Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus which can suppress the deterioration of productivity upon printing.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus including an image reading part which forms an image on a paper based on image data, produces a printed matter and reads the image formed on the printed matter, an inspection device which conducts inspection of reading result of the image by means of the image reading part and a controller which causes a printer to conduct test printing by using an above-mentioned printing means in accordance with instruction of trial printing is provided. On the image forming apparatus, an operation part screen on which it is displayed that either of real printing and the trial printing is conducted is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a print inspection function for inspecting the quality of an image printed on paper. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus executes a print job that generates a printed matter by printing an image on paper based on image data representing the image to be printed. In particular, an image forming apparatus used at a commercial printing site (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a production printing machine) may print a large number of copies or pages in one print job. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of executing a trial print in which only specific pages are printed before the actual printing. A print inspection device inspects whether an image printed on paper by an image forming device is formed as specified by image data. Patent Document 2 discloses a print inspection device that uses image data as reference data, scan data obtained by reading the image printed on paper with a sensor such as a scanner as inspection image data, and compares the two data. The print inspection device judges the print quality of the printout based on the degree of match between the reference data and the inspection image data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-184155 [Patent Document 2] JP 2023-57527 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The print inspection device performs print inspection according to inspection settings such as the inspection area and inspection intensity (inspection level) that are set in advance by the user. However, if the inspection settings are incorrect (different from what the user intended), there is a possibility that the number of sheets of paper that are determined to have print abnormalities (inspection NG) as inspection results during a print job will increase.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to prevent an increase in the number of sheets of paper that are determined to have printing abnormalities during a print job. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a printing means for forming an image on paper based on image data to generate a printed matter, a reading means for reading the image formed on the printed matter, an inspection means for inspecting the reading result of the image by the reading means, a control means for causing the printing means to perform the actual printing in response to an instruction for the actual printing, and for causing the printing means to perform a trial printing in response to an instruction for a trial printing, and an information presentation means, wherein the control means displays the inspection results by the inspection means on the information presentation means when the trial printing is performed. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of sheets of paper determined to have a printing abnormality during a print job. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system. [Diagram 2] Controller configuration diagram. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation screen during inspection. [Figure 7] (a) is an explanatory diagram of the operation screen during actual print inspection, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the operation screen during trial print inspection. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the print inspection process. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a test print inspection process. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation screen in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a test result details screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments can be combined in any manner. Furthermore, these embodiments and modifications do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0010] First Embodiment (Printing system configuration) 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system including a print inspection device of the first embodiment. The image forming system 1 includes an operation unit 200, a printer 300 as an image forming unit, a controller 400, an inspection device 500 as an image inspection unit, a stacker 600, and a finisher 700 as a post-processing unit.

[0011] The operation unit 200 is a user interface equipped with an input interface and an output interface. The input interface is, for example, an input key, a touch panel, etc. The output interface is, for example, a display, a speaker, etc. Therefore, the operation unit 200 has a function as a means for presenting information through vision and hearing. The operation unit 200 transmits instructions and data input from the input interface to the controller 400. In addition, the operation unit 200 outputs information from the output interface in response to instructions from the controller 400.

[0012] The controller 400 controls the operations of the printer 300, the inspection device 500, the stacker 600, and the finisher 700 based on instructions and data input from the operation unit 200, or instructions and data acquired from an external device via a network. For example, when performing image formation, the controller 400 transmits an image formation instruction to the printer 300. Details of the controller 400 will be described later.

[0013] (Printer) The printer 300 of the first embodiment is a color image forming device that prints a color image on paper and functions as a printing unit. The printer 300 includes image forming units Y, M, C, and K, an intermediate transfer body 306, a transfer unit 307, a fixing unit 308, paper feed cassettes 311 and 312, and a paper feed mechanism. The image forming unit Y forms an image of yellow (Y). The image forming unit M forms an image of magenta (M). The image forming unit C forms an image of cyan (C). The image forming unit K forms an image of black (K). The intermediate transfer body 306 transfers the images of each color formed by the image forming units Y, M, C, and K in a superimposed manner. The transfer unit 307 transfers the image carried by the intermediate transfer body 306 to paper. The fixing unit 308 fixes the image transferred to the paper to the paper. The image forming units Y, M, C, and K have the same configuration and form images by the same operation. Here, the configuration of the image forming station Y will be described, and descriptions of the configurations of the image forming stations M, C, and K will be omitted.

[0014] The image forming unit Y includes a photosensitive drum 301Y, a charger 302Y, an exposure device 303Y, and a developing device 304Y. The photosensitive drum 301Y is a drum-shaped photosensitive body having a photosensitive layer on its surface. During operation, the photosensitive drum 301Y rotates in the direction of arrow R around the drum axis. The charger 302Y uniformly charges the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 301Y. The exposure device 303Y obtains image data representing a yellow image from the controller 400, and lights and outputs a laser beam in accordance with the image data. The laser beam output from the exposure device 303Y scans the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 301Y in the drum axis direction.

[0015] The laser light scans the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 301Y, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the yellow image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 301Y. The developing unit 304Y contains a yellow developer (e.g., toner) and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 301Y with the developer. As a result, a yellow image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 301Y. The developing unit 304Y is configured so that developer can be constantly replenished from a toner cartridge (not shown).

[0016] Similarly, a magenta image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301M of the image forming section M. A cyan image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301C of the image forming section C. A black image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301K of the image forming section K. The intermediate transfer body 306 is an endless belt member that rotates in a clockwise direction in the figure. The intermediate transfer body 306 is in contact with each of the photosensitive drums 301Y, 301M, 301C, and 301K. As the intermediate transfer body 306 rotates, images of each color are transferred from each of the photosensitive drums 301Y, 301M, 301C, and 301K in order so as to be superimposed. As a result, a full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer body 306. The intermediate transfer body 306 conveys the full-color image it carries to the transfer section 307 by rotating.

[0017] Paper is stored in paper feed cassettes 311 and 312, and is transported from paper feed cassettes 311 and 312 to transfer unit 307 by a feeding mechanism. The paper is transported according to the timing at which the image carried on intermediate transfer body 306 is transported to transfer unit 307. Transfer unit 307 transfers the image from intermediate transfer body 306 to the paper. A cleaner 309 is disposed downstream of transfer unit 307 in the rotation direction of intermediate transfer body 306. Cleaner 309 removes developer remaining on intermediate transfer body 306 after transfer.

[0018] The paper onto which the image has been transferred is transported from transfer unit 307 to fixing unit 308. Fixing unit 308 includes a heater and a pressure roller. Fixing unit 308 melts and fixes the image onto the paper by heat from the heater and pressure from the pressure roller.

[0019] Downstream of the fixing unit 308 in the paper transport direction are provided transport paths 313, 314, 315, a double-sided transport path 316, and discharge rollers 317. The paper that has passed through the fixing unit 308 is once transported from transport path 313 to transport path 314. After the rear end of the paper passes through transport path 313, the transport direction is reversed and the paper is transported from transport path 315 to discharge rollers 317. Through this transport, the paper is discharged from the printer 300 by the discharge rollers 317 with the side on which the image has been formed facing downward (face down). The printed matter, which is the paper after the image has been formed and discharged from the printer 300 by the discharge rollers 317, is delivered to an inspection device 500.

[0020] When double-sided printing is to be performed on the paper, the paper transported to transport path 314 has its rear end passing through transport path 313, and is then transported to double-sided transport path 316. The paper is transported again to transfer unit 307 via double-sided transport path 316. By passing through double-sided transport path 316, the side of the paper on which the image has been formed is inverted. The inverted side of the paper is subjected to image transfer processing by transfer unit 307 and fixing processing by fixing device 308, so that an image is formed on that side. The paper with images formed on both sides is discharged from printer 300 by discharge rollers 317 as a printed matter, and delivered to inspection device 500.

[0021] (Print inspection equipment) The inspection device 500 includes a conveying path 501, an inspection control unit 510, a first reading unit 5051a, a second reading unit 5051b, flow reading glasses 5053a and 5053b, conveying rollers 502 and 503 as conveying means, and a paper detection sensor 504. The inspection control unit 510 controls the operation of the inspection device 500 under the control of the controller 400. The inspection control unit 510 will be described in detail later. The first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b are disposed in positions facing each other across the conveying path 501. The conveying rollers 502 and 503 convey the printed material.

[0022] The inspection device 500 detects the printed material conveyed on the conveying path 501 by the paper detection sensor 504, and the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b read the printed image. The first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b transmit the reading result of the printed material to the inspection control unit 510. The inspection control unit 510 performs a quality inspection of the image printed on the printed material based on the reading result of the printed material. Since the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b are arranged opposite to each other via the conveying path 501, the images printed on both sides of the printed material are read in one conveyance of the printed material. The printed material from which the image has been read is conveyed from the inspection device 500 to the stacker 600.

[0023] (Stacker, Finisher) The stacker 600 includes a large-capacity tray 610 and a purge tray 620. The stacker 600 discharges printed materials to any one of the large-capacity tray 610, the finisher 700, or the purge tray 620 based on instructions from the controller 400 and the results of quality inspection by the inspection control unit 510.

[0024] The finisher 700 includes a printed matter transport section 710 including a plurality of transport rollers and a transport path, an upper discharge tray 701, a middle discharge tray 702, and a lower discharge tray 703. The printed matter transport section 710 includes switching mechanisms 711 and 712 for switching the discharge destination of the printed matter. The finisher 700 sequentially takes in the printed matter from the stacker 600, and discharges the printed matter to any one of the upper discharge tray 701, the middle discharge tray 702, and the lower discharge tray 703 in response to an instruction from the controller 400. The finisher 700 may also include a configuration for performing post-processing such as stapling to bind multiple printed matters together, bookbinding of the bound printed matters, and trimming of the bound printed matters.

[0025] (controller) 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the controller 400. In addition to the printer 300, the inspection device 500, and the operation unit 200, the controller 400 is connected to a storage 4100 and a power supply control unit 4500. The storage 4100 is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The controller 400 includes a storage I / F 4318, an operation unit I / F 4306, a power supply control I / F 4308, an inspection unit I / F 4317, a printer communication I / F 4307, and a printer I / F 4316 as interfaces with each of these connected units. The controller 400 also includes a communication I / F 4305 to communicate with an external device via a network. The storage I / F 4318 , the operation unit I / F 4306 , the power control I / F 4308 , the inspection unit I / F 4317 , the printer communication I / F 4307 , and the communication I / F 4305 are connected to a system bus 4319 .

[0026] The controller 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 4301, a read only memory (ROM) 4302, and a random access memory (RAM) 4303. The CPU 4301 controls the operation of the image forming system 1 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM 4302. The RAM 4303 provides a working area for the CPU 4301 to execute processing. The RAM 4303 is also used as an image memory for temporarily storing image data and the like. The CPU 4301, the ROM 4302, and the RAM 4303 are also connected to a system bus 4319. A non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) 4304 and a timer 4309 are also connected to the system bus 4319. The NVRAM 4304 stores various control parameters. The timer 4309 holds the current time and monitors the passage of a set time.

[0027] The operation unit I / F 4306 controls communication with the operation unit 200. The operation unit I / F 4306 accepts inputs such as print jobs, commands, and print settings from the operation unit 200 to the controller 400, and transmits them to the CPU 4301. The operation unit I / F 4306 displays various screens and the status of the image forming system 1 on the display of the operation unit 200 under the control of the CPU 4301. The printer communication I / F 4307 controls communication with the printer 300 under the control of the CPU 4301. The power supply control I / F 4308 instructs the power supply control unit 4500 to supply / stop various types of power under commands from the CPU 4301. The power supply control unit 4500 supplies power to the printer 300. The inspection unit I / F 4317 controls communication with the inspection device 500 under the control of the CPU 4301. The storage I / F 4318 controls communication with the storage 4100 under the control of the CPU 4301. The storage 4100 is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0028] The communication I / F 4305 is connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and performs communication control such as sending and receiving e-mails and inputting and outputting PDL data from external devices. The communication I / F 4305 also has an NVRAM (not shown) that holds various parameters related to communication control such as a MAC address.

[0029] The system bus 4319 is connected to an image bus 4311 via an image bus I / F 4310. The image bus I / F 4310 is a bridge that connects the system bus 4319 and an image bus 4311 for transferring image data to the printer 300. A printer I / F 4316, an image compression unit 4312, an image rotation unit 4313, and a RIP (Raster Image Processor) 4314 are connected to the image bus 4311.

[0030] An image compression unit 4312 performs compression and decompression processing for JPEG, JBIG, MMR, MH, etc. An image rotation unit 4313 performs image rotation processing. A RIP 4314 expands PDL code into a bitmap raster image. A printer I / F 4316 transmits image data to the printer 300. This image data is generated by the controller 400 performing image processing for the printer 300, such as correction for the printer 300 and resolution conversion, on image data for print output.

[0031] (Inspection Control Unit) 3 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an inspection control unit 510 provided in the inspection device 500. The inspection control unit 510 controls the operations of the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b. The inspection control unit 510 performs processes such as analysis of the reading results of the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b, operation control of the inspection device 500, and communication with the controller 400. The inspection control unit 510 is also connected to the controller 400 and a storage 5011, which is a storage unit for storing a position deviation correction profile and the like.

[0032] The inspection control unit 510 includes a CPU 5001, a ROM 5002, a RAM 5003, a storage I / F 5004, a motor control unit 5009, a read image processing unit 5008, an image processing unit 5006, an RTC 5012, a host I / F 5007, and a sensor control unit 5010. Each unit is connected to a system bus 5005. The read image processing unit 5008 is connected to a first reading unit 5051a via a first reading I / F 5052a, and is connected to a second reading unit 5051b via a second reading I / F 5052b. The RTC 5012 is a real-time clock that holds the current time with high accuracy.

[0033] The host I / F 5007 controls communication with the inspection unit I / F 4317 of the controller 400. When the inspection control unit 510 and the controller 400 communicate with each other, data is transmitted and received between the host I / F 5007 and the inspection unit I / F 4317. For example, the host I / F 5007 acquires image data used in the image forming operation of the printer 300 from the controller 400. The storage 5011 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD. The image data can be stored in any location, but is stored in the storage 5011 in the first embodiment.

[0034] The CPU 5001 executes a computer program stored in the ROM 5002 to control the operation of the inspection device 500. The RAM 5003 provides a working area for the CPU 5001 to execute processing. The storage I / F 5004 controls communication with a storage 5011 connected to the inspection control unit 510.

[0035] The read image processing unit 5008, under the control of the CPU 5001, acquires the read result of the image of the printed matter from the first reading unit 5051a via the first reading I / F 5052a. Also, under the control of the CPU 5001, the read image processing unit 5008 acquires the read result of the image of the printed matter from the second reading unit 5051b via the second reading I / F 5052b. Under the control of the CPU 5001, the read image processing unit 5008 performs magnification processing, gamma correction processing, etc. on the read result (read data) of the image of the printed matter acquired from the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b to generate read image data and store it in the RAM 5003. The first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b are configured with a sensor array and are capable of reading the entire area of ​​the printed matter transported on the transport path 501. The first reading unit 5051a reads an image on a first side of a printed material, and the second reading unit 5051b reads an image on a second side of the printed material.

[0036] The first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b are composed of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emitting unit is composed of, for example, a white LED (Light Emitting Diode), and the light receiving unit is composed of, for example, a CMOS sensor with an RGB color filter. The light emitting unit irradiates light onto the printed material transported on the transport path 501 under the control of the CPU 5001. The light receiving unit receives the light reflected by the printed material by separating it into three color components of RGB using a color filter, and outputs read data as the light reception result (read result). The read data is transmitted to the read image processing unit 5008.

[0037] The motor control unit 5009 controls the operation of various motors provided in the inspection device 500 under the control of the CPU 5001. The sensor control unit 5010 controls the operation of various sensors provided in the inspection device 500 under the control of the CPU 5001, and notifies the CPU 5001 of the detection results of the sensors. The image processing unit 5006 compares image data (hereinafter referred to as "reference image data") stored in the storage 5011 with the read image data stored in the RAM 5003 under the control of the CPU 5001 to inspect the quality of the printed matter. The reference image data is image data used for image formation by the printer 300, and is stored in the storage 5011. Alternatively, the reference image data may be an image obtained by reading a reference image in advance before the quality inspection is performed. During the comparison, the image processing unit 5006 performs a correction process on the reference image data using parameters based on calibration, which will be described later.

[0038] (Print Settings) FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation screen displayed on the display of the operation unit 200 when instructing the printer 300 to print. The operation screen functions as an information presentation screen for presenting information such as print settings, and the user executes printing with the printer 300 using these operation screens displayed on the display. FIG. 4 shows a state in which color / black and white selection is automatic, cassette 1 is selected as the cassette, A4 as the paper size, thick paper 2 as the paper type, and 10 copies are selected as the number of copies to be printed. Buttons B101 to B104 are buttons for setting print settings, and button B101 is a button for selecting the color of the print (color / black and white), and button B102 is a button for selecting the print side (single-sided printing / double-sided printing). Button B103 is a paper selection button for selecting the type of paper, and button B104 is a paper output selection button for setting the output destination of the printed matter, etc. Also, the number of copies to be printed can be set using a numeric keypad (not shown). Button B105 is a print start button, and when this button B105 is pressed, printing with the print settings set by buttons B101 to B104 and the number of copies set by the numeric keypad, that is, actual printing, is started. Button B106 is a test print start button, and when this button B106 is pressed, only one copy of the first page is printed with the print settings set by buttons B101 to B104.

[0039] In the first to third embodiments, printing some pages (for example, only one page) rather than printing the number of pages to be printed as instructed through the operation screen is described as test printing, and printing the specified number of pages is described as final printing. However, even when all pages are printed, printing fewer copies than the specified number of copies (for example, printing only one copy when multiple copies are required) for the purpose of checking the print results may also be included in "test printing." Furthermore, printing the specified number of pages or a number of copies different from the specified number of copies, which is performed for some purpose such as checking the print results, may also be included in "test printing."

[0040] The inspection device 500 inspects the printed matter according to the preset inspection settings. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 4301 of the controller 400 functions as a control means. Regardless of whether the button B105 or B106 is pressed, the CPU 4301 controls the inspection device 500 to inspect the printed matter according to the preset inspection settings. When the cancel button B107 is pressed, the settings input by the user are canceled, and a predetermined initial screen is displayed on the display of the operation unit 200.

[0041] In addition, a "no inspection required" button (not shown) may be provided separately from the buttons B101 to B107 to accept an operation to omit (make unnecessary) the inspection of the printed matter in the official printing. In this case, when the omission of the inspection is selected with the "no inspection required" button, the inspection of the printed matter by the inspection device 500 is performed only when the test printing is performed, and the inspection of the printed matter is not performed when the official printing is performed. By providing such a button, for example, when the user judges that the inspection settings are correctly set and the inspection of the printed matter is unnecessary, it is possible to perform the official printing quickly without inspecting the printed matter. It is also possible to improve productivity by performing the inspection of the printed matter in both the official printing and the test printing, and by selectively performing the inspection of the printed matter only in the test printing when the user judges that the inspection of the printed matter is unnecessary.

[0042] (Test Settings) FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an inspection setting screen for setting the inspection of the inspection device 500. This inspection setting screen functions as a receiving means for receiving an instruction from a user for setting an inspection area where inspection such as quality inspection by the inspection device 500 is performed. In the figure, area A501 is a print image and inspection setting area display section, and the inspection area can be arbitrarily set by a mouse, a touch panel, or the like. In this example, an original image in a print job is displayed in area A501, and areas A511 to A516 are shown as inspection areas. Note that area A501 and area A511 to area A516 are each a rectangular region, but any shape such as a triangle, polygon, circle, or the like may be specified according to the shape of the area to be inspected.

[0043] The buttons B502a to B502d are buttons for setting the type of the inspection area. The user can set the inspection area by selecting the image display area of ​​the area A501 while selecting the buttons B502a to B502d. In FIG. 5, four types of buttons are shown for setting the type of the inspection area. The button B502a is a focus inspection area button for setting an area where high-precision inspection is performed, and the button B502b is a standard inspection area button for setting an overall inspection level. The button B502c is a detailed setting button for making detailed settings regarding the variable inspection area, which is an area where variable inspection is performed. The variable inspection area is an area of ​​the entire printed image that is replaced for each paper or recording medium, and for example, different numbers, barcodes, etc. are formed for each paper. The presence or absence of an abnormality in the image can be determined based on whether or not the information represented by the read result of the variable inspection area has consistency according to a predetermined rule, for example, ascending or descending order of numbers. In the example of FIG. 5, a state in which a character inspection area is selected as the variable inspection area is shown. 5, the character inspection area is an area for inspecting not only character strings but also two-dimensional codes and barcodes. A button B502d is an inspection exclusion area button for specifying an area where inspection is not performed.

[0044] In the example of FIG. 5, an inspection level setting button is provided for each type of inspection area to set the inspection accuracy of the inspection level in stages, for example, from level 1 to level 5. Specifically, a button B503a is provided as an inspection level setting button for the button B502a which is the focus inspection area, and a button B503b is provided as an inspection level setting button for the button B502b which is the standard inspection area. Therefore, the user can set the inspection level for each of the focus inspection area of ​​the button B502a and the standard inspection area of ​​the button B502b. In the example of FIG. 5, the inspection accuracy is lowest at inspection level 1, and the inspection accuracy increases as the inspection level number increases. In the example of FIG. 5, inspection level 3 is set as the inspection level for the focus inspection area, and inspection level 2 is set as the inspection level for the standard inspection area.

[0045] The button B505 is a setting completion button, and when the user selects and presses this button, the test setting is completed. Note that when the user presses the button B505 to complete the test setting, the test may be automatically started. The button B506 is a button for returning to the original screen, and when the user selects this button, the test setting process is canceled and the screen returns to a predetermined initial screen. In addition, a dotted rectangle is shown on the left side of the button B502a representing the focus test area, and it is visually indicated that the focus test area is represented by the dotted rectangle within the area 401. Similarly, a solid rectangle is shown on the left side of the button B502b representing the standard test area, and the standard test area is represented by the solid rectangle within the area 401. A dashed rectangle is shown on the left side of the button B502c representing the character test area, and the character test area is represented by the dashed rectangle within the area 401. A dashed double-dashed line rectangle is shown on the left side of the inspection excluded area 402d, and within the area 401, the inspection excluded area is represented by a dashed double-dashed line rectangle.

[0046] For example, the user can arbitrarily select the area to be subjected to the focused inspection by selecting the button B502a and selecting the area in the area A501 that needs to be subjected to the focused inspection with a mouse or the like. In the example of FIG. 5, the areas A512 and A513, which are areas including a human face, are both represented by a rectangle drawn with dotted lines, and these areas are indicated as focused inspection areas set by the button B502a. The area A514 is represented by a rectangle drawn with solid lines, and is indicated as a standard inspection area set by the button B502b. The areas A515 and A516 are both represented by a rectangle drawn with dashed lines, and are indicated as character inspection areas for inspecting character strings, two-dimensional codes, and barcodes, which are set by the button B502c. In the example of FIG. 5, the area A515 is an area including character strings, and the area A516 is an area including two-dimensional codes. The area A511, which is a background area and does not need to be subjected to high-precision inspection, is represented by a rectangle drawn with dashed lines, and is indicated as an inspection exclusion area set by the button B502d.

[0047] Compared to inspecting the entire image, only the required area can be selected for inspection, so that resources required for inspection, such as the usage of the RAM 5003 of the inspection device 500 and the load and processing capacity on the CPU 5001, can be reduced. Also, by setting the inspection level in stages, for example, from level 1 to level 5, the resources of the image forming device required for inspection can be reduced compared to the case where inspection is always performed at a high level of inspection accuracy. Furthermore, by setting multiple areas and setting the inspection level for each area, it becomes possible to optimally allocate resources according to the required level of inspection accuracy.

[0048] (Print inspection during trial printing) The test print is used to check whether the print image, the print settings of the printer 300, and the inspection settings of the inspection device 500 are correct.

[0049] For example, if a printed image contains a character string, and the user wishes to inspect whether the character string printed by the inspection device 500 is correct, the user sets the character string area using the method described above. The inspection device 500 performs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing on the printed image in the set area. However, if the area set by the user is incorrect, the inspection result will be negative (NG). Examples of this include when an area other than the character string is set as the inspection area for the character string, or when part of the character string is not included in the area set by the user. In the following description, an inspection result that is negative will simply be described as "inspection NG" or the like.

[0050] In addition, if the inspection level set by the user is different from the inspection accuracy intended by the user, the inspection may be judged as NG even if it is within the user's tolerance range. For example, if the inspection level set is stricter than the inspection accuracy intended by the user, the inspection may be judged as NG against the user's will. If the main printing is performed in the above-mentioned state, the number of papers with "inspection NG" may increase. In addition, if the inspection result is "NG" in the main printing and recovery printing is performed, if there is a setting error, the inspection result may be "NG" repeatedly, which leads to wasteful paper consumption and increased downtime of the device. When the test printing is performed, recovery printing is not performed even if the inspection result is "NG", and the inspection device 500 notifies the user through the operation unit 200 whether there is an error in the inspection setting.

[0051] (Explanation of the test execution screen on the operation unit) Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation screen during inspection in the first embodiment. In the figure, area A601 is an area that displays the scanned image. Area A602 is an area that displays the inspection status such as the number of completed inspections, the number of NG inspections, the NG inspection rate, and the type of NG. Area A603 is an area that displays the status such as waiting, inspecting, and inspection completed. In Fig. 6, area A603 displays "Stopped," which indicates that the inspection is temporarily stopped.

[0052] Fig. 7(a) shows an explanatory diagram of the operation screen when the printer 300 is performing a regular print inspection, and Fig. 7(b) shows an explanatory diagram of the operation screen when the printer 300 is performing a trial print inspection. When the inspection device 500 is performing a regular print inspection, as shown in Fig. 7(a), area A603 displays "Currently in progress (regular print inspection)" indicating that a regular print inspection is being performed. When the printer 300 is performing trial printing and the inspection device 500 is performing an inspection, as shown in Fig. 7(b), area A603 displays "Currently in progress (trial print inspection)" indicating that a trial print inspection is being performed.

[0053] As described above, the user can easily check the type of inspection being performed (for example, test print inspection, actual print inspection, or inspection stopped) by checking the contents written in the status display area of ​​area A603 on the operation unit screen while the inspection is being performed. In particular, since the user may forget whether a test print inspection or actual print inspection is being performed, it is useful to be able to check the type of inspection currently being performed. Furthermore, even if a user other than the user who input the print job from the operation unit 200 to the controller 400 is different from the user, it is possible to check the type of inspection currently being performed by checking the contents written in the status display area.

[0054] (This printing inspection process flow) Fig. 8 is a flow diagram of the actual print inspection process. This flow diagram collectively illustrates the process executed by the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 and the process executed by the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500. In Fig. 4, when the user selects and presses the button B105, which is the print start button, an instruction to execute actual printing is given to the CPU 4301, and the actual print inspection process is executed in response to the instruction.

[0055] When the button B105 is selected via the operation unit 200, the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 transmits job information including paper information used in printing, inspection settings, discharge destination, etc. to the inspection device 500 (S801). The CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 receives job information from the controller 400 (S802). After receiving the job information from the controller 400, the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 transmits a request to the controller 400 to transmit a reference image for inspection and judgment (S803).

[0056] The CPU 4301 of the controller 400 transmits the document image data of the print job as reference image data to the inspection device 500 based on a reference image transmission request from the inspection device 500 (S804). The CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 receives the reference image from the controller 400, stores it in the storage 5011, and notifies the controller 400 that preparation for the print job is complete (S805).

[0057] When the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 receives the preparation completion notification of the inspection device 500 (S806), it controls the printer 300 to start printing (S807). After that, the CPU 4301 controls the operation unit 200 to display the inspection screen, and displays on the inspection screen that the main print inspection is being performed, as shown in area A604 of FIG. 7(a) (S808). Note that this is not limited to the example, and for example, the CPU 4301 may display on the inspection screen that the main print inspection is to be started when the preparation completion notification of the inspection device 500 is received, and may display that the main print inspection is being performed after a predetermined time has elapsed. In this case, until the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed, a cancel button for the main print inspection may be displayed on the screen together with a display that the main print inspection is to be started, and the main print inspection may be canceled by the user pressing the cancel button.

[0058] After executing S805, the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 uses the paper detection sensor 504 to determine whether or not the paper has arrived at the paper detection position of the paper detection sensor 504 on the conveying path 501 of the inspection device 500 (S809). If the paper has not arrived (S809: No), the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 waits for the paper to arrive. If the paper has arrived (S809: Yes), the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 reads the paper sent by the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b, and instructs the image processing unit 5006 to perform a comparison process with the reference image data received in S805. As a result, the image processing unit 5006 performs a comparison process and image inspection is performed (S810).

[0059] The CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 transmits the inspection result of the image inspection by comparison in the image processing unit 5006 to the controller 400 (S811). The CPU 4301 of the controller 400 determines whether the inspection result has been received (S812), and if not (S812:N), waits for reception of the inspection result, and if received (S812:Y), controls the operation unit 200 to update the inspection screen according to the inspection result (S813).

[0060] Thereafter, the controller 400 determines whether or not there is a next page (S814), and if there is a next page (S814: Y), the controller 400 and the inspection device 500 repeat the processes of S807 to S814 again. If there is no next page (S814: N), the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 determines that the final page of the job has been processed and printing and inspection of all pages has been completed. Therefore, the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 controls the operation unit 200 to display on the inspection screen that the inspection has been completed (S815). This ends the print inspection process.

[0061] (Proof print inspection process flow) Fig. 9 is a flow diagram of the test print inspection process. Note that this control is a diagram illustrating the process executed by the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 and the process executed by the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 collectively. When the user selects the test print start button B106 in Fig. 4, an instruction to execute test print is given to the CPU 4301, and test print inspection printing is executed in accordance with the instruction.

[0062] When button B106 is selected via operation unit 200, CPU 4301 of controller 400 transmits job information including paper information used in printing, inspection settings, discharge destination, etc. to inspection device 500 (S901). CPU 5001 of inspection device 500 receives the job information from controller 400 (S902). After receiving the job information from controller 400, CPU 5001 of inspection device 500 transmits a request to controller 400 to send a reference image for inspection judgment (S903).

[0063] The CPU 4301 of the controller 400 transmits the document image data of the print job as reference image data to the inspection device 500 based on a reference image transmission request from the inspection device 500 (S904). The CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 receives the reference image from the controller 400, stores it in the storage 5011, and notifies the controller 400 that preparation for the print job is complete (S905).

[0064] When the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 receives a notification that the inspection device 500 is ready (S906), it controls the printer 300 to start printing only the first page (S907). After that, the CPU 4301 controls the operation unit 200 to display the inspection screen, and displays on the inspection screen that the test print inspection is being performed, as shown in area A604 of FIG. 7(b) (S908). Note that this is not limited to the example, and for example, the CPU 4301 may display on the inspection screen that the test print inspection will be started when the CPU 4301 receives a notification that the inspection device 500 is ready, and may display that the test print inspection is being performed after a predetermined time has elapsed. In this case, until the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed, a cancel button for the actual print inspection may be displayed on the screen together with a display that the test print inspection will be started, and the user may be able to cancel the actual print inspection by pressing the cancel button.

[0065] After executing S905, the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 uses the paper detection sensor 504 to determine whether or not the paper has arrived at the paper detection position of the paper detection sensor 504 on the conveying path 501 of the inspection device 500 (S909). If the paper has not arrived (S909: No), the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 waits for the paper to arrive. If the paper has arrived (S909: Yes), the CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 sequentially reads the paper sent by the first reading unit 5051a and the second reading unit 5051b, and instructs the image processing unit 5006 to perform a comparison process with the reference image data received in S905. As a result, the image processing unit 5006 performs a comparison process and image inspection is performed (S910).

[0066] The CPU 5001 of the inspection device 500 transmits the inspection results of the image inspection by comparison in the image processing unit 5006 to the controller 400 (S911). The CPU 4301 of the controller 400 determines whether the inspection results have been received (S912), and if not (S912:N), waits for the reception of the inspection results, and if received (S912:Y), controls the operation unit 200 to update the inspection screen according to the inspection results (S913). Thereafter, the CPU 4301 of the controller 400 controls the operation unit 200 to display on the inspection screen that the inspection has been completed (S914). This ends the test print inspection process.

[0067] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, all of the device configurations are the same as in the first embodiment, and only the operation screen for print settings for executing test printing and the processing operation of the inspection device 500 are different. Therefore, in the second embodiment below, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0068] (Print Settings) 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation screen displayed on the display of the operation unit 200 when instructing the printer 300 to print. The user executes printing on the printer 300 using these operation screens displayed on the display.

[0069] As in the first embodiment, buttons B101 to B104 are buttons for setting the print contents, with button B101 being a button for selecting the print color (color / black and white) and button B102 being a button for selecting the print side (single-sided / double-sided). Button B103 is a button for selecting the paper type, and button B104 is a button for setting the output destination of the printed matter, etc. Also, the number of copies to be printed can be set using a numeric keypad (not shown). As in the first embodiment, button B107 is a cancel button.

[0070] Button B108 is a test print setting button for setting whether or not test print is to be performed, and button B109 is a print start button. When the print start button B109 is pressed with the button B108 set to not perform test print, actual printing is performed and all pages are printed. However, when the print start button B109 is pressed with the button B108 set to perform test print, test print is performed, printing only one copy of the first page with the print settings set with buttons B101 to B104.

[0071] The inspection device 500 inspects the printed matter according to the preset inspection settings, regardless of whether or not a test print has been set by the button B108. When the button B107 is pressed, the settings already input by the user are canceled, and a predetermined initial screen is displayed on the display of the operation unit 200.

[0072] <Third embodiment> A third embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment will be omitted since all of its device configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the display on the operation unit screen during the execution of the test was described, but in the third embodiment, the contents related to the display of the test results on the operation unit screen after the test will be described.

[0073] (Explanation of the test result list screen on the operation panel) 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation unit screen displayed after the inspection is completed in the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the operation unit screen after the inspection is completed displays a list of inspection results as inspection result information. In the figure, area A1101 is an area that displays the print type and the inspection results in a list in the completed inspection. Note that the print type indicates whether the print job is a regular print or a test print. In this example, area A1101 displays the print type and information indicating the inspection contents, such as the job name, the inspection date and time, and the number of inspection NGs, but is not limited to this and other inspection contents may be displayed.

[0074] In the example of FIG. 11, the job name, inspection date and time, number of NG inspections, and print type are displayed on one button. For example, the button B1101 representing the first inspection result displays job #1 as the job name, 2022.10.1 0:00:00 as the inspection date and time, 0 as the NG number (number of inspection defects), and test print as the print type. Similarly, the buttons B1102 to B1104 representing the second to fourth inspection results display the job name, inspection date and time, number of NG inspections, and print type, respectively. By pressing a button corresponding to a desired inspection result from among the buttons B1101 to B1104 displayed in the area A1101, a screen showing detailed information about the inspection result information is displayed.

[0075] FIG. 12 shows an explanatory diagram of a screen showing detailed information of the inspection result information displayed when the button B1103 showing the third inspection result is pressed in FIG. 11. In this detailed screen, an area A1201 is an area for displaying the read image. An area A1202 is an area for displaying the inspection status such as the number of completed inspections, the number of inspections that have been NG, the inspection NG rate, and the type of NG. In this example, it is shown that the total number of sheets is 1, the number of inspected sheets is 1 (inspected: 1 / 1 sheets), the number of NG sheets is 1, the number of NG pages due to stains (streaks) is 1, and the NG rate is 100%. Note that the number of pages for misalignment (horizontal), misalignment (vertical), stains (dots), and reading failures is 0, and it is shown that these are not NG. In this way, the screen showing the detailed information displays more detailed information that is not displayed in the inspection result screen in FIG. 11.

[0076] Area A1203 is an area that displays the name of the job, and in this example, job #2 is displayed. Area A1204 is an area that displays whether the job is a proof print or a final print, and in this example, proof print is displayed. Area A1205 is an area that displays the date and time when the inspection was performed, and in this example, 2022.10.2 15:00:00 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 12, the scanned image is displayed in area A1201, so the user can visually recognize which print the inspection result information is being checked for.

[0077] In the third embodiment, the user can know the details of the inspection from a list screen showing the inspection result information, even for inspections that have been completed. In particular, the inspection result information includes information on whether trial printing or final printing was performed, and information on the inspection details (e.g., the inspection date and time, and the number of sheets of paper that resulted in NG, etc.), making it easy to check the inspection results. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to check whether there are any errors in the inspection settings by performing trial printing before final printing, and therefore it is possible to prevent the occurrence of NG paper due to the print inspection being NG due to an error in the inspection settings in the final printing. It is also possible to prevent the occurrence of reworking to review the inspection settings after final printing, and therefore to prevent a decrease in productivity.

[0078] As a modified example, when final printing is performed without changing the print settings after the test printing, the contents of the inspection result information can be changed. As shown in FIG. 11, the inspection result information includes information on whether test printing or final printing was performed, and information indicating the contents of the inspection, such as the job name, the inspection date and time, and the number of NGs. On the other hand, when final printing is performed without changing the print settings after the test printing, there is little need to display the contents of the inspection again, since the print settings have not been changed. On the other hand, it is highly important to confirm whether test printing or final printing was performed. Therefore, when final printing is performed without changing the print settings after the test printing, the contents of the inspection result information can be changed to display only information on whether test printing or final printing was performed.

[0079] Alternatively, the content of the inspection result information may be changed so that, in addition to the information on whether test printing or final printing has been performed, information other than the inspection content, such as the remaining amount of toner, the number of remaining sheets of paper, etc. is displayed. This eliminates the need for the user to check information such as the remaining amount of toner and the number of remaining sheets of paper again, improving productivity. Furthermore, after the final printing inspection process or the test printing inspection process is completed, the print image, the print settings of the printer 300, and the inspection settings of the inspection device 500 may be modified as necessary, and so-called recovery printing may be performed, in which printing is performed by the printer 300.

[0080] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of sheets of paper that are determined to have printing abnormalities during a print job. In the first to third embodiments, a method of presenting information such as the inspection results is adopted in which the information is displayed on a screen so that the user can visually confirm it, but this is not limited to this, and the information may be presented by voice or the like. In addition, in the first to third embodiments, if the inspection settings of the inspection device are incorrect, an inspection NG occurs in the actual printing, which wastes paper and prevents the need to go back and review the inspection settings after the actual printing.

Claims

1. a printing means for forming an image on a sheet based on image data to generate a printed matter; a reading means for reading the image formed on the printed matter; an inspection means for inspecting the result of reading the image by the reading means; a control means for controlling the printing means to execute the regular printing in response to an instruction for regular printing, and for controlling the printing means to execute the test printing in response to an instruction for test printing; An information presentation means, The control means displays the inspection result by the inspection means on the information presentation means when the test printing is performed. Image forming device.

2. The control means causes the inspection means to carry out the inspection in either case of carrying out the official printing or carrying out the test printing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The control means is characterized in that the information presenting means presents whether the main printing or the test printing is being performed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. The device further includes a means for accepting an operation from a user, The receiving means includes a first receiving means for receiving an operation to instruct execution of the regular printing, and a second receiving means for receiving an operation to instruct execution of the test printing, the control means causes the inspection means to execute the inspection in either case of receiving an operation to instruct execution of the regular printing from the first reception means or receiving an operation to instruct execution of the test printing from the second reception means.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The device further includes a means for accepting an operation from a user, the receiving means includes a third receiving means for receiving an operation to instruct execution of the regular printing, and a fourth receiving means for receiving an operation to set whether or not the test printing is to be executed, The control means When the fourth reception unit has not set that test printing is to be performed and an operation for instructing execution of the regular printing is received from the third reception unit, the regular printing is performed; When an operation for instructing execution of the regular printing is received from the third reception means in a state in which execution of the test printing is set in the fourth reception means, the test printing is executed; The control means causes the inspection means to execute the inspection regardless of the setting in the fourth reception means.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. Further comprising an information presentation means, the control means causes the inspection means to execute the inspection, and then causes the information presentation means to present inspection result information including information indicating whether the actual printing or the trial printing has been executed and information indicating the content of the inspection.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The control means causes the printing means to execute the printing based on a predetermined print setting, and when the final printing is executed without changing the print setting after the test printing is executed, causes the information presenting means to present information indicating whether the final printing or the test printing has been executed and information different from the information indicating the result of the inspection. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.

8. In the test printing, a part of the pages to be printed is printed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

9. In the test printing, a number of copies less than the number of copies specified is printed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The accepting unit further includes a fifth accepting unit for accepting an instruction to make the inspection of the printed matter unnecessary, when the control means receives an operation to instruct execution of the main printing in a state in which the fifth reception means has received an operation to make the inspection of the printed matter unnecessary, the control means does not cause the inspection means to perform the inspection, When the fifth reception means has received an operation for making the inspection of the printed matter unnecessary and an operation for instructing execution of the test printing has been received, the fifth reception means causes the inspection means to execute the inspection.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

Images