Printing system, method of controlling the same, and program
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-01
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-04
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system having a static elimination function for eliminating static electricity from a charged sheet, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]
[0002] Recording media (hereafter referred to as "sheets") used in printing work are transported in a statically charged state due to residual charge during the electrophotographic process or slight friction with transport rollers and guides that occurs during sheet transport. This static electricity can cause sheets to stick together. Also, dust and paper powder can adhere to the finished product, reducing the quality of the finished product.
[0003] Plain paper and other similar materials have low electrical resistance, making it easy for charges to move within the sheet, and the amount of charge itself is small, so it dissipates quickly. However, sheets made of synthetic resin (plastic), such as cardboard, synthetic paper, and coated paper, have high electrical resistance, making it difficult for charges to move within the sheet. As a result, sheets such as synthetic paper and coated paper tend to be more likely to become charged and retain a charge. They are also easily affected by the environment, especially humidity, and it is generally known that the lower the humidity, the less electricity is discharged into the air, making them more likely to become charged with static electricity.
[0004] If post-processing is performed while the sheets are stuck together, it will not only affect the sheet alignment process and reduce the quality of the post-processing, but it may also induce jams due to poor paper feeding or transport during post-processing, which could damage the sheets and the equipment. Therefore, in order to prevent such a risk from occurring, it is desirable to remove static electricity from the sheet after the printing process before carrying out post-processing.Therefore, a proposal has been made to apply a voltage to a pair of transport rollers located downstream in the sheet transport direction to cancel the charge on the sheet (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-258881 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] As described above, the conventional discharge roller with a voltage applied to the transport roller (hereinafter referred to as a "discharging roller") applies a charge opposite to the charge on the sheet to the discharge roller, thereby canceling the static electricity. Therefore, the amount of discharge by the discharge roller (applying a charge opposite to that of the sheet to the discharge roller) needs to be set according to the amount of charge on the sheet. In other words, there is an optimal charge adjustment value for discharge depending on the printing environment such as humidity and the type of sheet.
[0007] If the type of sheet is switched without changing the charge adjustment value for static elimination, there is a possibility that static elimination control will be performed on the sheet with an inappropriate charge adjustment value set, which may result in the sheet being charged, leading to further sticking of the sheet.
[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for removing static electricity with an appropriate amount of charge according to the type of sheet. [Means for solving the problem]
[0009] The present invention is a printing system having a static elimination device with a static elimination function whose settings can be changed during printing processing, and is characterized in having a control means that controls the printing processing to be temporarily suspended when the static elimination function is enabled and the sheet type is changed during printing processing. Effect of the Invention
[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform static elimination with an appropriate charge amount according to the type of sheet. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a situation in which static elimination is performed with an inappropriate static elimination setting for the sheet, for example, when the sheet type is changed during printing processing. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit of a printing apparatus included in the printing system of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a static eliminator included in the printing system of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit of a static eliminator included in the printing system of the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a static elimination process being performed by a static eliminator included in the printing system of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a printing system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a printing process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a print start confirmation screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a print start confirmation screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a charge adjustment value table according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.
[0013] [First embodiment] <Overall system configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system of this embodiment includes a printing system 1000 and a client computer 102 (hereinafter referred to as “PC 102 ”), which are connected to each other via a network 101 . The PC 102 is capable of transmitting (page description language) code data, which is a print job, to the printing system 1000 via the network 101.
[0014] <Hardware configuration of the printing system 1000> FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the printing system 1000. As shown in FIG. The printing system 1000 includes a printing apparatus 100, which is enclosed by a dotted line in the figure, and a sheet processing apparatus 200. Any number of sheet processing apparatuses 200 can be connected to the printing apparatus 100. In this embodiment, the printing apparatus 100 will be described as an example of an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having multiple functions such as a copy function and a printer function. However, the printing apparatus 100 may be a single-function printing apparatus having only a copy function or only a printer function. In this embodiment, as an example, the printing system 1000 is assumed to include various components described below.
[0015] The printing system 1000 is configured so that sheet processing for sheets (also called "paper") printed by the printing device 100 can be performed by a sheet processing apparatus 200 connected to the printing device 100. However, it is also possible to configure the printing system 1000 using only the printing device 100 without connecting the sheet processing apparatus 200. The sheet processing apparatus 200 is configured to be able to communicate with the printing apparatus 100, and can receive instructions from the printing apparatus 100 and execute sheet processing as described below.
[0016] A scanner unit 201 reads an image on a document, converts it into image data, and transfers it to other units. The external I / F 202 transmits and receives data to and from external devices connected to the network 101 . The printer unit 203 prints an image based on the input image data onto a sheet. 4, the operation unit 204 is configured to include a touch panel unit 401 and a hard key input unit 402, and receives instructions from a user via them. The operation unit 204 also displays various information on the touch panel unit 401.
[0017] The control unit 205 includes a CPU and performs overall control of the processing and operation of various units included in the printing system 1000. In other words, the control unit 205 also controls the operation of the printing apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 200 connected to the printing apparatus 100.
[0018] The ROM 207 stores various computer programs executed by the control unit 205. For example, the ROM 207 stores programs for causing the control unit 205 to execute various processes in flowcharts described below, and display control programs required to display various setting screens described below. The ROM 207 also stores a program for the control unit 205 to interpret PDL code data received from the PC 102 and expand it into raster image data. The ROM 207 also stores a boot sequence, font information, and the like.
[0019] The RAM 208 stores image data and PDL code data sent from the scanner unit 201 and the external I / F 202, various programs loaded from the ROM 207, and setting information. The RAM 208 also stores information related to the sheet processing apparatus 200 (such as information related to the type and function of each sheet processing apparatus 200 connected to the printing apparatus 100). The control unit 205 can use the information related to the sheet processing apparatus 200 stored in the RAM 208 for control.
[0020] The HDD (hard disk drive) 209 is composed of a hard disk and a drive unit that reads and writes data to the hard disk. The HDD 209 is a large-capacity storage device for storing image data input from the scanner unit 201 and compressed by the compression / decompression unit 210. The control unit 205 can print image data stored in the HDD 209 by the printer unit 203 based on an instruction from a user. The HDD 209 is also used as a spooler, and the control unit 205 can manage PDL code data received from the PC 102 as a print job and store it in the HDD 209. The control unit 205 can also manage print jobs stored in the HDD 209, and can also obtain the number of print jobs stored and setting information made for the print job. Note that a configuration including other storage devices such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard) instead of or in combination with the HDD may be used. The compression / decompression unit 210 compresses and decompresses image data stored in the RAM 208 and HDD 209 using various compression methods such as JBIG and JPEG. Although details will be described later, the printing system 1000 of this embodiment is a printing system having a static elimination device with a static elimination function whose settings can be changed during printing processing.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross section of the printing apparatus 100 and a sheet processing apparatus 200 connected to the printing apparatus 100 in the first embodiment. The sheet processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes a static eliminator 200-3a and a saddle stitcher 200-3b.
[0022] First, the printing device 100 will be described. An automatic document feeder (ADF) 301 separates a stack of documents set on a loading surface of a document tray in page order, starting with the first page, and conveys the documents onto a document glass platen for scanning by a scanner 302 .
[0023] The scanner 302 reads an image of a document conveyed onto a glass platen, and converts the image into image data by a CCD. A rotating polygon mirror (polygon mirror or the like) 303 causes a light beam, such as a laser beam, modulated according to image data to enter the rotating polygon mirror 303, and irradiates the light beam as reflected scanning light onto a photosensitive drum 304 via a reflecting mirror.
[0024] A latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 304 by the laser beam is developed with toner, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet material attached on a transfer drum 305. A full-color image is formed by sequentially executing this series of image formation processes for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners. After four image formation processes, the sheet material on the transfer drum 305 on which the full-color image has been formed is separated by a separation claw 306 and conveyed to a fixing device 308 by a pre-fixing conveyor 307.
[0025] The fixing device 308 is made up of a combination of rollers and belts, and has a built-in heat source such as a halogen heater, and melts and fixes the toner on the sheet material onto which the toner image has been transferred, by using heat and pressure. The discharge flapper 309 is configured to be swingable around a swing axis and determines the conveying direction of the sheet material. When the discharge flapper 309 swings clockwise in the figure, the sheet material is conveyed straight and is discharged outside the machine by the discharge rollers 310. The control unit 205 controls the printing device 100 to perform single-sided printing through the above-described series of sequences.
[0026] On the other hand, when images are to be formed on both sides of the sheet material, the discharge flapper 309 swings counterclockwise in the figure, and the sheet material is changed to a downward path and sent to a double-sided conveying section. The double-sided conveying section includes a reversing flapper 311, a reversing roller 312, a reversing guide 313, and a double-sided tray 314.
[0027] The reversing flapper 311 swings around a swinging shaft to determine the conveying direction of the sheet material. When processing a double-sided printing job, the control unit 205 controls the reversing flapper 311 to swing the sheet, the first side of which has been printed by the printer unit 203, in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and to feed the sheet to the reversing guide 313 via the reversing roller 312. Then, the reversing roller 312 is stopped once with the rear end of the sheet material being pinched by the reversing roller 312, and the reversing flapper 311 continues to swing in the clockwise direction in the figure. Also, the reversing roller 312 is rotated in the reverse direction. As a result, the sheet is switched back and conveyed, and the sheet is controlled to be guided to the double-sided tray 314 with the rear end and the front end of the sheet switched. The sheet material is temporarily stacked in the double-sided tray 314, and then the sheet material is sent again to the registration roller 316 by the re-feed roller 315. At this time, the sheet material is fed with the side opposite to the transfer process of the first side facing the photosensitive drum. Then, in the same manner as the process described above, an image for the second side is formed on the second side of the sheet. Then, images are formed on both sides of the sheet material, and the sheet is discharged from inside the main body of the printer 100 to the outside of the machine via the paper discharge roller 310 after a fixing process. The control unit 205 controls the printer 100 to perform double-sided printing through the above-mentioned series of sequences.
[0028] The sheet material is temporarily loaded in the double-sided tray 314, and then the sheet material is sent again to the registration rollers 316 by the re-feed rollers 315. At this time, the sheet material is sent with the side opposite to the transfer process of the first side facing the photosensitive drum. Then, in the same manner as the process described above, an image for the second side is formed on the second side of the sheet. Then, images are formed on both sides of the sheet material, and the sheet is discharged from inside the main body of the printing device 100 to the outside of the machine via the discharge rollers 310 after passing through a fixing process. The control unit 205 controls the printing device 100 to perform double-sided printing through the above-described series of sequences.
[0029] Printing device 100 also has a paper feed section that stores sheets required for printing processing. The paper feed section includes paper feed cassettes 317 and 318 (each capable of storing, for example, 500 sheets), paper feed deck 319 (capable of storing, for example, 5,000 sheets), and manual feed tray 320. Paper feed cassettes 317 and 318 and paper feed deck 319 can be used to set various sheets of different sizes and materials separately for each paper feed section. Furthermore, various types of sheets including special sheets such as overhead projector sheets can be set in manual feed tray 320.
[0030] <Static eliminator> Next, the static eliminator 200-3a will be described. FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the static eliminator 200-3a. The static eliminator also has a control unit 501 separate from the printing device 100, and this control unit 501 controls the entire static eliminator 200-3a while communicating with the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 in FIG. 2 via a bus (not shown).
[0031] The operation unit 502 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 6, and the user can perform settings for the static eliminator 200-3a via the operation unit 502. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation unit 502 of the static eliminator 200-3a. The mode setting switch 601 in FIG. 6 switches whether or not static elimination is performed by the static elimination device 200-3a (ON / OFF), and the control unit 501 controls the static elimination processing unit 503 described later to execute the static elimination processing only when the switch is ON. In addition, the adjustment dial 602, which is configured as a thumb rotary switch, adjusts the strength of the static elimination control performed when the mode setting switch 601 is ON, and is controlled by the control unit 501 so that it is effective only when the mode setting switch 601 is ON.
[0032] The static elimination processing unit 503 is composed of a static elimination roller 322 and an ionizer 323, which will be described later, and a voltage application controller 321 for each of them, and is responsible for eliminating static electricity from the conveyed sheet. The control unit 501 realizes control of applying voltage to the static elimination roller 322 and the ionizer 323 via the voltage application controller 321.
[0033] The ROM 504 stores a boot program for the static elimination device 200-3a, a control program for the operation unit 502, a static elimination processing program for the static elimination processing unit 503, etc. Then, the control unit 501 loads necessary programs from the ROM 504 into the RAM 505 as appropriate and executes them.
[0034] (Static charge removal treatment) Here, the charge removal process performed by the charge removal unit 503 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how a static elimination process is carried out in the static elimination device 200-3a on a sheet that has been printed in the printing device 100. As shown in FIG.
[0035] First, the sheet 701 is transported to a developing / transferring section consisting of a photosensitive drum 304 and a transfer drum 305 via a transport path 704, and toner is placed on the sheet. The charged toner 702 placed on the sheet is negatively charged, and the sheet is then fixed through a fixing device 308 and transported to the charge removing device 200-3a with the print surface 703 side negatively charged. The charge removing device 200-3a is equipped with a positively charged charge removing roller 322, and the charge is removed by contact charge removal using the charge removing roller 322 to give a positive charge to the negatively charged print surface 703, thereby eliminating the charging state. However, it is assumed that the negative charge that could not be removed by the charge removal process using the charge removing roller 322, or the oppositely charged positive charge, remains on the sheet 705 after the sheet passes through the charge removing roller. Therefore, the charge removing device 200-3a described in this embodiment is further configured to be equipped with an ionizer 323 downstream of the charge removing roller 322. The ionizer 323 is a device that applies a voltage to an electrode needle provided in the device to generate a corona discharge, and uses the ions thus generated to eliminate the charge. In this way, the static elimination roller 322 performs rough static elimination, and the ionizer 323 adjusts the remaining charge, so that the static elimination process is performed on the sheet 707 discharged from the static eliminator 200-3a, and the charge is eliminated.
[0036] Now, let us return to the explanation using the cross-sectional view of FIG. The static eliminator 200-3a has a static elimination roller 322 and a pair of rollers, and the sheet transported to the static elimination device 200-3a is transported while being sandwiched between the two rollers, and the rough static elimination is performed by the static elimination roller 322. Thereafter, the sheet is transported outside the device by the transport roller 324, and the static elimination process of the remaining charge is performed by the ionizer 323.
[0037] <Saddle stitching machine> Next, the saddle stitching machine 200-3b will be described. The sheet processing by the saddle stitching machine 200-3b includes, for example, saddle stitching, punching, cutting, shift discharge, folding, stapling, etc. Here, these jobs are called "saddle stitching jobs".
[0038] When processing a saddle stitching job, the control unit 205 first conveys the sheets of this job printed by the printing device 100 to the saddle stitching machine 200-3b, and then the control unit 205 causes the saddle stitching machine 200-3b to execute sheet processing of this job. Then, the control unit 205 holds the printed matter of the saddle stitching job that has been subjected to sheet processing by the saddle stitching machine 200-3b in the discharge destination Z of the saddle stitching machine 200-3b. Note that there are multiple discharge destination candidates for the discharge destination Z. This is used when the saddle stitching machine 200-3b can execute multiple types of sheet processing and a discharge destination is divided for each sheet processing. In this embodiment, a detailed description of the conveying procedure of the saddle stitching job is omitted.
[0039] <Printing process> 9 is a flowchart for explaining the printing process of the first embodiment. The process of this flowchart is realized by the control unit 205 expanding a program stored in the ROM 207, HDD 209, etc., into the RAM 208 and executing it. This process is started when a print job is input to the printing system 1000.
[0040] In S101, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 interprets the settings of the input print job and selects the optimal paper feed unit to identify the sheet type (also called paper type) to be used for printing. Next, in S102, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 stores the sheet type identified in S101 in the HDD 209. The sheet type stored here can be saved for at least two times so that the previously identified sheet type can be compared with the currently identified sheet type. Note that any configuration may be used as long as it is possible to know that the sheet type has been changed during printing processing.
[0041] Next, in S103, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 acquires whether the static elimination process of the static elimination device 200-3a is ON (static elimination function is enabled) or OFF (static elimination function is disabled). This process is realized by the control unit 501 of the static elimination device 200-3a, which has received an inquiry from the control unit 205 of the printing device 100, acquiring the state of the mode setting switch 601 of the operation unit 502 of the static elimination device 200-3a and returning the state to the control unit 205 of the printing device 100.
[0042] Next, in S104, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 checks the power ON / OFF state of the static elimination process acquired in S103 above. Here, if the static elimination process is power OFF (NO in S901), the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 determines that there is no problem in continuing the printing process as the static elimination function is disabled, and proceeds to S109. The process of S109 will be described later.
[0043] On the other hand, if the electricity removal process is performed while the power is ON (YES in S901), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 advances the process to S105. In S105, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 compares the previously selected sheet type stored in the HDD 209 as described above with the currently selected sheet type to check whether the sheet types are different. If the previously selected sheet type has not been stored, it is determined that the sheet type is different.
[0044] Here, if the sheet type selected last time is the same as the sheet type selected this time (NO in S105), the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 determines that there is no problem in continuing the printing process since there has been no change in sheet type during the printing process, and proceeds to S109. On the other hand, if the previously selected sheet type and the currently selected sheet type are different (YES in S105), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 determines that the sheet type has been changed during the printing process, and proceeds to S106.
[0045] In S106, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 temporarily suspends the print process. The process of S106 is a process for avoiding a situation in which a sheet that requires static elimination processing is discharged without being subjected to appropriate static elimination processing, or a sheet that does not require static elimination processing is inappropriately subjected to static elimination processing.
[0046] Next, in S107, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 displays a print start confirmation screen 1201 as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print start confirmation screen 1201 according to the first embodiment. On the print start confirmation screen 1201, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 notifies the user of a message (1299) that the sheet type has been changed while the static elimination setting was ON and that the static eliminator needs to be checked, and asks whether or not to start printing. If the user wishes to continue printing after checking, or if the user wishes to continue printing after changing the static eliminator settings, the user presses a print start button 1202. If the user wishes to cancel printing, the user presses a cancel button 1203. Through such a screen, the printing system 1000 is configured to allow the user to check whether the static eliminator settings are appropriate for the sheet type.
[0047] Next, in S108, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 determines whether or not the print start button 1202 has been pressed on the print start confirmation screen 1201 shown in Fig. 12. If it is determined that the cancel button 1203 has been pressed (NO in S108), the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 cancels the print job in accordance with the print cancellation instruction, and ends the processing of this flowchart.
[0048] On the other hand, if it is determined that the print start button 1202 has been pressed (YES in S108), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 advances the process to S109. In S109, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 resumes the print process in accordance with the instruction to start printing, and executes printing.
[0049] Next, in S110, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 determines whether the print job is completed. If the print job is not yet completed (NO in S110), the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 returns the process to S101. On the other hand, if the print job is completed (YES in S110), the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 ends the processing of this flowchart.
[0050] As described above, by controlling the printing system 1000 including the static eliminator 200-3a, it is possible to prevent occurrence of a situation in which static elimination is performed with an inappropriate charge adjustment value for static elimination that is not suitable for the sheet type. Therefore, printing can be performed with a charge adjustment value for static elimination that is suitable for the sheet type. In other words, it is possible to reduce the risk that static elimination control is performed with the charge adjustment state remaining inappropriate for the sheet used for printing due to the sheet type being changed while the static eliminator is ON.
[0051] Second Embodiment In the above first embodiment, a method was described in which, when the sheet type is different from the previous time, printing is temporarily stopped and a warning is displayed to prompt the user to check the charge adjustment value for static elimination. Note that a user who is unfamiliar with setting the charge adjustment value for static elimination cannot easily determine whether the current charge adjustment value for static elimination is correct. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when a warning is displayed, the optimal charge adjustment value for static elimination according to the selected sheet type is displayed.
[0052] Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining print processing of the second embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the control unit 205 expanding a program stored in the ROM 207, HDD 209, etc., into the RAM 208 and executing it. This processing is executed when a print job is submitted to the printing system 1000. Note that in Fig. 10, the same step numbers are assigned to the same steps as in Fig. 9. Below, the explanation of the same steps will be omitted and only the different steps will be explained.
[0053] In the second embodiment, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 advances the process to S201 after processing in S106. In S201, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 acquires the charge adjustment value for static elimination corresponding to the sheet type stored in S102 from the charge adjustment value table (FIG. 14) stored in advance in the HDD 209.
[0054] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a charge adjustment value table according to the second embodiment. 14, the charge adjustment value table stores charge adjustment values for static elimination corresponding to various sheet types. The substance of the charge adjustment value table is stored in the HDD 209, for example.
[0055] Next, in S202, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 displays a print start confirmation screen 1301 as shown in FIG. 13 on the operation unit 204 of the printing apparatus 100, and asks the user whether or not to start printing. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print start confirmation screen 1301 according to the first embodiment. 12 (message 1399, print start button 1302, and cancel button 1303), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 displays to the user the current sheet type saved in S102 as shown in 1304. Furthermore, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 displays the charge adjustment value for static elimination corresponding to the sheet type acquired in S207 as shown in 1305.
[0056] If the user wishes to continue printing after checking, or if the user wishes to continue printing after changing the settings of the static eliminator, the user presses a print start button 1302. If the user wishes to cancel printing, the user presses a cancel button 1303. Through such a screen, the printing system 1000 is configured to allow the user to check whether the settings of the static eliminator are appropriate for the sheet type, and further to change the settings of the static eliminator as necessary. After the process of S202, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 advances the process to S108.
[0057] By controlling the printing system 1000 including the static elimination device 200-3a in this manner, when a warning message is displayed to prompt the user to check the static elimination charge adjustment value, the user can easily determine whether the current static elimination charge adjustment value is correct.
[0058] Third Embodiment In the above first embodiment, a method was described in which, when the sheet type is different from the previous printing, printing is temporarily stopped and a warning is displayed to prompt the user to check the charge adjustment value for static elimination. In the configuration of the first embodiment, even when a sheet that does not pass through the static elimination device is used, a warning may be displayed to prompt the user to check the charge adjustment value for static elimination. Therefore, in the third embodiment, when a sheet that does not pass through the static elimination device is used, a warning is not displayed to prompt the user to check the charge adjustment value for static elimination.
[0059] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a printing apparatus 100 and a sheet processing apparatus 200 connected to the printing apparatus 100 in the third embodiment. The sheet processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes a static eliminator 200-3a, an adjustment device 200-3c, and a saddle stitcher 200-3b. The sheet processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 3 except that the adjustment device 200-3c is provided between the printing apparatus 100 and the static eliminator 200-3a, and therefore descriptions of the printing apparatus 100 and the saddle stitcher 200-3b will be omitted.
[0060] As shown in Fig. 8, the adjustment device 200-3c detects a sheet passing on a sheet transport path 363 with a paper detection sensor 361. The sheet transport path 363 is composed of a black paper transport belt. The paper detection sensor 361 uses the black paper transport belt to capture the edge of a white printed matter passing through the sheet transport path 363 and detects the presence or absence of a printed matter. Furthermore, a plurality of paper detection sensors 361 are installed in a line perpendicular to the paper transport direction, and detect the presence or absence of a printed matter at each position and calculate the passing time.
[0061] The adjustment device 200-3c calculates the skew angle of the printed matter from the transport speed of the paper transport belt based on the change information on the presence or absence of printed matter sent from each paper detection sensor 361 and the passing time of the leading edge of the printed matter. Next, the adjustment device 200-3c uses the signal that detects the presence or absence of paper as a trigger to control the CIS (Contact Image Sensor) 362 to read the image data of the printed matter. Two CIS 362 are installed above and below the paper transport path so that they can read both the front and back sides. The adjustment device 200-3c measures the color of an image adjustment chart image formed on a printout from image data read by the CIS 362, and performs image adjustment such as density correction and front / back registration correction.
[0062] The printer 100 also has a purge function for discharging defective printed matter to the output tray 364 according to instructions from the printer 100 or the adjustment device 200-3c or in response to certain conditions. There is also a color sensor 365 on the transport path to the output tray 364, and the adjustment device 200-3c measures the color of an image adjustment chart image for correcting density unevenness formed on the printed matter from the image data read by the color sensor 365, and corrects the density unevenness.
[0063] When the discharge destination (ejection destination) is set to the output tray 364, the print sheet does not pass through the static eliminator 200-3a. Therefore, when this discharge setting is made, a warning message is not displayed to prompt the user to check the charge adjustment value for static elimination.
[0064] Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining print processing of the third embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the control unit 205 expanding a program stored in the ROM 207, HDD 209, etc., into the RAM 208 and executing it. This processing is executed when a print job is submitted to the printing system 1000. Note that in Fig. 11, the same step numbers are assigned to the same steps as in Fig. 9. Below, explanations of the same steps will be omitted and only different steps will be explained.
[0065] In the third embodiment, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 advances the process to S301 after the process of S105. In S301, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 interprets the settings of the received print job and specifies the destination of the sheet. In the configuration of the printing system 1000 of the third embodiment, when the adjustment device 200-3c adjusts the density unevenness using the density unevenness correction chart, the destination of the sheet is the output tray 364 of the adjustment device 200-3c.
[0066] Next, in S302, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 checks whether the paper discharge destination identified in S301 above is a paper discharge destination that passes through the static eliminator 200-3a. Although not shown, information on whether the paper discharge destination passes through the adjustment device 200-3c for each paper discharge destination is stored in advance in the HDD 209. In the case of the configuration of the printing system 1000 exemplified in this embodiment, it is assumed that the paper does not pass through the static eliminator 200-3a only when the paper is discharged to the output tray 364 of the adjustment device 200-3c.
[0067] If it is determined in S307 above that the sheet will pass through the static eliminator (YES in S302), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 advances the process to S106. On the other hand, if it is determined that the sheet will not pass through the static elimination device (NO in S302), the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 determines that there is no problem in continuing printing as is, and proceeds to the process of S109. That is, in this case, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 does not display a warning to prompt confirmation of the charge adjustment value for static elimination.
[0068] In this way, even if the sheet type is changed during printing while the static elimination function is enabled, if a discharge destination that does not pass through a specific transport path (a path where the static eliminator eliminates static electricity from the sheet) is set in the printing process, the following control is performed. That is, the printing system 1000 including the static eliminator 200-3a is controlled so as not to temporarily suspend the printing process. This makes it possible not to display a warning to prompt confirmation of the charge adjustment value for static elimination in the case of paper that does not pass through the static eliminator.
[0069] In the above embodiment, an example is given in which the sheet type is changed during a print job, but this is not limited to during a print job. The present invention is also applicable to a case in which the sheet type is changed between print jobs. In other words, if the discharge function is enabled and the sheet type is changed between the end of the previous printing process and the start of the next printing process, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 restricts the start of the next printing process. Furthermore, when the start of the next print process is restricted, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 displays a message to prompt the user to check the setting value of the static elimination amount in the static elimination function, and displays (warnings) to instruct the user to start or stop the next print process. Then, when the user instructs the start of the next print process, the control unit 205 of the printing device 100 releases the restriction.
[0070] According to each embodiment described above, it is possible to perform static elimination with an appropriate charge amount according to the type of sheet. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a situation in which, for example, the sheet type is changed during printing processing, and static elimination is performed with a static elimination setting that is inappropriate for the sheet. In other words, it is possible to reduce the risk that static elimination control is performed with a charge adjustment state that is inappropriate for the sheet.
[0071] It goes without saying that the configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and the data may have various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments is also included in the present invention.
[0072] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications.
[0073] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) A printing system having a static elimination device with a static elimination function capable of changing settings during printing processing, a control means for controlling the printing process to be temporarily stopped when the type of sheet is changed while the static electricity removing function is active during the printing process; A printing system comprising: (Configuration 2) a display unit that displays a message to prompt a user to confirm a set value of the amount of static electricity removed in the static electricity removing function when the printing process is temporarily stopped, and displays a message to instruct a user to resume or stop the printing process, 2. The printing system according to configuration 1, wherein, when a user instructs to resume the printing process, the control means resumes the temporarily stopped printing process. (Configuration 3) a storage means for storing a set value of the amount of static electricity removal in the static electricity removal function for each type of sheet; 3. The printing system according to configuration 2, wherein the display means further displays a setting value of an amount of static electricity removal in the static electricity removal function according to the changed current sheet type. (Configuration 4) The charge removing function removes charge from a sheet passing through a predetermined transport path, The printing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the control means does not temporarily suspend the printing process when a discharge destination that does not pass through the specified transport path is set in the printing process, even if the static electricity removal function is enabled and the sheet type is changed during the printing process. (Configuration 5) The printing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the control means restricts the start of the next printing process when the discharge function is enabled and the sheet type is changed after the previous printing process has ended and before the next printing process is started. (Configuration 6) when the start of the next print process is restricted, the display means displays a message for prompting a user to confirm a set value of an amount of static electricity removal in the static electricity removal function and a display for instructing a user to start the next print process or to stop the next print process; 6. The printing system according to configuration 5, wherein when a user issues an instruction to start the next printing process, the control means removes the restriction. (Method 1) A method for controlling a printing system having a static elimination device with a static elimination function capable of changing settings during printing processing, comprising: A control method for a printing system, comprising the step of: when the discharge function is enabled and the sheet type is changed during printing processing, performing control so as to temporarily suspend the printing processing. (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to execute the control method described in Method 1. [Explanation of symbols]
[0074] 100 Printing equipment 200-3a Static eliminator 200-3c adjustment device
Claims
1. A printing system comprising a printing device that performs a printing process on a sheet and a static elimination device that performs a static elimination process on the printed sheet, a change unit for changing the setting of the static elimination process; a stop means for stopping the printing process when the type of sheet used for the printing process is changed during the printing process; a display means for displaying information to prompt confirmation of the static elimination settings when the type of sheet used for the printing process is changed during the printing process.
2. further comprising a storage means for storing the static elimination settings for each type of sheet; 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the display means further displays the static elimination setting according to the changed type of sheet.
3. The static elimination process is performed to eliminate static electricity from a sheet passing through a predetermined transport path, The printing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stopping means does not stop the printing process if an output destination that does not pass through the specified transport path is set during the printing process, even if the type of sheet is changed during the printing process.
4. the stop means further includes a first reception means for receiving a restart instruction for restarting the printing process after the printing process has been stopped, 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing process is resumed based on the first reception unit receiving the restart instruction.
5. the stop means further includes a second receiving means for receiving a stop instruction to stop the printing process after the printing process has been stopped, 5. The printing system according to claim 4, wherein the printing process is stopped based on the second receiving unit receiving the stop instruction.
6. A control method for a printing system including a printing device that performs a printing process on a sheet and a static elimination device that performs a static elimination process on the printed sheet, a changing step of changing the static elimination setting of the static elimination process; a stopping step of stopping the printing process when the type of sheet used for the printing process is changed during the printing process; a display step of displaying information to prompt confirmation of the static elimination settings when the type of sheet used for the printing process is changed during the printing process.
7. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 6.