Printer, printer control method and program

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the workload of paper displacement while suppressing occurrence of paper spoilage even in a printing job for a multi-page manuscript.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a printing part which prints print data on a paper; an inspection execution part which inspects the paper printed by the printing part; and a control part which switches a discharge destination of a defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray on the basis of the number of papers during transportation and the prescribed number of acceptable spoilage papers when it is determined by the inspection execution part that the paper is the defective paper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a control method for a printing apparatus, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a printed matter output by a printing device, color materials such as ink and toner may adhere to unintended locations, causing stains. Alternatively, color materials may adhere to locations where images should be formed, resulting in insufficient color materials adhering to the location, causing color loss, resulting in a lighter color than intended. Print defects such as stains and color loss reduce the quality of printed matter. For this reason, it is necessary to guarantee the quality of printed matter by inspecting for print defects. For example, inspection is performed by calculating the presence or absence of defects based on the difference between a reference image that serves as the inspection standard for printed matter registered in advance and an inspection target image obtained by scanning the printed matter to be inspected. If the calculated difference is greater than a threshold value, the printed matter is judged to be defective. Hereinafter, when a printed matter is judged to be "defective," it is called inspection NG. Conversely, when a printed matter is judged to be "no defect," it is called inspection OK.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for automatically changing the setting of the escape mode (a function for automatically reprinting printed materials that have failed inspection) depending on the print job contents, specifically the number of originals. When a defective sheet occurs in a job in which multiple copies of a single original are printed (hereinafter referred to as a single-original job), the order of the printed sheets is maintained even if only the printed materials that have failed inspection are discharged to the error sheet discharge tray. However, if the user selects the escape mode to be on, the sheets that have been fed after the defective sheet are also discharged to a different discharge destination (error sheet discharge tray) from the normal sheets, resulting in unnecessary paper waste.

[0004] Therefore, in Patent Document 1, when defective paper is detected in a single-document job, the escape mode is automatically set to off, making it possible to reduce both the effort required for the user to manually replace printed material that fails inspection and the occurrence of paper waste. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-99649 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is only effective for jobs that contain one document at a time, and when defective paper is detected in a job that involves printing multiple documents with different images, the user must accept a trade-off between the effort and wasted paper.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that reduces the effort of replacing paper while suppressing the occurrence of paper waste, even in print jobs that involve multiple pages of original documents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a printing unit that prints the print data on paper; an inspection execution unit that inspects the paper printed by the printing unit; a control unit that switches a discharge destination of the defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray based on the number of sheets of paper being conveyed and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper when the inspection execution unit determines that the sheet is defective; The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, even in a print job involving multiple original documents, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of paper waste and reduce the effort required for replacing paper. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an examination setting unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a user interface for accepting an examination setting according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for accepting an examination setting according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an inspection device inspects a paper image according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing an operation outline and a paper ejection state when the escape mode is off according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing an operation outline and a paper ejection state when the escape mode is on according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing in an automatic switching mode according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for accepting an examination setting according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of transport path information and print setting information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a paper price table and an ink price table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a printing cost table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface for accepting an examination setting according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) One of the functions of an inspection system that inspects printed matter for defects is the escape mode, which is a function that automatically executes a reprint of a printed matter that fails the inspection.

[0013] When escape mode is off, prints that fail inspection are discharged into the same paper output tray as prints that pass inspection. The inspection system stores information about prints that fail inspection (page numbers, etc.) and notifies the user by displaying it on the inspection system's display. In the case of prints such as books, where the order in which prints are discharged into the paper output tray must be maintained, the prints that fail inspection are reprinted and manually replaced with the prints that fail inspection.

[0014] On the other hand, when escape mode is on, prints that fail inspection are discharged to an error paper output tray different from prints that pass inspection, and the prints that fail inspection are automatically reprinted. When escape mode is on, the order in which prints are discharged to the paper output tray is maintained. However, because prints are printed continuously, the paper following the print that is determined to be an inspection fail has already been input into the paper transport path, and these papers are also discharged to the error paper output tray. This is to maintain the order in which prints are discharged to the paper output tray, and the paper following the print that is determined to be an inspection fail is discharged to the error paper output tray regardless of whether the inspection was successful or not. In other words, when escape mode is on, the printed paper following the print that failed inspection is also discharged to the error paper output tray and reprinted, resulting in a lot of wasted paper.

[0015] To summarize the characteristics of escape mode, when escape mode is off, manual operation is required but paper waste can be reduced. On the other hand, when escape mode is on, automatic printing can continue even if an inspection result is NG, which increases productivity but also increases paper waste. For users, the two are in a trade-off relationship, and users must accept either the effort of manually replacing printouts that fail inspection or the paper waste that occurs to guarantee the printing order.

[0016] In this embodiment, a method of automatically switching the escape mode on / off is described as one method of adjusting the trade-off between the effort of replacing paper when the escape mode is off and the waste of paper that occurs when the escape mode is on.

[0017] More specifically, an example is described in which, when a printed sheet is inspected and it is determined that the sheet is defective, the destination for the defective sheet is switched between the first and second discharge trays based on the number of sheets of paper being transported and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste.

[0018] <Overall configuration of the printing device> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a printing device according to this embodiment. Print paper flows from right to left in the diagram. Reference numeral 101 denotes a paper feed unit, and a user loads paper into a paper input tray (paper input port) 110 inside the paper feed unit 101 before starting a print process. There are two other trays in addition to the paper input tray 110 inside the paper feed unit 101, and paper may be loaded into these. Multiple paper feed units 101 can be connected. Here, paper feed unit 124 has the same configuration as paper feed unit 101. Note that, in this configuration example, paper feed units of the same shape are connected, but two or more different paper feed units may be connected together.

[0019] After the print process starts, paper is taken in from a tray specified in the print job and transported by a transport path 111. Reference numeral 102 denotes a printing unit, and the outgoing path (upper part) of the transport path 111 includes a print head 113 that prints on the print paper on the transport path. The print head 113 can be configured, for example, to eject ink directly onto the paper or to transfer toner attached to a photosensitive body onto the paper, but this embodiment does not limit the printing method or manner. The return path (lower part) of the transport path 111 includes a flipping mechanism 114 for flipping the print paper over.

[0020] Reference numeral 112 denotes a roller, which is rotated to move the print belt and transport the paper. As shown in this configuration diagram, each unit has a plurality of rollers. Reference numeral 115 denotes a transport destination switching point, which includes a claw for switching the transport path. In this configuration diagram, a transport destination switching point 115 is disposed at every point where the transport path 111 branches from one to two. Reference numeral 103 denotes a fixing unit, which dries any ink or toner or other deposits printed on the print paper and fixes them to the print paper by applying pressure. Reference numeral 104 denotes a conversion unit, which, when double-sided printing is specified, switches the transport path downward after printing on the front side in order to print on the back side.

[0021] Reference numeral 105 denotes an inspection unit, which reads the conveyed printed matter with a scanner 116 and performs an inspection process to compare it with an inspection reference image. Reference numeral 106 denotes a paper insertion unit, which inserts paper to be sandwiched between printed matters from a paper insertion port 117 at a timing specified by the user. Reference numeral 107 denotes a discharge unit, which switches between discharging the printed matter to a discharge tray 118 or passing it to a subsequent unit. When a print job is generated, the discharge tray 118 can be specified as the discharge destination for the printed matter of that print job. It can also be specified as an escape destination for discharging printed matter that is determined to be NG as a result of the inspection process.

[0022] Reference numeral 108 denotes a large-capacity discharge unit, which switches between discharging printed materials to a discharge tray 119 or sending them to a subsequent unit. Discharge tray 119 can hold a larger volume of printed materials than discharge tray 118. Also, like discharge tray 118, it can be specified not only as a discharge tray for printed materials but also as an escape tray. Reference numeral 109 denotes a multi-outlet discharge unit, which allocates printed materials to discharge trays 120, 121, 122, and 123. Like discharge tray 118, these discharge trays can be specified not only as discharge trays for printed materials but also as escape trays.

[0023] Each of the above units has a controller that controls each unit. The controller can include a CPU, RAM, storage device, and external communication device, and can exchange information with other units and perform calculations using them.

[0024] <Functional configuration> 2 shows the configuration of each functional block of the printing device according to this embodiment. Each functional block is implemented as part of a controller that controls each unit shown in FIG.

[0025] The print job control unit 201 receives a print target file and corresponding print setting information from the user. It also acquires transport path information held by each unit. The print setting information and transport path information will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0026] The printing unit 202 receives a print job from the print job control unit 201, sends print data to the print head 113, and executes the print process when the paper flows from the print belt. A print job is a file to be printed that is received from a user and the corresponding print setting information.

[0027] The inspection setting unit 203 receives inspection settings for inspecting printed matter from a user. The inspection setting unit 203 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The inspection setting unit 203 also receives a print job and transport path information from the print job control unit 201. The reading unit 204 reads the paper with the scanner 116 at the timing when the paper flows from the print belt, and transmits it to the inspection execution unit 205 as an inspection target image. Based on the inspection settings received from the inspection setting unit 203, the inspection execution unit 205 compares a previously stored inspection reference image with the inspection target image received from the reading unit 204 to obtain an inspection result.

[0028] The inspection reference image is electronic data that can be compared with the inspection target image pixel by pixel. Possible methods include using RIP-completed electronic data of a print job received by the print job control unit 201 as the inspection reference image, or using electronic data obtained by reading an image that the user wants to use as a reference by the reading unit 204 as the inspection reference image. When using RIP-completed electronic data of a print job, the print job control unit 201 transmits the inspection reference image to the inspection setting unit 203 and the inspection execution unit 205 before the start of the print job. When using electronic data read by the reading unit 204, the inspection reference image is transmitted from the reading unit 204 to the inspection setting unit 203 and the inspection execution unit 205 before the start of the print job.

[0029] The destination control unit 206 receives the inspection result from the inspection execution unit 205, and controls the rollers 112 and the destination switching point 115 for the paper on which the inspection target image is printed, based on the print setting information managed by the print job control unit 201. In this way, the paper is discharged to either the first discharge tray 207 or the second discharge tray 208.

[0030] <Detailed configuration of the test settings section> Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of each functional block of the inspection setting unit 203 according to this embodiment. The inspection setting unit 203 includes a maximum conveyable number calculation unit 301, a display unit 302, and an inspection setting determination unit 303. The maximum conveyable number calculation unit 301 calculates the maximum conveyable number from conveying path information and print setting information. Details of the calculation method will be described later with reference to Fig. 10. The display unit 302 displays a user interface as shown in Figs. 4 and 14 and accepts inspection settings. The inspection setting determination unit 303 transmits the inspection settings accepted by the display unit 302 from the user to the inspection execution unit 205.

[0031] <User interface> 4 shows an example of a user interface that accepts settings of the allowable number of waste sheets and the on / off / automatic switching mode of the escape mode from the user on the display unit 302 according to the present embodiment. The setting unit 401 is a setting unit for setting the on / off / automatic switching mode of the escape mode, and functions as a mode receiving unit. The setting unit 402 is a setting unit for setting the allowable number of waste sheets received from the user, and functions as a number receiving unit.

[0032] The allowable number of waste sheets is used only when the automatic switching mode is applied by the setting unit 401. When the automatic switching mode is set, the escape mode is automatically switched on / off during printing according to the allowable number of waste sheets and the number of sheets being transported. Button 403 is a button for instructing the setting of the escape mode setting. Button 404 is a button for clearing all escape mode settings.

[0033] The printing device can operate in a first mode (escape mode off mode) in which the defective paper, the fed paper following the defective paper, and normal paper determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit 205 are discharged to a first discharge tray 207. The printing device can also operate in a second mode (escape mode on mode) in which the defective paper and the fed paper following the defective paper are discharged to a second discharge tray 208, and normal paper is discharged to the first discharge tray 207. The printing device can also operate in a third mode (automatic switching mode) in which the first mode and the second mode are automatically switched between.

[0034] This third mode (automatic switching mode) is a mode in which, when the inspection execution unit 205 determines that the paper is defective, the first mode and the second mode are automatically switched based on the number of sheets of paper being transported and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste.

[0035] <Processing> Next, a process in which the user sets the escape mode on / off / automatic switching mode will be described according to the flowchart in Fig. 5. In S501, the test setting unit 203 judges whether or not the user sets the escape mode. For example, when the user opens an escape mode setting screen, it may be judged that the escape mode is set. If the user sets the escape mode (Yes in S501), the process proceeds to S502. On the other hand, if the user does not set the escape mode (No in S501), the process proceeds to S505.

[0036] In S502, the test setting unit 203 accepts an escape mode setting via the setting unit 401 of the display unit 302 and the user interface shown in Fig. 4. In S503, the test setting unit 203 determines whether or not the automatic switching mode has been set in S502. If the automatic switching mode has been set (Yes in S503), the process proceeds to S504. On the other hand, if the automatic switching mode has not been set (No in S503), the process proceeds to S505.

[0037] In S504, the inspection setting unit 203 accepts the allowable number of waste sheets input by the user via the setting unit 402 of the display unit 302. In S505, in the case of S504, the inspection setting unit 203 determines the escape mode setting in response to the button 403 of the display unit 302 being pressed. Also, if a mode other than the automatic switching mode is set in S502 (No side in S503), the inspection setting unit 203 does not accept the allowable number of waste sheets and determines the escape mode setting in response to the button 403 being pressed. And, if the user does not set the escape mode (No side in S501), the inspection setting unit 203 determines the escape mode setting with the escape mode setting set to the initial value. This is the end of the series of processes in FIG. 5.

[0038] <Inspection details> 6 is a schematic diagram showing how the inspection unit 105 inspects a transmitted paper image. The inspection area and inspection items for the inspection unit 105 can be set through the display unit 302. There are various inspection items, but here, as an example, a front / back comparison inspection and a barcode readability inspection will be described.

[0039] Reference numeral 601 denotes a printout obtained by scanning the front side of the paper with the scanner 116, and reference numeral 602 denotes a paper image obtained by scanning the rear side of the paper with the scanner 116. Reference numerals 611, 612, and 620 denote inspection areas to be inspected. The inspection unit 105 first extracts numerical values ​​contained in the inspection areas 611 and 612 as character data by OCR (Optical Character Recognition). If printing is performed normally, it is assumed that the original data of the print job is configured so that the same numerical values ​​are printed on the front and back of the paper. This makes it possible to determine whether printing is performed as intended on the front and back of the paper. If the numerical values ​​extracted from the inspection areas 611 and 612 are the same, the printing is determined to be normal, and if they are different, the printing is determined to be defective.

[0040] Next, inspection unit 105 judges whether the barcode present in inspection area 620 is readable. If it is readable, it is judged that the barcode has been printed correctly, and if it is unreadable, it is judged that there is a defect in the printing of the barcode. Inspection unit 105 performs these inspections, and if any of the inspections judge that there is a printing defect, it judges the paper as an inspection-failed paper, and if no defects are detected in any of the inspections, it judges the paper as an inspection-passed paper.

[0041] The inspection unit 105 can also perform various other inspections such as paper print position inspection, paper overlap inspection, paper missing inspection, color misalignment inspection, and color inspection, but is not limited to these inspection contents.

[0042] Next, a description will be given of the operation when the inspection unit 105 determines that the sheet is an inspection-failed sheet. As an example, a job in which one copy has five pages will be described.

[0043] First, the operation in escape mode off will be described with reference to Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 7(b). Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 7(b) are diagrams for explaining the discharge destination of paper in escape mode off. Escape mode off is a setting in which, even if the inspection unit 105 judges a paper to be unsuccessful, the paper that failed inspection is discharged to the same discharge tray as the paper that passed inspection, and printing continues. As shown in Fig. 7(a), the inspection unit 105 performs image inspection on each paper (pages 1 to 5).

[0044] 7(a), when the escape mode is off, the first to third sheets and the fifth sheet, which are sheets that pass the inspection, and the fourth sheet, which is a sheet that fails the inspection, are all discharged to the first discharge tray 207. Finally, the first to fifth pages are stacked on the first discharge tray 207, and the fourth page, which fails the inspection, is stacked in a form mixed with the deliverables on the first discharge tray 207.

[0045] The arrows shown in Fig. 7(a) indicate the discharge direction, whether to discharge to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119) to which sheets determined to be normal images by the inspection execution unit 205 are discharged, or to the second discharge tray 208 to which sheets determined to be abnormal images by the inspection execution unit 205 are discharged. The first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119) is a discharge tray for discharging normal sheets determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit 205. The example of the arrow in Fig. 7(a) indicates the discharge direction for discharging to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119) as shown in Fig. 7(b).

[0046] Next, the operation in the escape mode on will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a) to Fig. 8(c). Fig. 8(a), Fig. 8(b) and Fig. 8(c) are diagrams for explaining the discharge destination of the paper in the escape mode on. The escape mode on is a setting in which, when the inspection unit 105 judges the paper to be an inspection failure, the paper that failed the inspection and the subsequent fed paper are discharged to a separate discharge tray from the paper that passed the inspection, and the image printed on the paper that failed the inspection is reprinted on another paper.

[0047] 8(a), when the escape mode is on, the first to third sheets, which are sheets that pass the inspection, are discharged to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119). On the other hand, the fourth sheet 801, which is a sheet that fails the inspection, is discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118). Furthermore, the fifth sheet 802, which is the sheet following the sheet that fails the inspection, is not inspected by the inspection unit 105, and is discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118) like the sheet that fails the inspection.

[0048] 8(b), the first to third sheets, which are inspection-failed sheets, are discharged to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119), and the inspection-failed sheet 801 and the succeeding sheet 802 of the inspection-failed sheet are discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118). After that, the image formed on the fourth sheet 801, which is the inspection-failed sheet, is reprinted on the sixth sheet 803. Furthermore, the image formed on the fifth sheet 802, which is the succeeding sheet of the inspection-failed sheet, is reprinted on the seventh sheet 804.

[0049] Then, the inspection unit 105 inspects the reprinted sixth sheet 803 and seventh sheet 804. If the reprinted sheets pass inspection, the sheets are discharged to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119). Finally, as shown in FIG. 8(c), a product in which pages 1 to 5 of sheets are aligned is stacked on the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119), and the sheet 801 that fails inspection and the subsequent sheet 802 that fails inspection are stacked on the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118).

[0050] Furthermore, when the escape mode is on, the inspection unit 105 does not inspect the succeeding sheet 802 of the inspection failed sheet 801, and the succeeding sheet 802 is discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118). As a result, the fourth sheet 801 and the fifth sheet 802 discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118) become waste sheets, but the page order of the deliverables stacked on the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119) is correct.

[0051] <Automatic switching mode processing> Next, the process of the automatic switching mode in which the transport destination is switched depending on the number of sheets being transported according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. In this description, a job in which a deliverable is discharged to the first discharge tray 207 will be assumed.

[0052] In S901, the inspection setting unit 203 accepts a decision to set the escape mode from the user via the user interface shown in Fig. 4. In S902, when the inspection setting unit 203 receives a print job from the print job control unit 201, it determines whether or not to inspect the printed matter. If the printed matter of the submitted job is to be inspected (Yes in S902), the process proceeds to S903. On the other hand, if the printed matter of the submitted print job is not to be inspected (No in S902), the process proceeds to S912.

[0053] In S903, the printing unit 202 executes actual printing processing. In S904, the inspection execution unit 205 executes image inspection processing on the paper read by the reading unit 204. In S905, the inspection execution unit 205 determines whether the paper is an inspection-failed paper (i.e., defective paper) based on the result of image inspection by the inspection unit 105. If the paper is an inspection-failed paper (Yes in S905), the process proceeds to S906. On the other hand, if the paper is an inspection-passed paper (i.e., normal paper) (No in S905), the process proceeds to S906.

[0054] In S906, the print job control unit 201 acquires the number of sheets of paper being transported. The number of sheets of paper being transported is the total number of sheets of paper that are present between the paper input tray 110 and the inspection unit 105 in the printing device and that have already been printed at the time when they are determined to be inspection-failed sheets. The number of sheets of paper being transported may increase or decrease when a job is completed or during maintenance.

[0055] In S907, the destination control unit 206 determines whether the number of sheets being conveyed is equal to or less than the allowable number of sheets of waste. If the number of sheets being conveyed is equal to or less than the allowable number of sheets of waste (Yes in S907), the process proceeds to S908. On the other hand, if the number of sheets being conveyed is not equal to or less than the allowable number of sheets of waste (No in S907), the process proceeds to S909.

[0056] In S908, the destination control unit 206 discharges the paper determined to be an inspection fail paper and the fed paper following the inspection fail paper to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118). That is, if the number of papers being conveyed is equal to or less than a predetermined allowable number of waste papers (Yes in S907), the destination control unit 206 switches the discharge destination of the defective paper and the fed paper following the defective paper to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118). After all the fed papers have been discharged, printing is temporarily stopped.

[0057] In S909, the destination control unit 206 holds information about the paper that failed inspection. In S910, the printing unit 202 resumes printing from the paper that failed inspection. That is, after the defective paper and the following fed paper are discharged to the second discharge tray 208 (discharge tray 118), the printing unit 202 resumes printing from the print data corresponding to the paper determined to be defective.

[0058] In S911, if the process was via S905, the destination control unit 206 discharges the paper determined to be an inspection-passed paper to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119). Also, if the process was via S909, the destination control unit 206 discharges the paper determined to be an inspection-failed paper to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119). In other words, if the number of papers being transported is greater than a predetermined allowable number of waste papers (No in S907), the destination control unit 206 switches the discharge destination of the defective paper to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119).

[0059] In S912, the printing unit 202 executes print processing on the sheets. In S913, the transport destination control unit 206 performs paper discharge processing on all the sheets to a paper discharge tray. In S914, the printing unit 202 determines whether or not the next sheet exists. If the next sheet exists, the process returns to S912. On the other hand, if the next sheet does not exist, the process ends.

[0060] In S915, the printing unit 202 determines whether the next sheet exists. If the next sheet exists, the process returns to S903, and the printing process and the inspection process for the next sheet are repeated, and the above process is performed for all sheets of the job. On the other hand, if the next sheet does not exist, the process proceeds to S916.

[0061] In S916, for sheets that have been determined to be inspection-failed sheets (Yes in S905) but have been discharged to the first discharge tray (No in S907), the inspection setting unit 203 presents the information on the inspection-failed sheets stored in S909 to the user via the display unit 302 or the like at the end of the job. That is, display control is performed to display information on the defective sheets on the display unit 302. From the presented information, the user can determine which sheets have been determined to be inspection-failed sheets but have been discharged to the first discharge tray 207 (discharge tray 119).

[0062] As described above, in this embodiment, the transport destination of the paper is controlled to be switched when an inspection failed paper occurs based on the allowable number of failed sheets and the number of sheets being transported. In other words, whether to use the automatic reprint function is automatically switched using the number of sheets being transported and the allowable number of failed sheets.

[0063] This makes it possible to reduce the amount of paper waste and the effort required to replace paper that has failed inspection. Thus, according to the present embodiment, even in a print job that involves multiple originals, it is possible to reduce the amount of paper waste and the effort required to replace paper.

[0064] (Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, an example will be described in which auxiliary information for setting the allowable number of waste sheets is presented to the user when the escape mode is set, and the user optimizes the allowable number of waste sheets and the setting of the on / off / automatic switching of the escape mode for each job. The auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: the number of pages included in each job, the number of copies to be printed, single-sided / double-sided, paper size, paper type, paper price according to the paper type, color setting, ink price according to the color setting, maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed, etc. This information is displayed on the user interface.

[0065] The system configuration, functional blocks, and user interface are almost the same as those in embodiment 1. Differences from embodiment 1 are the interface in Fig. 4 and the flowchart in Fig. 5, which will be described using the interface in Fig. 14 and the flowchart in Fig. 10.

[0066] <User interface> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing steps in the inspection setting unit 203 according to this embodiment, in which auxiliary information for setting the escape mode and the allowable number of sheets of waste is presented to the user when the escape mode is set, and the user optimizes the allowable number of sheets of waste for each job.

[0067] In S1001, the print job control unit 201 waits to receive a print job and determines whether or not the entire print job has been received. If the entire print job has been received, the process proceeds to S1002. On the other hand, if the entire print job has not been received, the process waits.

[0068] In S1002, the test setting unit 203 determines whether or not the user sets the escape mode. For example, if the user opens an escape mode setting screen, it may be determined that the escape mode is set. If the user sets the escape mode (Yes in S1002), the process proceeds to S1003. On the other hand, if the user does not set the escape mode (No in S1002), the process proceeds to S1014.

[0069] In S1003, the maximum conveyable number calculation unit 301 acquires conveyance path information from the print job control unit 201. The conveyance path information is information as shown in Fig. 11(a) and indicates the path along which paper is conveyed during printing. The conveyance path information includes a conveyance path length D1 (values ​​for single-sided printing and double-sided printing) from the print head 113 to the inspection unit 105. The conveyance path information also includes a conveyance path length D2 from each of the paper input trays 110 and 124 to the print head 113.

[0070] In S1004, maximum conveyable sheet count calculation unit 301 acquires print setting information for each print job, starting from the top of the received job IDs. The print setting information is information managed by print job control unit 201, and is information such as that shown in FIG. 11(b). The print setting information includes print settings for a single job or multiple jobs. The print setting for one job includes data on at least one of the job ID, paper size, single-sided / double-sided, paper input slot, and distance between sheets. The distance between sheets is a value determined by the specifications of print unit 102 (print speed, etc.) and paper size, and is data that print job control unit 201 holds in advance for each paper size.

[0071] In S1005, the maximum conveyable sheet number calculation unit 301 determines whether the printing is single-sided. If the printing is single-sided (Yes in S1005), the process proceeds to S1006. On the other hand, if the printing is not single-sided (No in S1005), the process proceeds to S1007.

[0072] In S1006, the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed calculation unit 301 determines the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed based on the formula ROUNDUP((conveyance path length D1 [single-sided] + conveyance path length D2 [paper inlet]) / (paper size (conveyance direction) + distance between sheets)). If there is a decimal point, it will affect the following sheet and will be discharged as a waste sheet, so ROUDUP, i.e., the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed is determined by rounding up the decimal point.

[0073] In S1007, the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed calculation unit 301 determines the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed based on the formula ROUNDUP((conveyance path length D1 [both sides] + conveyance path length D2 [paper inlet]) / (paper size (conveyance direction) + distance between sheets)). If there is a decimal point, it will affect the following sheet and it will be discharged as a waste sheet, so ROUDUP, that is, the decimal point is rounded up to determine the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed.

[0074] Here, in the case of the transport path information shown in Fig. 11(a) and the print setting information shown in Fig. 11(b), the maximum number of sheets that can be transported is calculated as follows. When the job ID is 00001, the maximum number of sheets that can be transported is ROUNDUP((1320 cm + 210 cm) / (29.7 cm (A4 portrait) + 30 cm)) = 26 sheets. Using a similar formula, the maximum number of sheets that can be transported when the job ID is 00002 is 11 sheets, and the maximum number of sheets that can be transported when the job ID is 00003 is 26 sheets.

[0075] In S1008, the test setting unit 203 acquires the paper price for each paper type from the paper size and paper type information included in the acquired print setting information. The paper price for each paper type is, for example, information as shown in Fig. 12(a), and has paper price data according to the combination of the paper type and the paper size.

[0076] In S1009, the test setting unit 203 acquires the ink price for each color setting from the color setting information included in the acquired print setting information. The ink price for each color setting is, for example, information as shown in FIG. 12B, and has ink price data according to the color setting.

[0077] In S1010, the inspection setting unit 203 generates or updates a print cost table including information on the cost required for printing for each job ID, as shown in Fig. 13. The paper price, ink price, and maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed acquired in the above steps are reflected in columns 1301, 1302, and 1303 in Fig. 13, respectively.

[0078] In S1011, the print job control unit 201 determines whether or not there is a next print job. If there is a next print job (Yes in S1011), the process returns to S1004, and the print cost table update process for the next print job is repeated, and the above process is performed for all print jobs. On the other hand, if there is no next print job (No in S1011), that is, if the process for all print jobs is completed, the process proceeds to S1012.

[0079] In S1012, the inspection setting unit 203 displays the generated printing cost table on the display unit 302. In S1013, the inspection setting unit 203 accepts an escape mode setting and an allowable number of waste sheets from a user interface in Fig. 14, which will be described later.

[0080] In S1014, the test setting unit 203 determines the escape mode setting based on the result of reception in S1013. If the user does not set the escape mode (No in S1002), the escape mode setting is determined as the initial value state. In S1015, the printing unit 202 starts the print process under the determined escape mode setting.

[0081] Here, Figure 14 is an example of a user interface for accepting the allowable number of waste sheets and the escape mode on / off / automatic switching mode from the user via a printing cost table displayed on the display unit 302 in the processing of the flowchart of Figure 10.

[0082] Table 1401 is a table display unit for displaying the print cost table in the flowchart of Fig. 10. A setting unit 1402 receives the allowable number of waste sheets for each job ID from the user. The allowable number of waste sheets is used only when the automatic switching mode is applied. A setting unit 1403 receives escape mode on / off / automatic switching mode for each job ID from the user.

[0083] When the automatic switching mode is set, the escape mode is automatically switched on / off during printing according to the allowable number of waste sheets and the number of sheets being conveyed set in the setting section 1402. A button 1404 is a button for instructing the escape mode setting. A button 1405 is a button for clearing all escape mode settings.

[0084] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if a user has difficulty inputting the allowable number of sheets of waste or selecting the escape mode, the user can optimize the settings for the allowable number of sheets of waste and the on / off / automatic switching of the escape mode for each job.

[0085] [Other examples] The number of sheets of paper being transported varies depending on whether printing or maintenance is in progress, whether double-sided printing or single-sided printing is in progress, etc. For example, during double-sided printing, the number of sheets of paper being transported is, for example, 30 sheets. This is because the number of sheets of paper being transported increases because the sheets are transported downward, such as to the turn-over mechanism 114 and the destination switching point 115 shown in FIG. 1. During single-sided printing, the number of sheets of paper being transported is, for example, 12 sheets. This is because the sheets are not transported downward, such as to the turn-over mechanism 114 and the destination switching point 115 shown in FIG. 1, so the number of sheets of paper being transported decreases. Also, during maintenance or at the end of a print job, the number of sheets of paper being transported decreases (for example, 3 to 5 sheets).

[0086] Here, for example, assume that the allowable number of waste sheets is 6. In this case, during double-sided printing, the number of sheets being conveyed is 30 sheets>the allowable number of waste sheets is 6 sheets, so the escape mode is automatically switched off to reduce waste sheets, and the sheets are discharged to a normal discharge tray (for example, discharge tray 119). Similarly, during single-sided printing, the number of sheets being conveyed is 12 sheets>the allowable number of waste sheets is 6 sheets, so the escape mode is automatically switched off to reduce waste sheets, and the sheets are discharged to a normal discharge tray (for example, discharge tray 119). Also, during maintenance or at the end of a print job, the number of sheets being conveyed is 3 to 5 sheets<the allowable number of waste sheets is 6 sheets, so the escape mode is automatically switched on to allow waste sheets and reduce the effort of replacing the sheets. Then, the sheets are discharged to an escape discharge tray (for example, discharge tray 118).

[0087] The allowable number of waste sheets is not limited to the example in which the user inputs and determines it, and may be configured to select a predetermined value according to the paper cost and / or the ink price. For example, as shown in FIG. 12(a), when the paper price is equal to or higher than a predetermined price, the allowable number of waste sheets may be determined as a first value (e.g., 5 sheets), and when the paper price is less than the predetermined price, the allowable number of waste sheets may be determined as a second value (e.g., 10 sheets) greater than the first value. Also, as shown in FIG. 12(b), when the ink price is equal to or higher than a predetermined price, the allowable number of waste sheets may be determined as a first value (e.g., 5 sheets), and when the ink price is less than the predetermined price, the allowable number of waste sheets may be determined as a second value (e.g., 10 sheets) greater than the first value. Also, table information that predefines the allowable number of waste sheets according to a combination of the paper cost and the ink price may be stored, and the allowable number of waste sheets may be determined based on this table information. The automatically determined allowable number of waste sheets may be presented to the user, and the user may directly input a change.

[0088] The disclosure of this specification includes the following printing device, printing device control method, and program.

[0089] (Item 1) 1. A printing device, comprising: a printing unit that prints the print data on paper; an inspection execution unit that inspects the paper printed by the printing unit; a control unit that switches a discharge destination of the defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray based on the number of sheets of paper being conveyed and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper when the inspection execution unit determines that the sheet is defective; A printing device comprising:

[0090] (Item 2) The printing device according to item 1, characterized in that the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper to the first discharge tray when the number of sheets of paper being transported is greater than the predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper.

[0091] (Item 3) 3. The printing device according to item 1 or 2, wherein the first ejection tray is an ejection tray to which normal paper that has been determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit is ejected.

[0092] (Item 4) The printing device described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper to the second discharge tray when the number of sheets of paper being transported is less than the specified allowable number of sheets of waste.

[0093] (Item 5) The printing device described in item 4 is characterized in that, when the number of sheets of paper being transported is less than or equal to the specified allowable number of sheets of waste paper, the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper and the fed paper following the defective paper to the second discharge tray.

[0094] (Item 6) The printing device described in item 5 is characterized in that the printing unit resumes printing from the print data corresponding to the paper determined to be the defective paper after the defective paper and the fed paper have been discharged to the second discharge tray.

[0095] (Item 7) The printing device includes: a first mode in which the defective sheet, the fed sheet following the defective sheet, and normal sheets determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit are discharged to the first discharge tray; a second mode in which the defective paper and the fed paper are discharged to the second discharge tray and the normal paper is discharged to the first discharge tray; or A third mode for automatically switching between the first mode and the second mode. 7. The printing device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that it is operable in the following manner.

[0096] (Item 8) The printing device described in item 7, characterized in that the third mode is a mode in which, when the inspection execution unit determines that the paper is defective paper, the first mode and the second mode are automatically switched between based on the number of sheets of paper being transported and the specified allowable number of sheets of waste.

[0097] (Item 9) 9. The printing device according to item 7 or 8, further comprising a mode accepting unit that accepts a selection of the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode.

[0098] (Item 10) 10. The printing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 9, further comprising a sheet number receiving unit that receives a setting of the predetermined allowable number of waste sheets.

[0099] (Item 11) 11. The printing device according to any one of items 1 to 10, further comprising a display control unit that displays information about the defective paper on a display unit.

[0100] (Item 12) a conveyance path information acquisition means for acquiring conveyance path information indicating a path along which paper is conveyed during printing; A print setting information acquisition means for acquiring print setting information; 12. The printing device according to any one of items 1 to 11, further comprising:

[0101] (Item 13) Item 13. The printing device according to item 12, further comprising a generating means for generating a printing cost table including information on the costs required for printing for each print job based on the transport path information and the print setting information.

[0102] (Item 14) 14. The printing device according to item 12 or 13, wherein the print setting information includes data on at least one of a print job ID, paper size, single-sided / double-sided printing, paper input slot, and paper spacing.

[0103] (Item 15) A printing device described in any one of items 1 to 14, characterized in that the number of sheets of paper being transported is the total number of sheets of paper that have already been printed on at the time they are determined to be defective and are present between the paper input tray in the printing device and the inspection unit including the inspection execution unit.

[0104] (Item 16) A method for controlling a printing device, comprising: a printing process for printing the print data on paper; an inspection execution step of inspecting the paper printed by the printing step; a control step of switching a discharge destination of the defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray based on the number of sheets of paper being conveyed and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper when the sheet of paper is determined to be defective by the inspection execution step; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising:

[0105] (Item 17) A program for causing a computer to function as the printing device according to any one of items 1 to 15.

[0106] (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.

[0107] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 101: paper feed unit, 102: printing unit, 103: fixing unit, 104: conversion unit, 105: inspection unit, 106: paper insertion unit, 107: discharge unit, 108: large-capacity discharge unit, 109: multi-outlet discharge unit, 110: tray, 111: transport path, 112: roller, 113: head, 114: flip mechanism, 115: transport destination switching point, 116: scanner, 117: paper insertion port, 118-123: discharge tray, 124: paper feed unit

Claims

1. 1. A printing device, comprising: a printing unit that prints the print data on paper; an inspection execution unit that inspects the paper printed by the printing unit; a control unit that switches a discharge destination of the defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray based on the number of sheets of paper being conveyed and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper when the inspection execution unit determines that the sheet is defective; A printing device comprising:

2. 2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper to the first discharge tray when the number of the sheets being conveyed is greater than the predetermined allowable number of defective sheets.

3. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first discharge tray is a discharge tray to which normal paper that has been determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit is discharged.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper to the second discharge tray when the number of the sheets being conveyed is equal to or less than the predetermined allowable number of waste sheets.

5. The printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, when the number of sheets of paper being transported is less than or equal to the specified allowable number of sheets of waste paper, the control unit switches the discharge destination of the defective paper and the fed paper following the defective paper to the second discharge tray.

6. The printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the printing unit resumes printing from the print data corresponding to the paper determined to be the defective paper after the defective paper and the fed paper have been discharged to the second discharge tray.

7. The printing device includes: a first mode in which the defective sheet, the fed sheet following the defective sheet, and normal sheets determined to be free of defects by the inspection execution unit are discharged to the first discharge tray; a second mode in which the defective paper and the fed paper are discharged to the second discharge tray and the normal paper is discharged to the first discharge tray; or A third mode for automatically switching between the first mode and the second mode.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing device is operable in a multi-threaded manner.

8. The printing device according to claim 7, characterized in that the third mode is a mode in which, when the inspection execution unit determines that the paper is defective paper, the first mode and the second mode are automatically switched between based on the number of sheets of paper being transported and the specified allowable number of sheets of waste paper.

9. 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a mode accepting unit that accepts a selection of the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode.

10. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet number receiving unit that receives a setting of the predetermined allowable number of waste sheets.

11. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit for displaying the information about the defective paper on a display unit.

12. a conveyance path information acquisition means for acquiring conveyance path information indicating a path along which paper is conveyed during printing; A print setting information acquisition means for acquiring print setting information; The printing device of claim 1 , further comprising:

13. 13. The printing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a generating unit that generates a print cost table including information on costs required for printing for each print job based on the transport path information and the print setting information.

14. 13. The printing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the print setting information includes data relating to at least one of a print job ID, a paper size, single-sided / double-sided printing, a paper input port, and a distance between sheets.

15. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of sheets of paper being transported is the total number of sheets of paper that have already been printed on at the time they are determined to be defective and are present between the paper input tray in the printing device and an inspection unit including the inspection execution section.

16. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising: a printing process for printing the print data on paper; an inspection execution step of inspecting the paper printed by the printing step; a control step of switching a discharge destination of the defective paper between a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray based on the number of sheets of paper being conveyed and a predetermined allowable number of sheets of waste paper when the sheet of paper is determined to be defective by the inspection execution step; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising:

17. A program for causing a computer to function as the printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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