eligible for the operation reservation. The LCT tray rise time, the polygon motor rotation stabilization time, the toner supply operation, and the like can be considered.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the control system of the example shown in FIG. 1. The system includes an image reading unit 123, an image writing unit 122, a system controller 121, a memory unit 124, and a user-restricted device. 1
27, human body detector 128, remote diagnostic device (CSS) 12
5, the clock unit 126 is required, but the memory unit 124 is necessary only when a memory function is realized, and is not necessary only when a normal copy function is realized. Further, the clock 126 is necessary only when a weekly timer function is realized such that the machine is booted or shut down at a specific time. Further, the human body detector 128 is necessary only when a function of automatically canceling the preheating mode when a user approaches the machine in the preheating mode is required.
Reference numeral 125 denotes a function for remote diagnosis, that is, a function for automatically notifying a service center when a machine error occurs, and for monitoring the execution state / use state of the machine from a remote place. It only needs to be mounted in this case.

In FIG. 7, the DRA in the memory unit 124
The M block stores an image signal read from the image reading unit 123, and can transfer image data stored in the image writing unit 122 in response to a request from the system controller 121. The compression block has a compression function such as MH, MR, and MMR, and compresses an image once read,
The use efficiency of the memory (DRAM) can be improved. The rotation of the image is realized by changing the address read from the image writing unit 122 and its direction.

In the "hardware configuration example-I" of FIG.
The image reading unit 123, the image writing unit 122, the memory unit 124, and the CSS 125 are controlled by only one CPU of the system controller 121. On the other hand, in the “hardware configuration example-II” of FIG. 7B, the image reading unit 123, the image writing unit 122, and the memory unit 124 have CPUs, respectively, and commands from the system controller 121 to each controller are transmitted through control signal lines. , The system hardware configuration can be freely configured.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a network copy system to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 8, eight digital copies 131 are networked by a network interface 132. The number of connected copies need not be limited.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a system controller, 2 denotes an image writing unit, 3 denotes an image reading unit, and 4 denotes an image reading unit. Is a memory unit, 5 is a remote diagnosis device (CSS), 6 is a clock, 7 is a user restriction device, and 8 is a human body detector. As shown in FIG. 9, one digital P
The hardware configuration of the PC is shown in FIG.
The configuration is almost the same as that of "I", except that the read image is transferred to an external network in the memory unit 4, or the image data from the network is stored in the DRAM block unit in the memory unit 4. To do
SCSI (Small Computer Sys
tem Interface) and a SCSI controller.

Naturally, various means are conceivable as the network communication means, for example, using Ethernet as the physical means, and using TCP / IP communication of an OSI (Open System Interface) reference model for data communication. Further, by using the configuration as shown in FIG. 9, not only the image data transfer as described above, but also the control command such as the in-machine status notification of each machine existing on the network and the remote output command described later. ,
It also transfers setting commands.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an operation (hereinafter, remote output) of transferring an image read by the above to an image writing unit of “digital PPC-II”. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of the software. In the figure, “copy application” is an application that executes a copy sequence for executing a copy operation, and “input / output control” is a layer (device driver) that performs logical / physical conversion of data. And the “operation unit controller” is M
Layer (L) that executes MI (Man Machine Interface)
(Peripheral controller) is a PPC such as an automatic duplex unit, sorter, ADF, etc.
This is a layer that executes, at a logical level, the control of peripheral devices attached to the device.
The “image reading device controller” and the “memory unit” are as described above.

When a print request is requested from another machine on the network, the "daemon process" reads out the image data stored in the memory unit and transfers the image data to the "image forming apparatus". It exists as an application that performs the role. Of course, before a "daemon process" can read an image from a memory unit and perform a print operation, the image transfer from another machine on the network must be completed.

Here, the operation unit, peripheral equipment, image forming apparatus,
Image reading device and memory unit are each PPC
Is treated as a resource (resource) owned by. When the “digital PPC-I” of FIG. 10 executes a copying operation using its own resources (when the print start key is pressed), the “image forming apparatus”, “image” It requests the resources of the "reading device" or, if necessary, the "peripheral device" and the "memory unit" to the "system control" section. The “system control” unit arbitrates the right to use the resource in response to the request from the “copy application”, and notifies the “copy application” of the arbitration result (usability). When the “digital PPC-I” is used in a stand-alone state (in a state where no network connection is made), the “copy application” can occupy all the resources held by the system, so that the copying operation is immediately executed.

On the other hand, when the printing operation is performed using the resources of another machine (hereinafter, referred to as a remote digital PPC) existing on the network as in the present invention, the “system controller” of the remote digital PPC is used. Request the right to use the resource. The system controller of the remote digital PPC arbitrates the resources according to the request and notifies the result to the application of the requesting machine. If the application is granted usage rights,
When the image is read and the image storage in its own memory unit is completed, the image is transferred to the memory unit of the remote output destination machine via an external interface (SCSI in this embodiment).

When the image transfer is completed, the conditions for performing printing (paper feed port, paper discharge port, number of prints, etc.) are transmitted to the “daemon process” of the remote output destination machine, and then “print start” is performed. Send command.
Upon receiving the "print start" command, the "daemon process" at the remote output destination requests the "system controller" of itself (the machine that executes the remote output) to start printing, and the remote output is executed by the system controller. .

When the “digital PPC-II” uses a “digital PPC-II” memory unit, the “digital PPC-II” memory unit is “digital PPC-II” (or FIG. 8). When a plurality of digital PPCs as shown are connected on a network, use of digital PPCs other than “digital PPC-I” is disabled.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is an example of a two-unit connected network system. According to the first aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, in any one of the connection network systems, at the timing of pressing the connection start button on the operation unit, the current maintenance time is reached for the slave unit. A query is made through the connection I / F as to whether or not the slave unit has reached the maintenance time. If the slave unit has reached the maintenance time, the connection operation is not performed. In the image forming apparatus, the operation of the slave unit in the connecting operation is not performed, thereby preventing the occurrence of a failure on the slave unit side.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the invention of claim 1, as shown in FIG.
A warning is displayed on the operation unit of the master unit.If the slave unit has already reached the maintenance time when instructing the connection operation on the master unit, By displaying on the operation panel that "the connection cannot be made due to the arrival," the user is notified of the reason why the connection cannot be made and the fact that the child device has reached the maintenance time.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart for explaining another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning message according to the example illustrated in FIG. 13.

If the master unit has reached the maintenance time and the slave unit has not yet reached the maintenance time, the failure of the master unit due to the further image forming operation may occur. To prevent this, the connecting operation itself may be prohibited. However, from the user's point of view, since the slave unit has not yet reached the maintenance time, it is better to read the original with the master unit and output it with the slave unit.
There is no need to transport the original to the slave unit, which is convenient in terms of work efficiency.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a connection operation is instructed on the condition that the slave unit has not yet reached the maintenance time and the master unit has already reached the maintenance time, the master unit side By sharing only the operation of reading the original and performing the operation of forming an image only on the slave unit side, the failure of the master unit is prevented beforehand, and the image forming operation for the user is reduced in work efficiency. In any one of the connected network systems, at the timing of pressing the connection start button on the operation unit, it is first checked whether the own device (master device) has reached the maintenance time. Then, after confirming whether or not the child device has reached the maintenance time, the following operation is performed.

(1) If the master unit has not yet reached the maintenance time, the operation according to the first aspect of the present invention is performed. (2) If the master has already reached the maintenance time, if the slave has not yet reached the maintenance time (FIG. 13A), the original is read by the master and the image is read by the slave. Is output. If the child device has already reached the maintenance time (FIG. 13B), a connection operation impossible warning is displayed.

When the control of the above (2) is performed, a warning message as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed for confirmation, and the user presses the "confirmation" key. To start the linking operation by sharing the work of reading the original and outputting the image by the slave unit.

[0072]

(1) Effects corresponding to the first and second aspects of the present invention If the slave unit has already reached the maintenance time, disabling the linking operation to prevent unexpected failure of the slave unit. Can be. Furthermore, by displaying a warning on the operation unit of the master unit that the connection operation is not possible, it is possible to notify the operator that the slave unit has already reached a time when maintenance is required.

(2) Advantages Corresponding to Claim 3 If the parent machine has already reached the maintenance time, only the original can be read by the parent machine during the linking operation, and only the slave machine By performing the image forming operation, it is possible to realize the image forming operation for the user without lowering the efficiency while preventing the failure of the master unit from occurring.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation unit of the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of display on the liquid crystal touch panel of the example shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an image processing unit (an image reading unit and an image writing unit) in the example shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an image signal for one page in a selector in the example shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining details of a memory controller and an image memory in the example shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the control system of the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a network copy system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning message according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a main part configuration diagram for describing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 121: System controller, 2, 122: Image writing unit, 3, 123: Image reading unit, 4, 124
... memory unit, 5,125 ... remote diagnostic device, 6,1
26: Clock, 7, 127: User restricted device, 8, 128
... human body detector, 11 ... automatic document feeder, 12 ... document table, 13 ... feed roller, 14 ... feed belt, 15 ... discharge roller, 16 ... contact glass, 17 ... document set detecting means, 18 ... 1 tray, 19 ... second tray, 20 ...
Third tray, 21: first paper feeder, 22: second paper feeder, 23: third paper feeder, 24: vertical transport unit, 25
... Photoconductor, 26 ... Conveyer belt, 27 ... Fixing unit, 2
8 Paper discharge unit, 29 Developing unit, 30, 129
... operation unit, 31 ... liquid crystal touch panel, 32 ... numeric keypad,
33 ... Clear stop key, 34 ... Print key, 35
... mode clear key, 37 ... function key, 41 ... input data selector, 42 ... image synthesis, 43 ... primary compression / expansion,
44 ... output data selector, 45 ... secondary compression / expansion, 4
6 primary storage device, 47 secondary storage device, 50 reading unit, 51 exposure lamp, 52 first mirror, 5
3 Lens, 54 CCD image sensor, 55 Second
Mirror, 56: third mirror, 57: writing unit,
58: laser output unit, 59: imaging lens, 60:
Mirror, 61 A / D converter, 62 Shading correction, 63 Image processing unit, 64 Selector, 65 Image memory controller, 66 Image memory, 68 CP
U, 69 ROM, 70 RAM, 71 Zoom unit, 81
... message area, 82 ... copy number display section, 83 ...
Automatic density key, 84: Automatic paper selection key, 85: Same-size key, 86: Sort key, 87: Stack key, 88: Staple key, 89: Variable-size key, 90: Double-sided key, 91
... Erase / move key, 92 ... Print key, 100 ... Finisher, 101 ... Switching plate, 102 ... Normal paper discharge roller,
103, 105, 107: transport rollers, 104: normal paper discharge tray, 106: stapler, 108: staple table, 109: jogger, 110: staple completed paper discharge tray, 111: double-sided paper feed unit, 112: branching claw. 1
31: digital copy, 132: network interface, 141: management device, 142: public line network, 1
43: Communication control device, 144: Telephone, 145
... Facsimile, 146 ... PPC.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 1/00 107 H04N 1/00 107Z F term (Reference) 2C061 AP01 AP04 AQ04 AQ05 AQ06 HK15 HV01 HV26 HV34 2H027 DA45 EJ11 EJ13 5B021 AA19 EE05 NN00 NN16 PP04 5C062 AA05 AA35 AB17 AB22 AB46 AC42 AC43 AC56 AC58 AE15 AF15 9A001 DD11 HH34 JJ35 KK42 LL02 LL09

Claims (3)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus connected to a copier network system, comprising: document reading means for reading a document; printing means for printing a read image; In an image forming apparatus having a linking operation unit for transferring and printing to an image forming apparatus and an operation selecting unit for selecting a single operation and a linking operation, maintenance of the other image forming apparatus when the linking operation is selected An image forming apparatus characterized by checking a counter indicating a time and not connecting to another image forming apparatus which has already reached a maintenance time as a slave unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting operation is selected when the image forming apparatus is not connected to the other image forming apparatus due to a maintenance time of the image forming apparatus serving as a slave unit. An image forming apparatus that displays a warning that the connection is not performed on an operation panel. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection operation is selected in a state where the maintenance time has already been reached and another image forming apparatus as the slave has not yet reached the maintenance time. An image forming apparatus that performs only an operation of reading a document and performs all operations of forming an image only in another image forming apparatus serving as the slave unit.