Information processing device and control method

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device and a control method. When performing an operation for setting the conveying speed of individual conveying units, the present invention allows the conveying speed of each conveying unit to be adjusted so that the conveying speeds between the upstream conveying unit and the downstream conveying unit in the conveying path coincide with each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to control for setting a conveying speed of a recording medium in an image forming apparatus. Background Art

[0002] There are various adjustable items in an image forming apparatus for production printing, and thus setting optimum values ​​for setting the respective items results in complicated work for the user.

[0003] In this case, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-86766 discusses a system configured to allow sheets and the like of an image forming apparatus to be intuitively set using software installed in an external device.

[0004] Examples of items that can be set include adjustment values ​​of transfer voltage and image position, and items such as the name, size, and grammage of sheets used for each sheet feeding stage.

[0005] In addition, a sheet feeding device for increasing the amount of feedable sheets (the number of replenishable sheets) and a post-processing device for performing various finishing processes on sheets can be connected to the image forming device. A motor for sheet conveying is provided for each of the image forming device, the sheet feeding device, and the post-processing device. The sheet feeding device and the post-processing device can change the conveying speed of the motor for sheet conveying to allow them to be connected to various types of image forming devices.

[0006] When the image forming apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-065145 is powered on, the image forming apparatus acquires a plurality of speeds among the respective sheet conveying speeds of the receiving portion of the image forming unit, the discharging portion of the image forming unit, the sheet feeding unit, and the post-processing unit. Then, the image forming apparatus instructs these units to meet the highest conveying speed at which the sheets can be conveyed collectively at the respective units.

[0007] There are multiple conveying units in the conveying route of the sheet, and the conveying speed will be set for each unit. Any inconsistency (if any) in the conveying speed set between the units will unexpectedly cause wrinkles on the sheet, for example, and thus cause paper jams during conveyance.

[0008] For example, when the speed of the downstream unit is too high compared to the conveying speed of the unit on the upstream side of the conveying path, a mark that wrinkles in a wavy manner may be seen on the printed product.

[0009] In this case, the symptom can be improved by adjusting the settings to slow down the downstream units.

[0010] However, making such adjustments requires the user to confirm the setting contents of the conveyance speed of the upstream unit in the conveyance path and adjust the conveyance speed of the downstream unit while selecting the setting value so that the conveyance speeds are consistent between the upstream and downstream units.

[0011] Furthermore, when the conveying speed of one of the plurality of conveying units is changed, if the setting of the conveying speed of the units downstream of the unit cannot be changed together with the unit, the conveying speeds among the units may be made inconsistent undesirably. Therefore, the user also needs to adjust the setting of the conveying speed of the units downstream of the unit whose conveying speed is changed.

[0012] The user is not aware of the necessity of making adjustments for this purpose, and it is difficult to achieve appropriate settings using the traditional method in which the user sets each individual conveying unit. In addition, it is troublesome for the user to adjust not only the unit whose conveying speed the user wants to change, but also the conveying speed settings of the downstream units.

[0013] The image forming apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-065145 discusses collectively setting the conveying speeds of the respective units when the image forming apparatus is powered on, but does not consider the operation when a change in setting of the conveying speed of an individual unit is received. When a change in setting of the conveying speed of an individual unit is received, the above-mentioned problem also exists in the image forming apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-065145. Summary of the invention

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the following structure. That is, the information processing device controls an image forming system, and the image forming system includes a first conveying unit for conveying a recording medium, and a second conveying unit located downstream of the first conveying unit in a conveying route of the recording medium. The information processing device includes: a receiving unit for receiving a setting instruction for setting a conveying speed of the first conveying unit; and a control unit for setting the conveying speed of the first conveying unit for the image forming system based on the setting instruction, and setting the conveying speed of the second conveying unit for the image forming system based on the setting instruction for setting the conveying speed of the first conveying unit.

[0015] Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the print control apparatus 110 according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 A sheet conveying unit in the image forming system 100 according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0020] Figure 5A A screen for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0021] Figure 5B A screen for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0022] Figure 5C A screen for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0023] Figure 5D A screen for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit according to the first embodiment is shown.

[0024] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for setting a conveying speed of a conveying unit according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7 The conveying order, settable ranges, and setting values ​​of a plurality of conveying units according to the first embodiment are shown.

[0026] Depend on Fig. 8A , Figure 8B and Figure 8C FIG. 8 shows a screen for setting a conveying speed of a conveying unit according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Fig. 9 A screen for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit according to the third embodiment is shown.

[0028] Fig.10 : is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for displaying the settable range 901 according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In the following description, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments to be described below do not limit the present invention defined in the claims, and not all feature combinations to be described in these embodiments are essential to the solutions of the present invention.

[0030] <First Embodiment>

[0031] (Overall structure)

[0032] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to the first embodiment.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the print control apparatus 110 is connected to the image forming system 100. Furthermore, the print control apparatus 110 is communicably connected to the client computer 120.

[0034] The image forming system 100 and the print control device 110 are connected to each other via an image video cable 130 and a control cable 131. In this way, the print control device 110 communicates with the image forming system 100 via the communication line.

[0035] Furthermore, the client computer 120 and the print control apparatus 110 are communicably connected to each other via a local area network (LAN) 140 using an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable or the like.

[0036] The present embodiment may be configured in such a manner that the image forming apparatus 101 is directly communicably connected to the client computer 120 via the LAN 140 without the intervention of the print control apparatus 110 therebetween.

[0037] The image forming system 100 includes an image forming apparatus 101. A sheet feeding apparatus 102 and a post-processing apparatus 103 for increasing the amount of feedable sheets (the number of replenishable sheets) may be connected to the image forming apparatus 101. The post-processing apparatus refers to, for example, an apparatus that performs sorting processing, such as an apparatus that performs sorting processing on sheets (recording media), a folding apparatus that performs folding processing, a binding apparatus that performs binding processing, and a sheet discharging apparatus that performs sheet discharging processing. In this embodiment, a configuration in which a single image forming apparatus 101 or optional apparatuses such as the sheet feeding apparatus 102 and the post-processing apparatus 103 are connected to the image forming apparatus 101 is referred to as the image forming system 100.

[0038] The client computer 120 is an information processing apparatus that causes an application such as a printer driver to operate, for example, to input print data to the image forming system 100 and instruct the image forming system 100 to print it. The print control apparatus 110 and the image forming apparatus 101 perform image processing on the input print data in cooperation with each other.

[0039] The print control apparatus 110 includes a controller unit 111 and a display unit 112. The controller unit 111 of the print control apparatus 110 is an information processing device capable of performing rendering processing on print data input from the client computer 120. For example, the controller unit 111 can interpret a drawing command in a page description language (PDL) format input from the client computer 120, and draw (render or rasterize) a rasterized image and output it to the image forming system 100. However, the present embodiment may be configured such that the image forming apparatus 101 of the image forming system 100 performs rendering processing.

[0040] The display unit 112 displays an operation screen of the print control device 110. The user can operate the operation screen by operating a keyboard or a pointing device not shown. In addition, the user can control the input of print data (print job) from the print control device 110 to the image forming system 100 by operating the operation screen displayed on the display unit 112.

[0041] The image forming apparatus 101 is a multifunction peripheral device having, for example, a scanning function and a printing function. However, the scanning function is not an essential configuration. The image forming apparatus 101 performs image processing based on the print data received from the client computer 120 or the print control apparatus 110. In addition, the image forming apparatus 101, for example, copies and prints out the data read from the scanner unit 213, or sends it to a shared folder.

[0042] The image forming apparatus 101 receives various instructions from the user via the operation panel 105. The operation panel 105 displays various information such as the execution status of the job via the panel. In addition, the operation panel 105 displays the following information. FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 101 includes a sheet discharge unit that discharges a sheet on which an image is formed.

[0043] (Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 101)

[0044] Next, we will refer to Figure 2 The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment is described.

[0045] The controller 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201. The CPU 201 loads a control program stored in a read only memory (ROM) 203 or an external storage device 211 into a random access memory (RAM) 202. The CPU 201 comprehensively controls various devices connected to a system bus 204 by executing the loaded program.

[0046] For example, the CPU 201 outputs an image signal to a print engine 210 (printing unit) connected to the CPU 201 via a print interface 207, and receives an image signal input from a scanner unit 213 connected to the CPU 201 via a reading interface 212. Furthermore, the CPU 201 controls a sheet feeding unit 401 connected to the print engine 210 via the print interface 207, for example, and acquires a status of the sheet feeding unit 401.

[0047] Furthermore, the CPU 201 is configured to be able to perform processing for communicating with the print control apparatus 110 via the LAN controller 206 and the control cable 131. For example, the CPU 201 receives a command for setting a conveying speed of a conveying unit for the image forming apparatus 101 via the LAN controller 206. Without being limited thereto, the image forming apparatus 101 may transmit various control information via the LAN controller 206 and the control cable 131.

[0048] The RAM 202 is mainly used as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the CPU 201 .

[0049] The external storage device 211 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or an integrated circuit (IC) card. The disk controller (DKC) 208 controls access to the external storage device 211. The external storage device 211 is used, for example, to store application programs, font data, format data, etc., and temporarily spool print jobs and store jobs to allow spool jobs to be controlled from the outside. In addition, the external storage device 211 is used, for example, to save image data input from the scanner unit 213 and image data of a print job as box data to allow them to be referenced from a network or stored as box data scheduled for printing.

[0050] The operation panel 105 is connected to the controller 200 via an operation panel interface 205 , and a user can input various information by software keys or hardware keys.

[0051] The nonvolatile memory 209 stores therein various setting information set by the operation panel 105 or set by the terminal via a network.

[0052] The video interface 214 receives image data from the print control apparatus 110 via the image video cable 130. The image data is, for example, a rasterized image drawn by the print control apparatus 110 based on PDL data input to the print control apparatus 110.

[0053] The sheet feeding interface 215 controls the process for feeding sheets from the sheet feeding unit 401 provided for the image forming apparatus 101. In addition, the sheet feeding interface 215 is used as a communication interface for establishing communication between the image forming apparatus 101 and the sheet feeding apparatus 102. The present embodiment will be described based on the following implementation. That is, the controller 200 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives an instruction for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit in the sheet feeding apparatus 102. Then, the controller 200 sets the conveying speed of the conveying unit for the sheet feeding apparatus 102 via the sheet feeding interface 215. The configuration is not limited thereto, and the present embodiment may be configured such that the sheet feeding apparatus 102 directly receives an instruction for setting the conveying speed of the conveying unit and sets the conveying speed.

[0054] The connection mechanism 216 is a connection mechanism for physically connecting the image forming apparatus 101 and the sheet feeding apparatus 102 .

[0055] The post-processing device interface 217 is used as a communication interface for establishing communication between the image forming device 101 and the post-processing device 103. The present embodiment will be described based on the following implementation. That is, the controller 200 of the image forming device 101 receives an instruction to set the conveying speed of the conveying unit in the post-processing device 103. Then, the controller 200 sets the conveying speed of the conveying unit for the post-processing device 103 via the post-processing device interface 217. The configuration is not limited to this, and the present embodiment may be configured so that the post-processing device 103 directly receives the instruction to set the conveying speed of the conveying unit and sets the conveying speed.

[0056] The connection mechanism 218 is a connection mechanism for physically connecting the image forming apparatus 101 and the post-processing apparatus 103 .

[0057] (Configuration of Print Control Device 110)

[0058] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 The hardware configuration of the print control apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment is described.

[0059] The controller 300 includes a CPU 301, and the CPU 301 loads a control program stored in a ROM 303 or an external storage device 309 into a RAM 302. The CPU 301 comprehensively controls various devices connected to a system bus 304 by executing the program loaded in the RAM 302.

[0060] Furthermore, the CPU 301 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 101 via the LAN controller 306 and the control cable 131. Furthermore, the LAN controller 307 and the LAN 140 allow the CPU 301 to perform processing for communicating with the client computer 120 and the image forming apparatus 101 in the network via the LAN controller 307 and the LAN 140.

[0061] The RAM 302 is mainly used as a main memory, a work area, etc. of the CPU 301. The external storage device 309 is formed using an HDD, an IC card, etc. A disk controller (DKC) 308 controls access to the external storage device 309. The external storage device 309 stores therein, for example, application programs, font data, format data, etc., and temporarily spools a print job. In addition, the external storage device 309 is used as a job storage area for saving a rasterized image generated by rasterizing the PDL data contained in the spooled job.

[0062] The video interface 310 transmits the rasterized image to the image forming apparatus 101 via the image video cable 130. The keyboard controller (KBC) 311 performs processing on input of information such as from the keyboard 114 or the pointing device 115. The operation unit interface 305 controls the content to be displayed on the display unit 112. For example, operation buttons for the user to input various information are displayed on the display unit 112. In addition, the following will refer to Fig. 9 The described setting screen is displayed on the display unit 112 .

[0063] (Sheet Conveyance Route in Image Forming System 100)

[0064] Will refer to Figure 4 A sheet conveyance route in the image forming system 100 is described.

[0065] The image forming unit 400 includes a sheet feeding unit 401 , developing stations 404 to 407 , a conveying path 403 , an intermediate transfer belt 408 , and a transfer unit 409 .

[0066] The sheet feeding unit 401 contains various sheets (recording media). Each sheet feeding unit 401 can separate a sheet placed on the top of the contained sheets and convey it to the conveying path 403. The sheet feeding unit 401 may be a sheet feeding stage of the image forming apparatus 101, or may be a sheet feeding stage of the sheet feeding apparatus 102 mounted on the image forming apparatus 101.

[0067] The developing stations 404 to 407 form toner images using corresponding coloring toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) to form a color image. The toner images formed here are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 408. The intermediate transfer belt 408 is moved along the intermediate transfer belt 408. Figure 4 The toner image is transferred to the sheet conveyed by the conveying path 403 at the transfer unit 409. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 410.

[0068] The fixing unit 410 includes a first fixing unit 411 , a second fixing unit 413 , a conveying path 412 , a conveying path 414 , a conveying path 415 , a sheet reversing path 416 , and a double-sided reversing path 417 .

[0069] The first fixing unit 411 fixes the toner image transferred on the sheet to the sheet. The first fixing unit 411 includes a pressure roller and a heating roller. The sheet passes between these rollers, whereby the toner melted by the heat of the heating roller is pressure-fixed to the sheet.

[0070] After passing through the fixing unit 411, the sheet passes through a conveying path 412 and is conveyed to a conveying path 415. If the toner is to be further melted and pressure-fixed for fixing depending on the type of the sheet, the sheet is conveyed to the second fixing unit 143 using a conveying path 414, and additional melting and pressure-fixing of the toner are performed on the sheet. Thereafter, the sheet passes through a conveying path 414 and is conveyed to a conveying path 415.

[0071] When the image forming mode is double-sided, the sheet is conveyed to the sheet reversing path 416 and reversed, and thereafter conveyed to the double-sided reversing path 417 and the image is transferred onto the second side at the transfer unit 409 .

[0072] In this embodiment, Figure 4 The transport speed is set individually for each of the transport units 421 to 425. The transport units 421 to 425 respectively indicate areas to which the setting is applied when the transport speed is set.

[0073] The conveying unit 421 is a conveying mechanism in a conveying area upstream of the first fixing unit 411. In the present embodiment, a direction corresponding to a source of a sheet conveyed in a conveying route along which the sheet is conveyed will be referred to as an upstream side of the conveying route. Then, a direction corresponding to a destination of a sheet conveyed in a conveying route of the sheet will be referred to as a downstream side of the conveying route. The conveying unit 422 is a conveying mechanism in a conveying area including the first fixing unit 411. The conveying unit 423 is a conveying mechanism in a conveying area including the second fixing unit 413. The conveying unit 424 is a conveying mechanism in a conveying area including the conveying path 412. The conveying unit 425 is a conveying mechanism in a conveying area including the conveying path 415 and the sheet reversing path 416.

[0074] As described below, the user can individually set the conveying speed of the motors located in each conveying unit.

[0075] How to divide the conveying unit is not limited to Figure 4 The implementation shown in the figure, and the conveying unit can be divided arbitrarily. In addition, the present embodiment has been described based on the following implementation, wherein Figure 4 In the illustrated implementation, for the conveying route formed by the conveying unit 421 and the conveying units thereafter, the conveying speed is set for each conveying unit one by one, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. A conveying unit may also be set for a further upstream conveying route. For example, a conveying mechanism of the conveying path 403 for conveying a sheet from the sheet feeding unit 401 may be set as a conveying unit, and / or a conveying mechanism for performing a transfer process on the intermediate transfer belt 408 may be set as a conveying unit.

[0076] (Setting the Conveying Speed ​​in the Image Forming System 100 on the Print Control Device 110)

[0077] Will refer to FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D A process of setting the transmission speed of each conveying unit in the image forming system 100 using the setting application installed in the print control apparatus 110 is described. In this embodiment, the process will be described based on an implementation in which the setting application is installed in the print control apparatus 110, but the process may be performed assuming that the setting application is installed in the client computer 120. In this case, the user can set the transmission speed of each conveying unit in the image forming system 100 according to the setting application in the client computer 120.

[0078] When the user operates the print control apparatus 110 to start the setting application, the Figure 5AThe sheet feeding setting screen 530 shown in . The type of sheets contained in each sheet feeding unit 401 of the image forming system 100 can be set on the sheet feeding setting screen 530. In the present embodiment, according to the start of the setting application, the current setting values ​​set for the image forming system 100 are acquired for each setting item to be described below. However, the timing and content of the acquisition of the current setting values ​​are not limited to this. For example, the acquisition of the current setting values ​​can be set as follows: at the timing of displaying the conveying setting screen 520 to be described below, the current setting values ​​are acquired for at least the conveying unit for which the setting values ​​are set on the conveying setting screen 520 and the conveying unit located downstream thereof. The current setting values ​​are updated based on the setting values ​​acquired from the image forming system 100 in this way. Figure 7 Table 700 is shown.

[0079] When the user selects a sheet list display button 531 displayed on the sheet feeding setting screen 530, a sheet list 500 is displayed. The sheet list 500 indicates the types of sheets that can be set in the respective sheet feeding units 401. The sheet list 500 may be prepared by being stored in advance in the external storage device 309 of the print control apparatus 110, or may be prepared in such a manner that the print control apparatus 110 acquires the sheet list 500 from the image forming system 100. The timing of acquiring the sheet list 500 may be set, for example, when the print control apparatus 110 is started, when a setting application is started, or when the print control apparatus 110 is instructed to display the sheet list 500, but the timing is not particularly limited.

[0080] Subsequently, when the user selects a sheet type from the sheet list 500 and selects the edit button 503, an edit screen 510 is displayed. Figure 5B In the example shown, when the user selects “Plain Paper_Adjustment” 502 in the sheet list 500 and presses the edit button 503 , this results in display of an edit screen 510 for configuring settings when printing using “Plain Paper_Adjustment” 502 .

[0081] The editing screen 510 includes a sheet name column 511, a gram weight column, and a selection screen 513. The user can select a setting item that the user wants to set from the selection screen 513. For the setting item selected by the user, when printing data is printed on the sheet displayed in the sheet name column 511, the setting content is applied. In this way, according to the present embodiment, the user can configure the print settings separately for each sheet type. In the present embodiment, the user can configure the settings regarding the conveying speed of the conveying unit for each sheet type.

[0082] A list of setting items corresponding to parameters for printing using the selected sheet is displayed on the selection screen 513. These setting items include adjustment of the toner amount, adjustment of the transfer voltage, adjustment of the image print position on the sheet, adjustment of the margin position, adjustment of the sheet conveyance speed, setting of post-processing (punching process, stapling process, and folding process), and the like.

[0083] exist Figure 5C In the embodiment shown, “adjustment of sheet conveyance of conveyance unit before fixing” 514 is used to set the reference Figure 4 The sheet conveying speed setting item of the conveying unit 421 described in the figure. In addition, "Adjustment of sheet conveying of the first fixing unit" is a setting item for setting the reference Figure 4 The setting item of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 422 described in the description. In addition, "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit" is used to set the reference Figure 4 The setting item of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 423 described in the description. In addition, "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of bypass unit" is used to set the reference Figure 4 The setting item of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 424 described in the description. In addition, "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the reversing / sheet discharging unit" is for setting the reference Figure 4 The setting items of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 425 are described.

[0084] When the user selects a desired setting item from the selection screen 513 and selects the edit button 512, the screen shifts to the delivery setting screen 520. The name of the setting item to be set from now on is displayed in the title 521. In other words, the name of the setting item selected on the selection screen 513 is displayed.

[0085] The input section 522 is an input field for inputting an adjustment value of the conveying speed. The adjustment value is a value indicating how much the setting value is increased or decreased based on the setting value currently set for the image forming system 100. The adjustment value indicates the amount of change by which the setting value of the conveying speed of the conveying unit is changed. For example, if "6" is input to the input section 522, it means that the value obtained by increasing the setting value currently set for the image forming system 100 by 6 is set as a new setting value. The present embodiment is constructed in such a way that an increase or decrease value (relative value) relative to the current setting value is input to the input section 522, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The present embodiment can be constructed in such a way that a setting value (absolute value) to be newly made is input to the input section 522. The CPU 301 serves as a receiving unit that receives an instruction to set the conveying speed of the conveying unit via the conveying setting screen 520.

[0086] The adjustment value displayed in the input section 522 can be changed by pressing the minus button 523 or the plus button 524. When the minus button 523 is pressed, -1 is applied to the numerical value displayed in the input section 522. When the plus button 524 is pressed, +1 is applied to the numerical value displayed in the input section 522. When the numerical value is changed by "1", the conveying speed of the motor belonging to the unit is changed by a predetermined speed. The conveying setting screen 520 can be configured to allow the user to directly input the adjustment value to the input section 522 using the pointing device 115 or the keyboard 114.

[0087] Then, when a setting instruction for the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421 (sheet conveyance to the conveying unit before fixing) as the setting object is input by pressing the OK button 527, the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421 is set for the image forming system 100 based on the instruction. At the same time, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream of the conveying unit 421 selected by the user is set for the image forming system 100 based on the setting instruction. Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the conveying units located downstream are conveying unit 422 (sheet conveying of the first fixing unit), conveying unit 423 (sheet conveying of the second fixing unit), conveying unit 424 (sheet conveying of the bypass unit), and conveying unit 425 (sheet conveying of the reversal / sheet discharge unit).

[0088] According to such a configuration, in accordance with issuance of an instruction for adjusting the conveying speed of the conveying unit located on the upstream side of the conveying route, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located on the downstream side of the conveying route is automatically adjusted.

[0089] Therefore, even if the user is not aware, the conveying speed can be kept consistent between the conveying unit whose conveying speed is set by the user and the conveying unit on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In addition, when adjusting the conveying speed of one conveying unit, the user can save the time and effort required to set the conveying speed of the downstream unit.

[0090] The application range 526 displayed on the conveyance setting screen 520 displays a list of other setting items (other conveyance units) corresponding to the settings changed according to the adjustment value input to the input section 522. The application range 526 is information indicating that the conveyance speed of the downstream conveyance unit is set based on the instruction to set the conveyance speed of the selected conveyance unit. Figure 5D In the illustrated embodiment, the application range 526 indicates that the adjustment value input to the input portion 522 is also applied to the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit, the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit, the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the bypass unit, and the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the reversal / sheet discharge unit.

[0091] When the OK button 527 is pressed, the adjustment value input to the input unit 522 is applied to the image forming apparatus 101. Figure 6 The flowchart shown in the figure describes the content displayed in the application range 526 and the method of determining the application of other setting items. Figure 6 In steps S607 and S608 shown in FIG. 5 , the conveying unit to which the adjustment value input to the input section 522 is applied is identified by the CPU 301. The CPU 301 controls the display so as to display the name of the setting item corresponding to the identified conveying unit in the application range 526.

[0092] When the cancel button 528 is pressed, the conveyance setting screen 520 is closed without applying the adjustment value input to the input section 522 to the image forming apparatus 101. The conveyance setting screen 520 is described by taking the adjustment 514 of sheet conveyance of the conveyance unit before fixing as an example, but a similar screen is displayed when setting other setting items.

[0093] (Flow of setting the conveying speed)

[0094] Will refer to Figure 6 The flowchart description has been referenced Figure 5D The process for setting the conveying speed is performed by the conveying setting screen 520 described above. This is realized by the CPU 301 executing the above-mentioned program loaded in the RAM 302. Figure 6 In this embodiment, when Figure 5C When a setting item is selected on the editing screen 510 shown in the figure, and then the edit button 512 is selected, the Figure 6 The process shown.

[0095] In step S601, the CPU 301 displays the transport setting screen 520. The CPU 301 acquires the setting item selected on the selection screen 513, and displays it in the title 521.

[0096] In step S602, the CPU 301 refers to Figure 7 The table 700 shown is used to identify the setting items of the conveying unit located downstream of the setting item selected by the user in the conveying path. Figure 7 The table 700 shown in is prepared by being stored in the external storage device 309 of the print control apparatus 110 , or may be prepared by being stored in the external storage device 211 of the image forming apparatus 101 .

[0097] exist Figure 7 , a setting item column 701 indicates the name of the setting item. A conveyance order column 702 is an item to which a larger integer is assigned as the unit corresponding to the setting item is located further downstream in the conveyance path.

[0098] Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the conveying unit before fixing is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 421, and is assigned "1" indicating that the setting item corresponds to the most upstream unit in the conveying path. Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 421. Figure 4 4 is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 422 shown in the figure, and "2" is assigned thereto indicating that the setting item corresponds to the second unit from the upstream side of the conveying path. Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 423, and "3" is assigned thereto indicating that the setting item corresponds to the third unit from the upstream side of the conveying path. Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 424, and "4" is assigned thereto indicating that the setting item corresponds to the fourth unit from the upstream side of the conveying path. Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the reversing / sheet discharging unit is a setting item corresponding to the conveying unit 425, and "5" is assigned thereto indicating that the setting item corresponds to the fifth unit from the upstream side of the conveying path.

[0099] The lower limit value column 703 indicates the lower limit value of the setting value that can be set to the setting item. The upper limit value column 704 indicates the upper limit value of the setting value that can be set to the setting item.

[0100] The setting value column 705 indicates the setting value currently set to the setting item. The CPU 301 identifies the setting item of the conveying unit located downstream of the conveying unit of the selected setting item by referring to the above table 700 and comparing the selected setting item column 701 with the conveying order column 702.

[0101] For example, if the user selects "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of conveying unit before fixing" (conveying unit 421), setting items of conveying units located downstream thereof are identified in the following manner. CPU 301 identifies setting items of conveying units to which numerical values ​​assigned in their conveying orders are larger than the conveying order "1" associated with "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of conveying unit before fixing" (conveying unit 421) by using table 700. CPU 301 identifies "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of first fixing unit" (conveying unit 422), "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of second fixing unit" (conveying unit 423), "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of bypass unit" (conveying unit 424), and "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of reversing / sheet discharge unit" (conveying unit 425).

[0102] In step S603, the CPU 301 determines whether there are any setting items of the downstream conveying unit acquired in step S602. If there are downstream setting items ("Yes" in step S603), the process proceeds to step S604. If there are no setting items of the downstream conveying unit ("No" in step S603), the process proceeds to step S605.

[0103] In step S604, the CPU 301 displays the setting items of the downstream conveying unit acquired in step S602 in the application range 526. Figure 5D In the illustrated embodiment, the CPU 301 displays "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit", "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit", "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit", and "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of the reversal / sheet discharge unit", which are each setting items of the downstream conveying unit acquired in step S602.

[0104] In step S605, the CPU 301 determines whether the OK button 527 is pressed. If the OK button 527 is pressed (YES in step S605), the process proceeds to step S606. If the OK button 527 is not pressed (NO in step S605), the process proceeds to step S609.

[0105] In step S609, the CPU 301 determines whether the cancel button 528 is pressed. If the cancel button 528 is pressed ("Yes" in step S609), the processing of this flowchart ends. If the cancel button 528 is not pressed ("No" in step S609), the processing returns to step S605, and the CPU 301 waits until the OK button 527 or the cancel button 528 is pressed.

[0106] On the other hand, in step S606, the CPU 301 acquires the numerical value input to the input section 522, and updates the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101. For example, if "6" is input to the input section 522 as the adjustment value, the CPU 301 adds the adjustment value "6" to the setting value written in the setting value column 705 in the table 700. For example, if the current setting value is "-5", the CPU 301 adds it to the adjustment value "6", thereby acquiring a new setting value "+1". For the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the conveyance unit before fixing, the setting value in the setting value column 705 is updated with the new setting value acquired in this way.

[0107] In step S607, the CPU 301 determines whether there are any setting items of the downstream conveying unit acquired in step S602. If there are setting items of the downstream conveying unit ("Yes" in step S607), the process proceeds to step S608. If there are no setting items of the downstream conveying unit ("No" in step S607), the process of this flowchart ends.

[0108] In step S608, the CPU 301 also applies the adjustment value input to the input section 522 to the setting values ​​of the respective setting items of the downstream conveying unit identified in step S602. For example, if the adjustment value "6" is input to the input section 522, the CPU 301 also changes the setting values ​​for the setting items "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit", "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit", "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit", and "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the reversing / sheet discharging unit".

[0109] More specifically, if the current setting value for "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit" is "0", the CPU 301 adds it to the adjustment value "6" to obtain "+6" as a new setting value. Furthermore, if the current setting value for "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit" is "-10", the CPU 301 adds it to the adjustment value "6" to obtain "-4" as a new setting value. Furthermore, if the current setting value for "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit" is "+30", the CPU 301 adds it to the adjustment value "6" to obtain "+36" as a new setting value. Furthermore, if the current setting value for "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the reversing / sheet discharging unit" is "+15", the CPU 301 adds it to the adjustment value "6" to obtain "+21" as a new setting value.

[0110] In the present embodiment, for the setting item of the conveying unit specified by the user, the difference between the setting value before the user sets it and the setting value (adjustment value) after the user sets it is obtained. Then, by adding the adjustment value to the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream of the conveying unit selected by the user in the conveying route, the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream is updated. The method of updating the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream is not limited to this, and the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream can be updated in the following manner: the same value is set between the setting value set for the conveying unit specified by the user and the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream of it in the conveying route. In other words, the present embodiment can be configured to update the setting value of the conveying unit located downstream of the conveying route using the setting value as an absolute value instead of using a relative value such as the above-mentioned adjustment value.

[0111] In this way, when the updating of the setting of the conveyance speed is completed for the conveyance unit located downstream of the conveyance unit corresponding to the setting item selected by the user, the CPU 301 ends the processing of the present flowchart.

[0112] The contents of the updated setting values ​​are transmitted from the print control device 110 to the image forming system 100. The image forming system 100 applies the setting contents received from the print control device 110 to the settings of the respective conveying units.

[0113] According to the above configuration, the conveying speed of the conveying unit (second conveying unit) on the downstream side of the conveying route is automatically adjusted according to issuance of an instruction for adjusting the conveying speed of the conveying unit (first conveying unit) on the upstream side of the conveying route.

[0114] Therefore, even if the user is not aware, the conveying speed can be kept consistent between the conveying unit whose conveying speed is set by the user and the conveying unit on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In addition, when adjusting the conveying speed of one conveying unit, the user can save the time and effort required to set the conveying speed of the downstream unit.

[0115] In addition, according to the reference Figure 6 With the described process for updating the setting value, the speed of the conveying unit located upstream of the conveying unit to which the user issues the instruction to update the setting value in the conveying route is not updated along with the update of the setting value by the user.

[0116] For example, in Figure 4 In the example, when the user issues an instruction to update the setting value of the conveying unit 422, the setting values ​​of the conveying unit 423, the conveying unit 424, and the conveying unit 425 located downstream thereof are automatically updated based on the instruction. On the other hand, in the conveying route of the sheet, the setting value of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421 located upstream of the conveying unit 422 to which the instruction to update the setting value is issued is not changed based on the setting instruction of the user for the conveying unit 422.

[0117] Therefore, the user can adjust the conveying speed for only a part of the plurality of conveying units.

[0118] For example, in Figure 4 In the case where the conveying speeds between the conveying units 421 and 422 are inconsistent and a problem such as unexpected wrinkling of the sheet is caused, the setting of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 422 can be adjusted while maintaining the setting of the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421. In addition, if consistency has been established between the conveying speeds of the conveying unit 422 and the subsequent conveying units (from the conveying unit 423 to the conveying unit 425), since their respective conveying speeds are individually changed by the same value, the consistency established between the conveying speeds can be maintained.

[0119] For example, even in a case where the actual conveying speed is unintentionally changed relative to the set value of the conveying unit 421 due to, for example, deterioration of the conveying unit 421 over time, consistency can be achieved between the conveying speeds of all the conveying units. More specifically, by collectively adjusting the conveying speeds of the conveying unit 422 and subsequent conveying units in the above-described manner, consistency can be achieved between the conveying speeds of all the conveying units.

[0120] On the other hand, the method of commonly setting the same setting value for all conveying units like the conventional technology cannot solve the inconsistency between conveying speeds in the entire conveying route when the actual conveying speed is unintentionally changed relative to the setting value for only one unit due to deterioration over time or the like.

[0121] According to the present embodiment, even in this case, the conveying speed can be set for each of the plurality of conveying units. Therefore, even in the case as in the above-described embodiment, the inconsistency between the conveying speeds in the entire conveying route can be resolved.

[0122] The present embodiment may be configured to include a setting that allows the user to switch whether to enable or disable the function of automatically adjusting the setting value of the conveyance speed of the downstream conveyance unit based on the adjustment content of the conveyance speed of the upstream conveyance unit.

[0123] <Second Embodiment>

[0124] The first embodiment has been described for an implementation in which the conveying speed in the image forming system 100 is set from an application installed in the print control apparatus 110 or the client computer 120. The present embodiment will be described for an implementation in which a downstream conveying unit is set based on the fact that the conveying speed of one conveying unit is set when the conveying speed in the image forming system 100 is set on the image forming apparatus 101 included in the image forming system 100.

[0125] The configuration of the system according to this embodiment is similar to that of the system described in the first embodiment. Figures 1 to 4 The structure described is omitted here.

[0126] Will refer to FIG. 8A to FIG. 8CAn embodiment is described in which the conveying speed of the conveying unit in the image forming system 100 is set from a setting screen displayed on the operation panel 105 of the image forming apparatus 101. The present embodiment will be described based on an implementation mode in which the setting operation is performed via the operation panel 105 of the image forming apparatus 101, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The present embodiment may be configured in such a manner that the operation screen of the image forming apparatus 101 is displayed on the display unit of the print control apparatus 110 or the client computer 120, and the setting operation is performed on the print control apparatus 110 or the client computer 120 via the operation screen.

[0127] When the user operates the operation panel 105 and instructs the image forming apparatus 101 to display a setting screen 800 for performing settings related to sheets, a sheet list 801 is displayed.

[0128] The name, grammage, and size set for each sheet type are displayed in the sheet list 801 . FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C An example is shown in which the user selects "Plain Paper_Adjustment" 805. The user can select the sheet type by operating the operation panel 105, for example.

[0129] A details / edit button 802 is a button for displaying an edit screen 810 on which setting items of the selected sheet type are selected. A copy button 803 is a button for copying the selected sheet type and adding it to the list. A delete button 804 is a button for deleting the selected sheet type from the list.

[0130] When a sheet type 805 is selected and a detail / edit button 802 is pressed, an edit screen 810 for selecting setting items is displayed. A list of setting items related to the sheet type selected in the sheet list 801 is displayed on the edit screen 810. Figure 8B In the illustrated embodiment, five items 811 to 815 are displayed as setting items. A screen for changing the setting contents of 811 to 815 can be displayed by selecting change buttons 821 to 825, respectively.

[0131] The adjustment 811 of sheet conveyance of the conveyance unit before fixing is a setting item for the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 421 in the image forming system 100. The adjustment 812 of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit is a setting item for the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 422 in the image forming system 100. The adjustment 813 of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit is a setting item for the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 423 in the image forming system 100. The adjustment 814 of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit is a setting item for the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 424 in the image forming system 100. The adjustment 815 of sheet conveyance of the reversing / sheet discharging unit is a setting item for the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 425 in the image forming system 100.

[0132] When a change button 821 corresponding to the adjustment 811 of sheet conveyance of the conveyance unit before fixing is pressed, a conveyance setting screen 830 is displayed.

[0133] The input section 831 is an input field for inputting an adjustment value of the conveying speed. The adjustment value is a value indicating how much the setting value is increased or decreased based on the setting value currently set for the image forming system 100. For example, if "6" is input to the input section 831, it means that the value obtained by increasing the setting value currently set for the image forming system 100 by 6 is set as a new setting value. The present embodiment is constructed in such a way that an increase or decrease value (relative value) relative to the current setting value is input to the input section 831, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. The present embodiment can be constructed in such a way that a setting value (absolute value) to be newly made is input to the input section 831. The CPU 301 serves as a receiving unit that receives an instruction to set the conveying speed of the conveying unit via the conveying setting screen 830.

[0134] The adjustment value input to the input section 831 can be changed by pressing the minus button 832 or the plus button 833. When the minus button 832 is pressed, -1 is applied to the numerical value displayed in the input section 831. When the plus button 833 is pressed, +1 is applied to the numerical value displayed in the input section 831. When the numerical value is changed by "1", the conveying speed of the motor belonging to the unit is changed by a predetermined speed.

[0135] Then, when a setting instruction for the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421 (sheet conveyance to the conveying unit before fixing) as the setting object is input by pressing the OK button 835, the conveying speed of the conveying unit 421 is set for the image forming system 100 based on the instruction. At the same time, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream of the conveying unit 421 selected by the user is set for the image forming system 100 based on the setting instruction. Figure 4In the example shown, the conveying units located downstream are conveying unit 422 (sheet conveying of the first fixing unit), conveying unit 423 (sheet conveying of the second fixing unit), conveying unit 424 (sheet conveying of the bypass unit), and conveying unit 425 (sheet conveying of the reversing / sheet discharging unit).

[0136] According to such a configuration, in accordance with issuance of an instruction for adjusting the conveying speed of the conveying unit located on the upstream side of the conveying route, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located on the downstream side of the conveying route is automatically adjusted.

[0137] Therefore, even if the user is not aware, the conveying speed can be kept consistent between the conveying unit whose conveying speed is set by the user and the conveying unit on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In addition, when adjusting the conveying speed of one conveying unit, the user can save the time and effort required to set the conveying speed of the downstream unit.

[0138] The application range 834 displayed on the conveyance setting screen 830 is a list of other setting items (other conveyance units) corresponding to the settings changed according to the adjustment values ​​input to the input section 831. Figure 8C In the example shown, the application range 834 indicates that the adjustment value input to the input portion 831 is also applied to the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit, the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit, the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the bypass unit, and the adjustment of the sheet conveyance of the reversal / sheet discharge unit.

[0139] When the OK button 835 is pressed, the adjustment value input to the input section 831 is applied to the image forming apparatus 101. On the other hand, when the cancel button 836 is pressed, the conveyance setting screen 830 is closed without applying the adjustment value input to the input section 831 to the image forming apparatus 101. The editing screen 810 is described by assuming, by way of example, that the image forming apparatus 101 is instructed to change the adjustment 811 for sheet conveyance of the conveyance unit before fixing, but the same is applicable when other setting items are set.

[0140] Contents displayed in application scope 834 and methods and references for determining application to other setting items Figure 6 The contents described are similar, so their description will be omitted here.

[0141] However, in the first embodiment, the implementation of processing by the print control apparatus 110 or the client computer 120 is described. Figure 6 , but in this embodiment, the difference lies in the fact that the image forming apparatus 101 performs Figure 6 The processing shown in FIG. is realized by the CPU 201 of the image forming apparatus 101 executing the above-mentioned program loaded in the RAM 202. Figure 6 In this embodiment, when Figure 8B When any one of the buttons 821 to 825 for changing the setting items is selected on the editing screen 810 shown in the figure, the Figure 6 In addition, in this embodiment, it is assumed that Figure 7 Table 700 shown in is stored in the external storage device 211 of the image forming apparatus 101 .

[0142] In addition, when referring to Figure 6 8. When describing the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 301 in the first embodiment should be interpreted as the CPU 201 in this embodiment. In addition, the edit screen 510 described in the first embodiment should be interpreted as the edit screen 810. In addition, the transport setting screen 520 described in the first embodiment should be interpreted as the transport setting screen 830. In addition, the application range 526 described in the first embodiment should be interpreted as the application range 834. In addition, the OK button 527 should be interpreted as the OK button 835. In addition, the cancel button 528 should be interpreted as the cancel button 836. In addition, the input unit 522 described in the first embodiment should be interpreted as the input unit 831.

[0143] According to the present embodiment, the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit located on the downstream side of the conveyance route is automatically adjusted also in accordance with issuance of an instruction for adjusting the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit located on the upstream side of the conveyance route.

[0144] Therefore, even if the user is not aware, the conveying speed can be kept consistent between the conveying unit whose conveying speed is set by the user and the conveying unit on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In addition, when adjusting the conveying speed of one conveying unit, the user can save the time and effort required to set the conveying speed of the downstream unit.

[0145] In addition, according to the reference Figure 6 With the described process for updating the setting value, the speed of the conveying unit located upstream of the conveying unit to which the user issues the instruction to update the setting value in the conveying route is not updated along with the update of the setting value by the user.

[0146] Therefore, the user can adjust the conveying speed for only a part of the plurality of conveying units.

[0147] The present embodiment may be configured to include a setting that allows the user to switch whether to enable or disable the function of automatically adjusting the setting value of the conveyance speed of the downstream conveyance unit based on the adjustment content of the conveyance speed of the upstream conveyance unit.

[0148] <Third Embodiment>

[0149] The present embodiment will be described with respect to an embodiment in which a range in which a user can increase / decrease a setting value (range of values) is displayed on the transport setting screen 520 described in the first embodiment or the transport setting screen 830 described in the second embodiment.

[0150] The present embodiment will be described with respect to an implementation in which the range of values ​​of the conveying unit whose setting value the user is about to change is displayed taking into account not only the range of values ​​of the conveying unit whose setting value the user is about to change but also the range of values ​​of conveying units located downstream of the conveying unit.

[0151] In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when an instruction for adjusting the conveying speed of the conveying unit located upstream of the conveying route is issued, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream is also changed accordingly. At this time, even if the adjustment value input by the user falls within the range of the conveying speed value of the conveying unit located upstream, it may eventually fall outside the range of the conveying speed value of the conveying unit located downstream. In this case, the adjustment value specified by the user cannot be reflected in the conveying unit located downstream.

[0152] For example, in Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the current setting value of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance to the first fixing unit" is "0", and the settable upper and lower limits are "+128" and "-128", respectively. In other words, the user can increase the value by "128" or decrease the value by "128" from the current value. Then, in the first or second embodiment, when the user increases the setting value of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance to the first fixing unit" from "0" to "128", the "+128" as the adjustment amount is also applied to the adjustment item of the conveying unit downstream of the conveying unit of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance to the first fixing unit". Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the current value of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of bypass unit" is set to "+30". When the adjustment amount "+128" is applied to the current value, the set value is changed to "+158" after the adjustment. However, the upper limit value of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of bypass unit" is "+128", so the set value ends up exceeding the upper limit value after the adjustment. If this situation is to be handled, in the case of changing the set value of "Adjustment of sheet conveyance of bypass unit" to "+128" corresponding to the upper limit value, such processing may unintentionally result in a difference in the adjustment amount from the previous and subsequent conveying units, thereby increasing the possibility of causing inconsistency in conveying speed undesirably.

[0153] To improve this situation, the present embodiment will be described with respect to an embodiment in which the range of values ​​of the conveying unit selected by the user is displayed in consideration of not only the range of values ​​of the conveying unit selected by the user but also the range of values ​​of conveying units located downstream of the conveying unit.

[0154] The configuration of the system according to this embodiment is similar to that of the system described in the first embodiment. Figures 1 to 4 The structure described is omitted here.

[0155] (Display of adjustment range)

[0156] First, the present embodiment will be described based on an implementation in which a range (adjustment range) in which a user can increase / decrease a setting value is displayed on the delivery setting screen 520 described in the first embodiment. The following content can also be applied to the delivery setting screen 830 described in the second embodiment.

[0157] Fig. 9 A conveyance setting screen 520 for setting the conveyance speed of “adjustment of sheet conveyance to first fixing unit” (conveying unit 422 ) is shown.

[0158] The adjustment range 901 indicates a range in which the user can increase / decrease a value from the current value. The adjustment range 901 is information indicating the amount of change in the value that can be changed from the current setting value of the conveying speed. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the current setting value of “adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit” is “0”, and the upper limit value and the lower limit value that can be set are “+128” and “-128”, respectively. In other words, the image forming system 100 has the ability to increase or decrease the value from the current value “0” by “128” only in terms of “adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit”.

[0159] However, in Fig. 9 In the illustrated embodiment, the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the setting application display adjustment range are respectively "-118" and "+98".

[0160] Consider the following facts and display the upper limit in this way: Figure 7 Table 700 shown indicates that "+30" is set as the current value of the "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the bypass unit" of the conveying unit (the conveying unit is located downstream of the conveying unit of the "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit"), and the upper limit value is "+128", so that the value can only be increased by "98" corresponding to the difference between them.

[0161] Similarly, the following fact is also considered and the lower limit value is displayed in this manner: "-10" is set as the current value of the "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the second fixing unit" of the conveying unit (the conveying unit is located downstream of the conveying unit of the "adjustment of sheet conveyance of the first fixing unit"), and the lower limit value is "-128", so that the value can only be reduced by "118" corresponding to the difference between them.

[0162] In this way, the settable range for the conveying unit selected by the user is displayed not only for the conveying unit selected by the user but also for conveying units located downstream on the conveying route by how much the setting value can be increased / decreased from the current value.

[0163] According to the above processing, in such a configuration that when the conveying speed of the conveying unit located upstream in the conveying route is changed, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream is also changed, the setting range can be displayed so as not to exceed the adjustable range of the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream.

[0164] (Processing for determining adjustment range)

[0165] Will refer to Fig.10 The process for determining the adjustment range according to the present embodiment is described. The CPU 301 executes the above-mentioned program loaded in the RAM 302 to implement Fig.10 In this embodiment, when Figure 5C When a setting item is selected on the editing screen 510 shown in the figure, and then the edit button 512 is selected, the Fig.10 The process shown.

[0166] Even when the present embodiment is configured so that the client computer 120 performs Fig.10 or causing the CPU 201 of the image forming apparatus 101 to perform the processing shown in Fig.10 When the treatment shown in is performed, similar beneficial effects can also be exerted.

[0167] In step S1001 , the CPU 301 acquires the current setting value of the conveyance speed for the conveyance unit corresponding to the setting item selected by the user on the selection screen 513 (hereinafter referred to as “the conveyance unit selected by the user”).

[0168] In step S1002, the CPU 301 substitutes the setting value acquired in step S1001 into the value of the variable name “Max.” The variable name “Max” is a variable name for identifying the maximum setting value among the setting values ​​of the conveying speed of the conveying unit selected by the user and the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream thereof.

[0169] In step S1003, the CPU 301 substitutes the setting value acquired in step S1001 into the variable name “min.” The variable name “min” is a variable name for identifying the minimum setting value among the setting values ​​of the conveying speed of the conveying unit selected by the user and the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream thereof.

[0170] In step S1004, the CPU 301 determines whether there is any conveying unit downstream of the conveying unit selected by the user. The CPU 301 may determine whether there is any conveying unit downstream of the conveying unit selected by the user. Figure 7 The process of step S1004 is performed based on the conveyance order column 702 in the table 700 shown.

[0171] If there is no conveyance unit downstream of the conveyance unit selected by the user (NO in step S1004 ), the processing proceeds to step S1013 .

[0172] On the other hand, if there is a conveyance unit downstream of the conveyance unit selected by the user (YES in step S1004 ), the processing proceeds to step S1005 .

[0173] In step S1005 , the CPU 301 substitutes 1 into the variable name “i.” The variable name “i” is a variable name for identifying a conveying unit that is a processing target of steps S1006 to S1011 among conveying units downstream of the conveying unit selected by the user.

[0174] Furthermore, in step S1005, the CPU 301 substitutes the number of the conveying unit downstream of the selected conveying unit into the variable name "N". The CPU 301 may refer to Figure 7 The delivery order column 702 in the table 700 is shown to identify the number of delivery units downstream from the selected delivery unit.

[0175] In step S1006, the CPU 301 substitutes the current setting value of the conveying speed of the i-th conveying unit into the variable name "Setting_value(i)". The CPU 301 may refer to Figure 7 The setting value column 705 in the table 700 is shown to identify the current setting value of the conveying speed of each conveying unit.

[0176] In step S1007, the CPU 301 compares the value of "Setting_value(i)" with the value of "Max". If the value of "Setting_value(i)" is greater than the value of "Max" ("Yes" in step S1007), the process proceeds to step S1008. On the other hand, if the value of "Setting_value(i)" is equal to or less than the value of "Max" ("No" in step S1007), the process proceeds to step S1009.

[0177] In step S1008, the CPU 301 substitutes the value of "Setting_value(i)" into "Max." Then, the process proceeds to step S1011.

[0178] In step S1009, the CPU 301 compares the value of "Setting_value(i)" with the value of "min". If the value of "Setting_value(i)" is smaller than the value of "min" ("Yes" in step S1009), the process proceeds to step S1010. On the other hand, if the value of "Setting_value(i)" is equal to or larger than the value substituted into "min" ("No" in step S1009), the process proceeds to step S1013.

[0179] In step S1010 , the CPU 301 substitutes the value of “Setting_value(i)” into “min.” Then, the process proceeds to step S1011 .

[0180] In step S1011, the CPU 301 increments "i".

[0181] In step S1012, the CPU 301 determines whether the value of "i" exceeds N. If the value of "i" does not exceed N ("No" in step S1012), the CPU 301 repeats the processing from steps S1006 to S1011. On the other hand, if the value of "i" exceeds N ("Yes" in step S1012), the processing proceeds to step S1013.

[0182] Through the processing from steps S1006 to S1011 , the maximum value and the minimum value are identified among the setting values ​​of the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit selected by the user and the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit located downstream thereof.

[0183] In step S1013 , the CPU 301 determines to set a value obtained by subtracting the value of “Max” from “+128” which is the upper limit value indicated by the table 700 as the upper limit value to be displayed in the adjustment range 901 .

[0184] In step S1014 , the CPU 301 determines to set a value obtained by subtracting the value of “min” from “−128” as the lower limit value indicated by the table 700 as the lower limit value to be displayed in the adjustment range 901 .

[0185] In step S1015 , the CPU 301 displays the values ​​determined in steps S1013 and S1014 in the adjustment range 901 , and ends the processing.

[0186] According to the above processing, in such a configuration that when the conveying speed of the conveying unit located upstream in the conveying route is changed, the conveying speed of the conveying unit located downstream is also changed, the setting range can be displayed so as not to exceed the adjustable range of the conveying speed of the downstream conveying unit.

[0187] Therefore, after confirming the setting value of the downstream adjustment unit, the user can save time and effort required to determine the setting value of the upstream adjustment unit.

[0188] In addition, the delivery setting screen 520 may be presented to prohibit the user from setting a value exceeding the value specified by Fig. 9 The illustrated process identifies an adjustment value within the adjustment range, or when the user attempts to set an adjustment value outside the adjustment range, a message indicating that the setting is invalid is displayed.

[0189] Presenting the display in this manner allows the user to set the setting value so as not to exceed the adjustable range of the conveyance speed of the downstream conveyance unit in such a configuration that the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit located downstream is also changed when the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit located upstream of the conveyance route is changed.

[0190] Therefore, even if the user is not aware, the conveying speed can be kept consistent between the conveying unit whose conveying speed is set by the user and the conveying unit on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In addition, when adjusting the conveying speed of one conveying unit, the user can save the time and effort required to set the conveying speed of the downstream unit.

[0191] <Other embodiments>

[0192] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by reading and executing computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more completely referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, and / or a computer of a system or device including one or more circuits (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by, for example, reading and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium by the computer of the system or device to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, and / or controlling the one or more circuits to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD) TM ), flash memory devices, memory cards, etc.

[0193] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (program) for performing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0194] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An information processing device for controlling an image forming system, the image forming system comprising a plurality of conveying sections, the plurality of conveying sections comprising a first conveying section for conveying a recording medium, a second conveying section located downstream of the first conveying section in a conveying route of the recording medium, and a third conveying section located downstream of the second conveying section, the information processing device comprising: A display unit, configured to display the plurality of conveying units; a selection receiving section for receiving, from a user, a selection of a conveying section among the plurality of conveying sections displayed by the display section; an instruction receiving unit configured to receive a first instruction or a second instruction from the user, wherein the first instruction is used to change a conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying unit selected by the selection receiving unit, and the second instruction is used to change a conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying unit selected by the selection receiving unit; and a control unit configured to cause the image forming system to change at least a conveying speed of the second conveying unit for the recording medium and a conveying speed of the third conveying unit for the recording medium selected by the selection receiving unit based on the first instruction, and not cause the image forming system to change at least a conveying speed of the recording medium by the first conveying unit based on the first instruction, In which, the control unit causes the image forming system to at least change the conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying unit selected by the selection receiving unit based on the second instruction, and does not cause the image forming system to at least change the conveying speed of the recording medium by the first conveying unit and the conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying unit based on the second instruction.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: A display control section is configured to cause a display to display information indicating that a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the third conveyance section is set based on the first instruction to change a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the second conveyance section.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The displayed information is displayed in accordance with display of a setting screen for setting a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the second conveyance unit.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control section is arranged to cause the image forming system to change the conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying section based on an amount by which a setting value of the conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying section is changed due to the first instruction.

5. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The control unit sets a value of a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the second conveyance unit for each type of the recording medium.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: A display control section for causing information to be displayed indicating an amount by which a value can be changed from a currently set value of the recording medium by a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the second conveyance section.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein: The change amount is determined based on a conveyance speed of the recording medium by one or more conveyance portions located downstream of the second conveyance portion on the conveyance route.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The information processing apparatus is a print control apparatus for communicating with the image forming system via a communication line.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The image forming system includes a sheet feeding device or a sheet discharging device.

12. A control method for an image forming system, the image forming system comprising a plurality of conveying sections, the plurality of conveying sections comprising a first conveying section for conveying a recording medium, a second conveying section located downstream of the first conveying section in a conveying route of the recording medium, and a third conveying section located downstream of the second conveying section, the control method comprising: A display step of displaying the plurality of conveying parts; a selection receiving step of receiving a selection of a conveying section from among the displayed plurality of conveying sections from a user; receiving a first instruction or a second instruction from the user, the first instruction being used to change a conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying unit selected by the selection receiving step, and the second instruction being used to change a conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying unit selected by the selection receiving step; causing the image forming system to change at least the conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying unit and the conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying unit selected in the selection receiving step based on the first instruction, and not causing the image forming system to change at least the conveying speed of the recording medium by the first conveying unit based on the first instruction; and Based on the second instruction, the image forming system is caused to at least change the conveying speed of the recording medium by the third conveying unit selected by the selection receiving step, while based on the second instruction, the image forming system is not caused to at least change the conveying speed of the recording medium by the first conveying unit and the conveying speed of the recording medium by the second conveying unit.

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