Information processing system and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing system and information processing program, which enable prediction of printing speed of a print job taking into account inspection of printed matter in a printing device.SOLUTION: An estimation unit 106 inputs new input information including information on a new print job or information on a printing device to a trained model pre-trained to receive input information including information on a print job or information on the printing device, including an inspection unit for inspecting printed matter printed by the print job and output printing speed of the print job, so as to output printing speed of the new print job.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a printed matter inspection system that includes a processor that inspects the quality of printed matter and a display unit that displays the results of the inspection. The processor reads and executes a program to compare a scanned image obtained by scanning a printed matter of a page that is the target of inspection among the pages that make up a job with a reference image created using rasterized data of the page that is the target of inspection, inspects a first defect present in the scanned image at a first inspection level that is a preset initial level or a level set by the user, automatically inspects a second defect present in the scanned image at a second inspection level that is different from the first inspection level, and displays the first defect and the second defect on the display unit in a distinguishable manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-136927 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Some printing devices are equipped with an inspection function that verifies the rasterized image when the print data is created and the scanned image when printing. When this inspection function detects an NG result, it discards all printed sheets on the paper path and reprints from the sheet that was detected as NG.

[0005] Here, when the required image quality or productivity exceeds a certain level, there is a trade-off between image quality and productivity. Productivity depends on the print speed, for example. The higher the print speed, the lower the image quality of some print jobs, increasing the rate of inspection failures and the number of discarded sheets. To maintain the required image quality, it is necessary to set an appropriate print speed.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system and an information processing program that can predict the printing speed of a print job based on the inspection of printed matter in a printing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the information processing system according to the first aspect includes a processor, and when the processor receives input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed materials printed by the print job, the processor outputs the printing speed of the new print job by inputting new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device into a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job.

[0008] An information processing system according to a second aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the print job information includes an image representing a printed matter to be generated before printing.

[0009] An information processing system according to a third aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the information about the print job includes information about settings of the print job.

[0010] An information processing system according to a fourth aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the information about the printing device includes information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device, or information about operating time.

[0011] An information processing system according to a fifth aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the processor sets the printing speed of the new print job for the printing device.

[0012] The information processing program according to the sixth aspect causes a computer to execute the following: when input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed matter printed by the print job is input, the computer outputs the printing speed of the new print job by inputting new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device into a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the first aspect, the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on the inspection of the printed matter in the printing device.

[0014] According to the second aspect, the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on an image representing a printed matter.

[0015] According to the third aspect, the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on information about the settings of the print job.

[0016] According to the fourth aspect, the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on information relating to pre-processing or post-processing, information relating to the configuration of the printing device, or information relating to the operating time.

[0017] According to the fifth aspect, the printing speed can be set for the printing device based on the predicted printing speed of the print job.

[0018] According to the sixth aspect, the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on the inspection of the printed matter in the printing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of an electrical system of a printing device in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main electrical system of a management device and a client computer in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a client computer in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a trained neural network model. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a learning process performed in a client computer of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an estimation process performed in a client computer of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] An example of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an information processing system in which a management device, a printing device, a client computer, etc. are connected to each other via communication lines such as various networks will be described as an example. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0021] 1, an information processing system 10 according to this embodiment includes a management device 11, a printing device 12, an inspection device 13, and a client computer 14. The management device 11, the printing device 12, the inspection device 13, and the client computer 14 are connected to each other via a communication line 18 such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the internet, or an intranet. The management device 11, the printing device 12, the inspection device 13, and the client computer 14 are each capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from each other via the communication line 18. In this embodiment, the client computer 14 issues a printing instruction to the printing device 12 via the management device 11, and the printing device 12 prints in accordance with the print instruction.

[0022] Although FIG. 1 shows one management device 11, one printing device 12, one inspection device 13, and one client computer 14, there may be a plurality of each, or there may be a plurality of any of them.

[0023] The printing device 12 according to this embodiment has multiple functions, such as a printing function for performing print processing, a post-processing function for performing post-processing on printed paper, etc. The multiple functions may include a reading function for reading an original to obtain image information representing the original, a copying function for copying an image recorded on the original onto paper, a facsimile function for sending and receiving various data via a telephone line (not shown), a transfer function for transferring original information such as image information read by the reading function, etc., and a storage function for storing original information such as read image information.

[0024] In the following description, the facsimile function may be referred to as fax, the reading function as scan, the printing function as print, and the copying function as copy.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electrical system of the printing device 12 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0026] 2, the printing device 12 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 20. The control unit 20 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0027] Meanwhile, the printing device 12 according to this embodiment includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 26 that stores various data, application programs, and the like. The printing device 12 is also connected to a user interface 22 and includes a display control unit 28 that controls the display of various operation screens and the like on the display of the user interface 22. The printing device 12 is also connected to the user interface 22 and includes an operation input detection unit 30 that detects operation instructions input via the user interface 22. In the printing device 12, the HDD 26, the display control unit 28, and the operation input detection unit 30 are electrically connected to a system bus 42. While the printing device 12 according to this embodiment uses the HDD 26 as a storage unit, this is not a limitation and a non-volatile storage unit such as a flash memory may also be used. Furthermore, while this embodiment uses a touch panel capable of displaying and inputting operations as the user interface 22, this is not a limitation and a user interface having a display and an operation unit that are separate may also be used.

[0028] The printing device 12 according to this embodiment also includes a print control unit 34 that controls the printing process performed by the printing unit 24, the transport of paper to the printing unit 24 by the transport unit 25, the post-processing performed by the post-processing unit 46, and the reading process of the printed material by the inspection unit 48. The printing device 12 may also include a read control unit that controls the optical image reading operation performed by the document reading unit and the document feeding operation performed by the document transport unit. The printing device 12 also includes a communication line I / F (interface) unit 36 ​​that is connected to the communication line 18 and transmits and receives communication data to and from other external devices, such as the client computer 14, connected to the communication line 18. The printing device 12 may also include a facsimile I / F (interface) that is connected to a telephone line (not shown) and transmits and receives facsimile data to and from a facsimile device connected to the telephone line. The printing device 12 may also include a transmission / reception control unit that controls the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38. In the printing device 12, the print control unit 34 and the communication line I / F unit 36 ​​are electrically connected to the system bus 42.

[0029] With the above configuration, the printing device 12 according to this embodiment uses the control unit 20 to control the display of information such as operation screens and various messages on the display of the user interface 22 via the display control unit 28. The printing device 12 also uses the control unit 20 to control the operation of the printing unit 24, conveying unit 25, post-processing unit 46, and inspection unit 48 via the print control unit 34, and to control the sending and receiving of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 36. Furthermore, the printing device 12 uses the control unit 20 to grasp the operation content of the user interface 22 based on the operation information detected by the operation input detection unit 30, and executes various controls based on this operation content.

[0030] In this embodiment, an example of an application stored in the HDD 26 includes an application that executes a function such as printing.

[0031] When the printing device 12 prints based on the printing information, the inspection device 13 inspects the printed matter by comparing the raster image represented by the printing information with the scanned image of the printed matter obtained by the inspection unit 48.

[0032] Next, the configuration of the main electrical parts of the management device 11 and the client computer 14 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main electrical parts of the management device 11 and the client computer 14 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the management device 11 and the client computer 14 have general computer configurations, and therefore, the following description will be given using the management device 11 as a representative.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3 , the management device 11 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 11A as an example of a processor, a ROM 11B, a RAM 11C, a storage 11D, an operation unit 11E, a display unit 11F, and a communication line I / F (interface) unit 11G. The CPU 11A controls the overall operation of the management device 11. The ROM 11B stores various control programs and parameters in advance. The RAM 11C is used as a work area when the CPU 11A executes various programs. The storage 11D stores various data and application programs. The operation unit 11E is used to input various information. The display unit 11F is used to display various information. The communication line I / F unit 11G is connected to a communication line 18 and transmits and receives various data to and from other devices connected to the communication line 18. The communication line I / F unit 11G may also be configured to be capable of directly communicating with each device using various well-known wireless communications. The above-described components of the management device 11 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 111. In the management device 11 according to this embodiment, the storage 11D is used as a storage unit, and examples of storage include non-volatile storage units such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and flash memories.

[0034] With the above configuration, the management device 11 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 11A to access the ROM 11B, RAM 11C, and storage 11D, to obtain various data via the operation unit 11E, and to display various information on the display unit 11F. In addition, the management device 11 uses the CPU 11A to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 11G.

[0035] In the information processing system 10 configured as above, the management device 11 manages a series of manufacturing processes. The series of manufacturing processes includes, for example, a production process, a prepress process, a plate making process, a printing process, a processing process, and a delivery process.

[0036] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the client computer 14. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the client computer 14.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, the client computer 14 is functionally configured to include a collection unit 101, a learning data storage unit 102, a learning unit 103, a model storage unit 104, a reception unit 105, an estimation unit 106, and an output unit 107.

[0038] The collection unit 101 collects learning data including pairs of input information related to past print jobs and the printing speed of the printing device 12 corresponding to the input information.

[0039] The input information may include print job information. Specifically, the print job information may include a raster image representing a printed matter generated before printing, or information about print job settings. The information about print job settings may include, for example, the presence or absence of special toner, the type of paper feed tray, the type of print paper, or the type of output tray. Print paper types include, for example, coated, matte, 90kg fine paper, 110kg fine paper, No. 3 long envelopes (long No. 3), No. 4 long envelopes (long No. 4), Western No. 3 long envelopes (Western No. 3 long envelopes), No. 3 square envelopes (square No. 3), No. 4 square envelopes (square No. 4), bank transfer forms, slips, regular postcards, reply postcards, New Year's postcards, etc.

[0040] The inspection device 13 has information relating to orders for printed materials, manufacturing information, and history information for managing inspection history.

[0041] The collection unit 101 collects information relating to raster images and print job settings in past print jobs from history information held by the management device 11.

[0042] The input information may include information about the printing device 12. Specifically, the information about the printing device 12 includes information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device 12, information about the operating time, and the like.

[0043] The information related to pre-processing includes the type of pre-processing or whether or not pre-processing is performed, and the type of pre-processing includes, for example, pre-printing, paper feeding, etc. The information related to post-processing includes the type of post-processing or whether or not pre-processing is performed, and the type of post-processing includes, for example, post-printing, paper feeding, etc.

[0044] The information about the configuration of the printing device 12 includes, for example, the distance between each device related to pre-processing, printing processing, post-processing, and shipping.

[0045] The information about the operating time includes, for example, the cumulative operating time of the printing device 12 or the continuous operating time of the printing device 12 .

[0046] The collection unit 101 acquires information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device 12, and information about the operating time from the history information held by the management device 11.

[0047] The collection unit 101 acquires the printing speed of the printing device 12 in past print jobs from the history information held by the management device 11.

[0048] For example, the collection unit 101 collects the printing speed of the printing device 12 when the number of times that NG occurred as an inspection result by the inspection device 13 in a past print job was equal to or less than a threshold. The threshold can be, for example, 0 or 1.

[0049] The learning data storage unit 102 stores a plurality of pieces of learning data collected by the collection unit 101.

[0050] The learning unit 103 receives input information based on a plurality of learning data and constructs a neural network model for estimating the printing speed of the printing device 12 corresponding to the input information.

[0051] Specifically, the trained neural network model accepts input information including at least one of a raster image, information about print job settings, information about pre-processing, information about post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device 12, and information about operating time, and outputs the printing speed of the printing device 12 corresponding to the input information (see FIG. 5). Deep learning can be used as an example of a learning algorithm, and the neural network model may be constructed so that when input information of learning data is input, the printing speed of the learning data is output.

[0052] More specifically, the input information of the learning data is used as input, and the printing speed is estimated as the model output. The estimated printing speed is compared with the printing speed of the learning data to calculate the error in the printing speed, and the parameters of the model may be updated to minimize the error value.

[0053] Here, the correlation between the various information included in the input information and the printing speed of the printing device 12 will be described.

[0054] First, the raster image can identify information about the pixels or printing positions on the sheet that affect image quality, providing information for determining the print speed at which stable printing is possible. Thus, there is a correlation between the raster image and the print speed of the printer 12, taking into account the inspection results from the inspection device 13.

[0055] The print job settings can identify information about consumables, paper paths, or print paper that affect image quality, providing information for determining the print speed at which stable printing is possible. In this way, there is a correlation between the information about the print job settings and the print speed of the printing device 12, taking into account the inspection results from the inspection device 13.

[0056] Information about the configuration of the printing device 12 can identify pre-processing, post-processing, paper path, and the operating status (durability) of the printing device 12, which affect image quality, and provide information for determining the print speed at which stable printing is possible. In this way, there is a correlation between information about the configuration of the printing device 12 and the print speed of the printing device 12, taking into account the inspection results from the inspection device 13.

[0057] The model storage unit 104 stores a trained neural network model.

[0058] The receiving unit 105 receives input information related to a new print job to be estimated.

[0059] The input information may include print job information. Specifically, the print job information may include a raster image representing a printed matter generated before printing, or information about print job settings. For example, the reception unit 105 receives a raster image, the presence or absence of special toner ("No"), the type of paper feed tray ("Tray 2"), the type of print paper ("90 kg fine paper"), or the type of output tray ("Tray 3"), all of which are acquired from the management device 11.

[0060] The input information may also include information about the printing device 12. Specifically, the information about the printing device 12 includes information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device 12, information about operating time, etc. For example, the reception unit 105 receives information acquired from the management device 11 or the printing device 12, such as a pre-processing type of "preprint", a post-processing type of "paper feed", information about the configuration of the printing device 12 "the distance between devices is 10 m", and the cumulative operating time of the printing device 12 "1000 hours".

[0061] The estimation unit 106 uses the trained neural network model stored in the model storage unit 104 to estimate the printing speed corresponding to the received input information.

[0062] Specifically, various pieces of information contained in the received input information are converted into data structures (e.g., scalar values, vectors, etc.) that can be input into a trained neural network model, and then input into the trained neural network model, and the printing speed of the printing device 12 is estimated from the output of the trained model.

[0063] The output unit 107 sets the estimated printing speed as the printing speed for the print job in the printing device 12.

[0064] At this time, the operator checks the inspection results from the inspection device 13, and if the inspection result is NG, the operator adjusts the printing speed of the printing device 12 to be slower. At this time, the collection unit 101 may acquire the adjusted printing speed as the correct printing speed, and collect pairs of input information related to the print job and the acquired printing speed as learning data.

[0065] Next, specific processing performed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0066] First, in the client computer 14, the CPU 14A reads out the learning program from the ROM 14B or the storage 14D, loads it into the RAM 14C, and executes it, thereby performing the learning process shown in FIG.

[0067] In step S100, the CPU 14A functions as the collection unit 101 to collect learning data including pairs of input information related to past print jobs and the printing speed of the printing device 12 corresponding to the input information, and stores the collected learning data in the learning data storage unit 102.

[0068] In step S102, the CPU 14A, as the learning unit 103, uses the input information as input based on multiple learning data, learns a neural network model for estimating the printing speed corresponding to the input information, stores it in the model memory unit 104, and terminates the learning process.

[0069] Next, in the client computer 14, the CPU 14A reads out the estimation program from the ROM 14B or the storage 14D, and deploys and executes it in the RAM 14C, thereby performing the estimation process shown in Fig. 7. Here, the estimation process is performed before printing is performed for the print job to be estimated. It is assumed that various information included in the input information for the print job has been input.

[0070] In step S110, CPU 14A functions as reception unit 105 and receives input information about the print job to be estimated, which is input by the user.

[0071] In step S112, CPU 14A functions as estimation unit 106 and uses the trained neural network model stored in model storage unit 104 to estimate the printing speed corresponding to the received input information.

[0072] In step S114, CPU 14A, as output unit 107, sets the estimated print speed as the print speed of the print job for printer 12, and ends the estimation process. Then, printer 12 performs print processing of the print job at the set print speed.

[0073] By performing the process in this manner, it is possible to predict and set the printing speed of a print job based on the inspection of the printed matter in the printing device.

[0074] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0075] For example, we have explained an example in which various types of input information are accepted and the printing speed of a print job is estimated, but it is also possible to accept only a portion of the various types of input information rather than accepting all of the various types of input information and estimate the printing speed of a print job.

[0076] In addition, although the example has been described in which the client computer 14 learns a model and estimates the printing speed of a print job, it may also be configured as being divided into a learning device that learns the model and an estimation device that estimates the printing speed of a print job.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0078] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0079] Furthermore, although the "system" in this embodiment is described as being composed of multiple devices as an example, it may also be composed of a single device that has some of the functions of the multiple devices.

[0080] The processing performed by the printing device 12 according to the above embodiment may be software-based, hardware-based, or a combination of both. The processing performed by the printing device 12 may also be stored as a program on a storage medium and distributed.

[0081] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0082] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments. (((1))) a processor, the processor comprising: When input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed matter printed by the print job is input, new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device is input to a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job, and the trained model outputs the printing speed of the new print job. Information processing system.

[0083] (((2))) the print job information includes an image representing a print to be generated before printing; The information processing system according to (((1))).

[0084] (((3))) The information about the print job includes information about settings of the print job. The information processing system according to (((1))) or (((2))).

[0085] (((4))) The information about the printing device includes information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device, or information about operating time. The information processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((3))).

[0086] (((5))) the processor sets a print speed for the new print job for the printing device; The information processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((4))).

[0087] (((6))) When input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed matter printed by the print job is input, new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device is input to a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job, and the trained model outputs the printing speed of the new print job. An information processing program that causes a computer to perform certain tasks.

[0088] According to (((1))), the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on the inspection of the printed matter in the printing device.

[0089] According to (((2))), the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on an image representing a printed matter.

[0090] According to (((3))), the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on information about the settings of the print job.

[0091] According to (((4))), the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device, or information about the operating time.

[0092] According to (((5))), the printing speed can be set for the printing device based on the predicted printing speed of the print job.

[0093] According to (((6))), the printing speed of a print job can be predicted based on the inspection of the printed matter in the printing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10 Information Processing Systems 11 Management device 12 Printing device 14 client computers 24 Printing Department 46 Post-processing section 48 Inspection Department 101 Collection Department 102 Learning data storage unit 103 Learning Department 104 Model Memory Unit 105 Reception 106 Estimation part 107 Output section

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: When input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed matter printed by the print job is input, new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device is input to a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job, and the trained model outputs the printing speed of the new print job. Information processing system.

2. the print job information includes an image representing a print to be generated before printing; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

3. The information about the print job includes information about settings of the print job. The information processing system according to claim 1 .

4. The information about the printing device includes information about pre-processing or post-processing, information about the configuration of the printing device, or information about operating time.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1.

5. the processor sets a print speed for the new print job for the printing device; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1.

6. When input information including information about a print job or information about a printing device including an inspection device that inspects printed matter printed by the print job is input, new input information including information about a new print job or information about the printing device is input to a trained model that has been trained in advance to output the printing speed of the print job, and the trained model outputs the printing speed of the new print job. An information processing program that causes a computer to perform certain tasks.

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