Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing apparatus and method for visually identifying sheets where RFID tag writing errors have occurred. The information processing apparatus of this embodiment includes a sheet receiving section, a conveying section, a wireless writing section, a wireless reading section, and a control section. The sheet receiving section receives sheets. The conveying section conveys sheets from the sheet receiving section. The wireless writing section writes data to a RFID tag on a first sheet. The wireless reading section reads data from the RFID tag on the first sheet. If the control section determines that the data written to the first sheet by the wireless writing section is inconsistent with the data read from the first sheet by the wireless reading section, it causes the sheet receiving section to eject a second sheet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet having an electronic tag (RFID tag). Background Technology

[0002] Previously, image forming apparatuses were disclosed that could electrically write RFID tags onto sheets via wireless communication and form images using toners, etc. In such image forming apparatuses, to prevent sheets that failed to be written to RFID tags from being mixed with sheets that were successfully written, a special pattern indicating poor writing was printed on the sheet. However, according to this method, it takes time to find the sheets with poor writing from the discharged sheets. Furthermore, when reprinting pages with poor writing, it takes time to determine which page needs to be reprinted. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device and information processing method for sheet materials in which it is easy to visually determine that a writing failure of RFID tags has occurred.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the information processing apparatus of this embodiment includes a sheet receiving section, a conveying section, a wireless writing section, a wireless reading section, and a control section. The sheet receiving section receives a sheet. The conveying section conveys the sheet from the sheet receiving section. The wireless writing section writes data to a wireless tag on the first sheet. The wireless reading section reads data from the wireless tag on the first sheet. If the data written to the first sheet by the wireless writing section is inconsistent with the data read from the first sheet by the wireless reading section, the control section causes the sheet receiving section to eject a second sheet. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.

[0006] Figure 2 This is a control block diagram of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.

[0007] Figure 3 This is a plan view showing the first sheet RS and the second sheet S′ in the first embodiment.

[0008] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the data writing process in the first embodiment.

[0009] Figure 5 This is a plan view showing the first sheet RS and the second sheet S″ in the second embodiment.

[0010] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the data writing process in the second embodiment.

[0011] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0012] 1, 2… Image forming apparatus; 100… Reading unit; 105… Sheet receiving unit; 115… Transport path; 135… Image forming unit; 174… RFID writer; 175… RFID reader; 180… Control unit; 185… Storage unit; S… Sheet; S′… First sheet; S″… Second sheet. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] (First Implementation)

[0015] In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 will be used as an example for explanation.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 1 is a multi-function peripheral (MFP) capable of forming images based on toners on, for example, a sheet.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0018] The reading unit 100 is a scanner that reads images of the sheet to be processed. The reading unit 100 stores the read image information as image data in the storage unit 185, which will be described later. The image data stored in the storage unit 185 can be sent to other information processing devices via a network. In addition, the image data stored in the storage unit 185 can also be formed onto other sheets by the image forming unit 135, which will be described later.

[0019] A sheet receiving section 105 is located at the lower part of the housing and includes multiple paper feed trays 105A, 105B, and 105C. Each paper feed tray 105A, 105B, and 105C contains sheets of a predetermined size and type. It should be noted that the settings of each paper feed tray 105A, 105B, and 105C can be appropriately modified. Each paper feed tray 105A, 105B, and 105C is equipped with pickup rollers 110A, 110B, and 110C. Each pickup roller 110A, 110B, and 110C extracts sheets one by one from each paper feed tray 105A, 105B, and 105C. The pickup rollers 110A, 110B, and 110C transport the extracted sheets to the transport path 115.

[0020] The transport path 115 is the path for transporting the sheet. The transport path 115 is the path for transporting the sheet from the sheet receiving section 105 to the paper output section 160 via the image forming section 135 and the fixing section, which will be described later.

[0021] The conveying unit 115A includes feed rollers 120A, 120B, and 120C, an alignment roller 125, multiple conveying rollers 130, and multiple conveying motors that drive these rollers. The feed rollers 120A, 120B, and 120C convey the sheets fed from the paper tray 105 via the pick-up rollers 110A, 110B, and 110C, respectively, along the conveying path 115 to the alignment roller 125.

[0022] The alignment roller 125 feeds the sheet onto the transfer roller 145 at a timing that transfers the image formed on the transfer belt by the image forming unit 135 (described later) using a toner onto the surface of the sheet. A plurality of transport rollers 130 are provided on the transport path 115, and the supplied sheet is transported along the transport path 115 to the paper discharge unit 160.

[0023] The image forming unit 135 is disposed upstream of the fixing unit 150 along the transport path 115. As an image forming unit, the image forming unit 135 includes a developer 135A, a photosensitive drum 135B, an exposure unit 135C, and a charged section 135D (not shown). The charged section 135D uniformly charges the surface (photosensitive layer) of the photosensitive drum 135B. The exposure unit 135C forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum 135B with a laser. Toner is added to the electrostatic latent image by the developer 135A, thereby developing the image. Additionally, as a transfer unit, the image forming unit 135 includes a transfer belt 140 and a transfer roller 145. The toner developed by the image forming unit is transferred onto the transfer belt 140 (first transfer). The transfer roller 145 transfers the image formed on the transfer belt 140 onto the sheet (second transfer). The toner transferred onto the sheet is fixed onto the sheet by the fixing section 150, which will be described later.

[0024] As described above, the image forming unit 135 forms an image on the surface of the sheet using a toner. The toner in this embodiment includes a toner that is a non-achromatic recording agent (hereinafter referred to as a conventional toner) and a toner that is an achromatic recording agent (hereinafter referred to as a desaturating toner). Conventional toners are, for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), and other toners. Similar to conventional toners, desaturating toners are colored toners, such as blue. Regarding desaturating toners, they are decolorized by heating at a desaturation temperature higher than the fixing temperature used for fixing conventional toners on the sheet.

[0025] The fixing unit 150 includes a heating roller 150A and a pressure roller 150B. The heating roller 150A applies heat to the sheet from a first side. The pressure roller 150B applies pressure to the sheet from a second side. The fixing unit 150 uses this heat and pressure to fix the toner transferred onto the sheet during image formation.

[0026] The paper discharge section 160 includes a paper discharge roller 160A, a paper discharge port 160B, and a paper discharge tray 165. The paper discharge roller 160A discharges the conveyed sheet from the paper discharge port 160B to the paper discharge tray 165. The paper discharge tray 165 holds the discharged sheet.

[0027] The control panel 170 includes a display unit 170A and an operation unit 170B. The display unit 170A is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-luminescence) display. The display unit 170A displays various information about the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 170B includes multiple buttons and other features to handle user operations. The operation unit 170B outputs signals corresponding to the user's operations to the control unit 180. It should be noted that the display unit 170A and the operation unit 170B can be configured as a single touch panel.

[0028] The RFID writer 174 is an example of a wireless writing unit. The RFID writer 174 electrically writes data to the RFID tag by communicating wirelessly with the RFID tag disposed on the sheet conveyed from the sheet receiving section 105.

[0029] The RFID reader 175 is an example of a wireless reading unit. The RFID reader 175 is disposed downstream of the RFID writer 174 along the transport path 115, and reads the data electrically written to the RFID tag by wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag set on the transported sheet.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a reading unit 100, a transport unit 115A, an image forming unit 135, a fixing unit 150, a control panel 170, an RFID writer 174, an RFID reader 175, a control unit 180, a storage unit 185, and a communication interface (I / F) 190. The various parts of the image forming apparatus 1 are connected via a bus 195.

[0031] The control unit 180 includes a processor 180A, which is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Microprocessor), and a memory 180B. The memory 180B is, for example, a semiconductor memory, including a ROM (Read Only Memory) 180C that stores various control programs and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 180D that provides temporary working areas for the processor 180A. The RAM 180D can also temporarily store images read by the reading unit 100. The control unit 180 controls the various parts of the image forming apparatus 1 based on the various control programs stored in the ROM 180C.

[0032] The storage unit 185 stores the image data read by the reading unit 100. The storage unit 185 may be a semiconductor storage device such as a hard disk drive, other magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, or flash memory, or any combination thereof.

[0033] Communication interface 190 is an interface for connecting to external devices. Communication interface 190 communicates with external devices on the network via appropriate wireless or wired connections such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared connection, or optical connection, conforming to IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.3, or IEEE 3304 standards. Communication interface 190 may also include a USB connector or parallel interface for connecting to USB-standard connectors. Control unit 180 communicates with external devices via communication interface 190.

[0034] Secondly, utilize Figure 3 The ejection of the sheet with the RFID tag will be explained. In this embodiment, when the RFID writer 174 fails to write data properly, the image forming apparatus 1 ejects a sheet (the second sheet) rotated 90 degrees relative to the sheet with the RFID tag. It should be noted that in the following description, the sheet with the RFID tag will be referred to as the first sheet RS. Furthermore, the first sheet RS will be referred to as RS1, RS2, RS3… in the ejection order. In the examples below, the first sheets RS1 to RS3 are white paper; however, image formation may also be based on toner.

[0035] Figure 3 (a) shows the three first sheets RS being discharged onto the paper tray 165. Data was written to the RFID tags attached to each of the first sheets RS1 to RS3 using the RFID writer 174. Here, it is assumed that the RFID tag on the first sheet RS3 was not written correctly.

[0036] exist Figure 3 In (b), Figure 3 As shown in (a), a second sheet S′, rotated 90 degrees, is mounted on the first sheets RS1 to RS3. The second sheet S′ can be a regular sheet S without an RFID tag, or it can be the first sheet RS with an RFID tag. The second sheet S′ is used to indicate that the data writing to the previous first sheet RS failed. In other words, the second sheet S′ is independent of the task performed by the image forming apparatus 1, and is ejected in an intervening manner when the data writing to the first sheet RS fails.

[0037] Secondly, in Figure 3 In (c), Figure 3 As shown in (b), RS1 to RS3 and the second sheet S′ are loaded with a first sheet RS4, which has the same orientation as the first sheets RS1 to RS3. As a process for the first sheet RS4, the image forming apparatus 1 performs the same process as the process performed on the first sheet RS3 again. It should be noted that it is also possible to perform the process for the next sheet without performing the process for the first sheet RS3 again.

[0038] In this way, if the RFID tag is not written correctly, the sheet that is discharged after the original sheet will be rotated 90 degrees, so the sheet that has not been written correctly can be visually identified.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the data writing process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 on the first sheet RS according to this embodiment. Once the image forming apparatus 1 receives a task execution instruction from the user, it begins the following data writing process.

[0040] First, the control unit 180 transports the first sheet RS along the transport path 115 via the transport unit 115A (ACT100). The control unit 180 then writes data to the RFID tag on the first sheet RS via the RFID writer 174 (ACT101).

[0041] Subsequently, for the first sheet RS being transported, the control unit 180 reads the data via the RFID reader 175 (ACT102). Then, the control unit 180 discharges the first sheet RS to the paper discharge tray 165 via the paper discharge unit 160 (ACT103).

[0042] The control unit 180 determines whether the data read by the RFID reader 175 is normal (ACT104). If the read data is normal (ACT104, Yes), the process proceeds to ACT105. If the read data is abnormal (ACT104, No), the control unit 180 discharges the second sheet S′ from the sheet receiving section 105 to the paper discharge tray 165 (ACT106), and then the process proceeds to ACT105.

[0043] In ACT105, the control unit 180 determines whether the task has reached the last page (ACT105). If the task is not the last page (ACT105, No), processing is returned to ACT100. If the task is the last page (ACT105, Yes), the series of processes ends.

[0044] Therefore, sheets rotated 90 degrees are discharged in a continuous manner with sheets that have not been properly written to, allowing users to visually identify sheets that have not been properly written to. This prevents the incorrect use of the sheets.

[0045] (Second Implementation)

[0046] Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when performing multiple tasks, the image forming apparatus 2 discharges a second sheet S′ whenever the last first sheet RS of each set is discharged. It should be noted that, in the following description, "set" refers to the number of times the same image data printing or RFID tag data writing process is repeated. For example, when printing two sets of five-page print data, the image forming apparatus repeats the five-page printing process twice.

[0047] In addition, a task refers to the printing process and the data writing process of the RFID tag executed by the image forming apparatus 2 through an instruction. For example, as a task, if the image forming apparatus 2 receives an instruction to print three sets of printing data consisting of five pages each, then repeating the printing of five pages three times by the image forming apparatus 2 is considered as performing a task.

[0048] In the following example, the image forming apparatus 2 performs multiple copies of the process of writing data to three first sheets RS as one operation. In this case, firstly, the image forming apparatus 2 writes data to the three first sheets RS1 to RS3. Then, after ejecting the third first sheet RS, the second sheet S′ is rotated 90 degrees relative to the first sheets RS1 to RS3 and ejected.

[0049] Furthermore, success or failure information indicating whether the data writing was successful is recorded on the second sheet S′, so as to distinguish whether the data writing on each first sheet RS is normal. It should be noted that in the following description, the sheet that records the success or failure of the data writing is referred to as the second sheet S″.

[0050] Whenever the image forming apparatus 2 reads data from the first sheet RS via the RFID reader 175, it stores the page number of the first sheet RS, which is the object of reading, in the storage unit 185 in association with the result of whether the reading was successful or not.

[0051] Upon completion of processing a single sheet, the control unit 180, based on the information stored in the storage unit 185, records whether the writing of each page within the sheet was successful and then discharges it onto the second sheet S″.

[0052] Then, the image forming apparatus 2 performs the second task. In other words, it ejects the fourth sheet of first sheet RS4 onto the ejected second sheet S″. The image forming apparatus 2 repeats this process until all processes have been performed.

[0053] Even if the data writing to the first sheet RS proceeds normally in each copy, the image forming apparatus 2 preferably discharges the second sheet S″ when processing each copy is finished. This allows the user to easily identify which page of which copy the data writing malfunctioned on. However, the timing of discharging the second sheet S″ is not limited to this. For example, the second sheet S″ may be discharged only when processing the copy where data writing did not proceed normally is finished.

[0054] use Figure 5 The discharge of sheets with RFID tags is explained. Figure 5 (a) shows the three first sheets RS being ejected onto the output tray 165. In other words, it shows the output tray 165 after one sheet has been processed. In this example, it is assumed that the data writing to the first sheet RS2 failed.

[0055] Figure 5 (b) is a diagram showing the case where the second sheet S″ is rotated 90 degrees relative to the first sheets RS1 to RS3 and discharged after the processing of the first sheets RS1 to RS3 is completed. The second sheet S″ contains information indicating whether the data writing of the first sheets RS1 to RS3 was successful or not.

[0056] exist Figure 5 In (c), the first sheet RS4 is discharged in the same orientation as the first sheets RS1 to RS3, overlapping with the first sheets RS1 to RS3 and the second sheet S″.

[0057] Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating the data writing process of the image forming apparatus 2 on the first sheet RS in a modified example of this embodiment. It should be noted that, for... Figure 4 The same processing steps are labeled with the same number, and the explanation is omitted. After receiving the task execution instruction from the user, the image forming apparatus 2 begins the following data writing process.

[0058] In ACT103, after the first sheet RS is ejected, the control unit 180 stores the page number and whether the success was successful in the storage unit 185 (ACT201).

[0059] Next, determine if the ejected sheet is the last page of that document. If it is the last page (ACT202, Yes), eject the second sheet S″ (ACT203), and proceed to ACT204. If it is not the last page of that document (ACT202, No), return to ACT100.

[0060] In ACT204, the control unit 180 determines whether the processing of all parts has ended. If the processing of all parts has not ended (ACT203, No), the processing is returned to ACT100. If the processing of all parts has ended (ACT204, Yes), the series of processes ends.

[0061] Therefore, even if a write failure occurs in the image forming apparatus 2 with a high sheet processing speed and there is not enough time to discharge the second sheet S′, the second sheet S″ indicating whether the data writing was successful can still be discharged, and the user can visually identify the sheet on which the data writing occurred.

[0062] It should be noted that in the above example, sheet S was rotated 90 degrees and discharged as the second sheet S′ and the second sheet S″, but this is not a limitation. For example, sheet S that has been pre-rotated 90 degrees and housed in sheet housing 105 can also be discharged. In addition, a sheet larger than the sheet used in the task can also be discharged as the second sheet S′.

[0063] Furthermore, in the example above, even if the data write to the first sheet RS fails, the task can be restarted after the second sheet S′ is ejected, or it can be stopped. This saves the user time and effort in finding the sheet that failed to write.

[0064] Alternatively, an image can be formed on the end of the second sheet S″ using a colorant or similar material to mark the area. For example, in the case of a sheet that has failed to write, by marking the end of the second sheet S″ in red, the user can easily identify the sheet that has experienced a writing failure, even if multiple second sheets S″ are ejected.

[0065] It should be noted that while the above example uses separate RFID writers and RFID readers, it is not a limitation. An integrated RFID reader / writer can also be used. In this case, the RFID reader / writer writes data and then reads the data. For example, this integrated RFID reader / writer can be used instead of... Figure 1 The RFID writer 174 and RFID reader 175 enable immediate confirmation of whether data writing has been performed correctly after data is written.

[0066] While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and likewise within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims and its equivalents.

Claims

1. An information processing device, characterized in that, have: Sheet storage section, for storing sheets; The conveying unit conveys the sheet from the sheet receiving unit; The image forming unit forms an image on the conveyed sheet; The wireless writing unit writes data to multiple wireless tags on the first sheet. The wireless reading unit reads data from the wireless tag on the first sheet after the wireless writing unit has written data to the wireless tag on the first sheet. The storage unit stores whether the data read from the wireless tag on the first sheet by the wireless reading unit is normal. Whether the data is normal indicates whether the data writing by the wireless writing unit is successful. as well as When performing multiple tasks, the control unit discharges the second sheet from the sheet receiving unit each time the processing for each part is completed. Based on the information stored in the storage unit, in a way that can determine whether the data writing of each of the first sheets in each part is normal, the control unit records success or failure information indicating whether the data writing was successful on the second sheet.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, As the second sheet, the control unit discharges a sheet that has been rotated 90 degrees relative to the orientation of the first sheet.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control unit generates information on the second sheet, through the image forming unit, indicating whether the data writing was successful.

4. An information processing method, characterized in that, The process involves conveying sheets and writing data to wireless tags on multiple first sheets. After data is written to the wireless tags on the first sheets, data is read from the wireless tags on the first sheets. The system stores whether the data read from the wireless tags on the first sheets is normal, indicating whether the data writing was successful. In the case of executing multiple tasks, a second sheet is ejected each time the processing for each set is completed. Based on the stored information, in a way that can determine whether the data writing for each first sheet within each set is normal, success or failure information indicating whether the data writing was successful is recorded on the second sheet.

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