Image forming system, ejecting method and program

Abstract

To provide an image forming system, an ejecting method and a program which can reduce time and effort in cleaning up a printing medium, when a quality abnormality of the recording medium is detected.SOLUTION: An image forming system comprises: an image forming part that forms images on a plurality of recording media; an inspecting part that detects a quality abnormality of the recording media having the images formed thereon; and a control part that makes a first ejecting part eject the recording medium on which the same image as the image formed on the abnormal recording medium from which the quality abnormality is detected is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming system, an ejection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an image forming system in which an inspection unit is arranged downstream of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper. The inspection unit inspects the recording medium on which the image is formed for quality abnormalities. In such an image forming system, recording media that are determined to have quality abnormalities during inspection are discharged to a purge tray that is different from the normal paper discharge tray, and the recording media with the quality abnormalities are printed again, allowing the entire printing process to continue.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming system that, when a quality abnormality occurs in a recording medium on which an image has been formed, outputs the recording medium on which the quality abnormality occurred and the recording media that follow it to a purge tray. In this way, by discharging all recording media following the recording medium on which the quality abnormality occurred to the purge tray, an operator can easily grasp the position of the recording medium on which the quality abnormality occurred and the original insertion position of the reprinted recording media. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-008116 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the image forming system described in Patent Document 1, reprinted recording media are also discharged to a purge tray. Therefore, even if an operator can determine the insertion position of the reprinted recording media, the operator must find the target recording media among the recording media discharged to the purge tray and manually reinsert them in the correct position. Therefore, this type of image forming system has the problem that if a quality abnormality occurs in a recording medium, the labor required to rearrange the order of the recording media increases.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image forming system, an ejection method, and a program that can reduce the effort required to organize recording media when a quality abnormality in the recording media is detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image forming system according to the present disclosure includes: an image forming unit that forms images on a plurality of recording media; an inspection unit that detects quality abnormalities of the recording medium on which the image is formed; a control unit that causes a recording medium on which an image identical to the image of the abnormal recording medium, which is the recording medium on which the quality abnormality has been detected, to be discharged to a first discharge unit; Equipped with.

[0008] The discharge method according to the present disclosure includes: forming images on a plurality of recording media; detecting a quality abnormality of the recording medium on which the image is formed; A recording medium on which an image identical to the image of the defective recording medium, which is a recording medium on which the quality abnormality has been detected, is discharged to a first discharge section.

[0009] The program according to the present disclosure is The above-described ejection method is executed by a computer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, when a quality abnormality in a recording medium is detected, the effort required to organize the recording medium can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main parts of a control system of the image forming system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control unit in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a first example of the setting of the discharge destination of the paper. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a second example of the setting of the discharge destination of the paper. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a third example of the setting of the paper discharge destination. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a fourth example of the setting of the discharge destination of the paper. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the discharge control process according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or equivalent parts, and this is common throughout the entire specification.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. An image forming system according to the present embodiment is capable of forming an image on paper (recording medium) such as a sheet of paper. Note that, although the following description will be given taking as an example a case where paper is used as the recording medium, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and other media such as cloth may also be used.

[0014] [Configuration of image forming system 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the main parts of a control system of the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming system 1 is configured to include an image forming apparatus 100, a paper feed unit 200, a reading unit 300, an inspection unit 500, and a paper discharge unit 400.

[0015] Image forming apparatus 100 is an intermediate transfer type color image forming apparatus that utilizes electrophotographic process technology. That is, image forming apparatus 100 forms an image by primarily transferring toner images of each color (CMYK) formed on a photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer member, superimposing the four color toner images on the intermediate transfer member, and then secondary transferring the images onto paper. CMYK stands for cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K).

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 employs a tandem system in which photosensitive elements corresponding to the four colors CMYK are arranged in series in the direction of travel of the intermediate transfer body, and toner images of each color are transferred sequentially to the intermediate transfer body in a single step.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1 includes an image processing unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a fixing unit 30, a paper transport unit 40, an operation display unit 50, a communication unit 71, a memory unit 72, a control unit 600, a paper feed unit 200, a reading unit 300, an inspection unit 500, and a paper discharge unit 400.

[0018] The image processing unit 10 includes a circuit for performing image processing on input image data according to initial settings or user settings, etc. The image forming unit 20 is controlled based on the image data that has undergone image processing.

[0019] The image forming section 20 includes an image forming unit 21, an intermediate transfer unit 22, a secondary transfer unit 23, etc. The image forming unit 21 forms an image using color toner of each color component based on image data from the image processing section 10. For example, the image forming unit 21 forms an image using color toner of each color component of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black).

[0020] The image forming unit 21 has, for each color, an exposure device, a developing device, a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a drum cleaning device, etc. Known technologies can be used for the exposure device, developing device, photosensitive drum, charging device, and drum cleaning device, so detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0021] The intermediate transfer unit 22 includes an intermediate transfer belt and other components. The intermediate transfer belt is looped and stretched around multiple support rollers, and travels in the direction of arrow A. The intermediate transfer unit 22 also includes support rollers such as a backup roller, a primary transfer roller, and a drive roller, but these are not shown here. The intermediate transfer belt is pressed against the photosensitive drum, thereby transferring the toner image from the photosensitive drum to the intermediate transfer belt.

[0022] The intermediate transfer unit 22 may be configured to include a belt cleaning device having a plate-shaped belt cleaning blade or the like that slides against the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The belt cleaning device removes residual toner and the like that remains on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the secondary transfer.

[0023] The secondary transfer unit 23 includes a secondary transfer roller, etc. The secondary transfer roller is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt, thereby forming a secondary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller.

[0024] In the secondary transfer unit 23, when a sheet of paper is transported to the secondary transfer nip, the toner images of each color carried on the intermediate transfer belt are transferred onto the sheet of paper at once. The sheet of paper onto which the toner images have been transferred is transported toward the fixing unit 30 by the secondary transfer roller.

[0025] As the secondary transfer unit 23, instead of a roller-type secondary transfer unit having a secondary transfer roller or the like, a belt-type secondary transfer unit having a secondary transfer belt or the like stretched over multiple support rollers may be used.

[0026] The fixing unit 30 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller. The fixing roller is heated to a predetermined fixing temperature, and the pressure roller forms a fixing nip between the fixing roller and the pressure roller, which sandwiches and transports the paper. In the fixing unit 30, the toner image is fixed to the paper by applying heat and pressure to the paper, which has been secondarily transferred, in the fixing nip.

[0027] The paper transport unit 40 includes a transport path unit 41. The transport path unit 41 is configured with, for example, a path for transporting paper, multiple transport rollers, and a drive motor for driving the transport rollers to rotate. The transport path unit 41 transports paper supplied from the paper feed unit 200 to the secondary transfer unit 23 and the fixing unit 30, and then transports the paper to the paper discharge unit 400.

[0028] In the transport path section 41, a pair of registration rollers 41a is provided upstream of the secondary transfer unit 23 in the paper transport direction D. The pair of registration rollers 41a adjusts the transport timing and direction (angle) of the paper to be transported to the secondary transfer unit 23.

[0029] The operation display unit 50 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, and functions as a display unit and an operation unit. The display unit displays various operation screens, image status displays, and the operating status of each function in accordance with a display control signal input from the control unit 600. The operation unit has various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, accepts various input operations by the user, and outputs operation signals to the control unit 600.

[0030] The paper feed unit 200 is disposed upstream of the image forming apparatus 100 in the paper transport direction D, and is connected to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0031] Paper feed unit 200 has multiple paper feed trays 201, 202, and 203, and each of paper feed trays 201, 202, and 203 stores sheets of paper (standard paper or special paper) identified based on basis weight, size, etc., according to a preset type. Based on an instruction from image forming apparatus 100, paper feed unit 200 supplies the specified paper to image forming apparatus 100.

[0032] The reading unit 300 is disposed between the paper feed unit 200 and the image forming apparatus 100, and is connected to the paper feed unit 200 on the upstream side in the paper transport direction D and to the image forming apparatus 100 on the downstream side.

[0033] Reading unit 300 has sensors 301 and 302 that read paper transported from paper feed unit 200. Sensor 301 is located above the path along which paper is transported, facing the paper being transported, and is configured to read the front (upper) side of the paper being transported. Sensor 302 is located below the path along which paper is transported, facing the paper being transported, and is configured to read the back (lower) side of the paper being transported.

[0034] For example, CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) or CISs (Contact Image Sensors) are used as sensors 301 and 302. Furthermore, for sensors 301 and 302, line sensors that extend across a width equal to or greater than the width of the paper (the width in the direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction D), such as line scanners or line sensor cameras, are used.

[0035] The sensors 301 and 302 acquire paper information, which is information relating to paper. The sensors 301 and 302 acquire, as paper information, for example, the size of the paper (paper width, paper length, etc.) and the position of the paper.

[0036] Here, as an example, the reading unit 300 is configured to have sensors 301 and 302 that read both sides (front and back) of the paper, but this is not limited to this, and it may also be configured to have, for example, only sensor 301 that reads one side (front) of the paper.

[0037] The inspection unit 500 is disposed between the image forming apparatus 100 and the paper discharge unit 400 in the paper transport direction D. The inspection unit 500 is connected to the image forming apparatus 100 on the upstream side and to the paper discharge unit 400 on the downstream side.

[0038] The inspection unit 500 inspects the condition of the paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 100. The inspection unit 500 has sensors 501 and 502 that read the paper conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0039] Sensor 501 is arranged above the path along which paper is transported, facing the paper being transported, and is configured to read the front (upper) side of the paper being transported. Sensor 502 is arranged below the path along which paper is transported, facing the paper being transported, and is configured to read the back (lower) side of the paper being transported.

[0040] As sensors 501 and 502, for example, a CCD or CIS is used, similar to sensors 301 and 302 of reading unit 300. Furthermore, as sensors 501 and 502, a line sensor extending across a width equal to or greater than the width of the paper (the width in the direction perpendicular to paper conveyance direction D), for example, a line scanner or a line sensor camera, is used.

[0041] The sensors 501 and 502 read the image formed on the paper. Note that, here, as an example, the inspection unit 500 is configured to have the sensors 501 and 502 that read both sides (front and back) of the paper, but is not limited to this, and may be configured to have only the sensor 501 that reads one side (front) of the paper, for example.

[0042] Inspection unit 500 reads the image formed on the paper using sensors 501 and 502, and detects the presence or absence of quality abnormalities in the paper based on the read image. Quality abnormalities are what is known as "waste," such as poor image formation on the paper and poor paper conditions such as paper size.

[0043] The paper discharge unit 400 is disposed downstream of the inspection unit 500 in the paper conveying direction D, and is connected to the image forming apparatus 100 via the inspection unit 500. The paper discharge unit 400 has a paper discharge tray 401 and a purge tray 402, and discharges conveyed paper to the paper discharge tray 401 or the purge tray 402.

[0044] The paper output tray 401 outputs paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 100. The purge tray 402 outputs paper on which a quality abnormality has been detected as a result of the paper being read by the inspection unit 500, for example. The paper output to the paper output tray 401 and the purge tray 402 is controlled by the control unit 600. Note that if the paper size read by the reading unit 300 does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the paper output unit 400 may output paper on which an image has not been formed by the image forming apparatus 100 from the purge tray 402, as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow in FIG.

[0045] The control unit 600 is connected to the above-mentioned image processing unit 10, image forming unit 20, fixing unit 30, paper transport unit 40, operation display unit 50, communication unit 71, memory unit 72, paper feed unit 200, reading unit 300, inspection unit 500, and paper discharge unit 400. The control unit 600 issues various instructions to each of these units and executes predetermined processes.

[0046] The control unit 600 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 602, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603. The CPU 601 reads a program corresponding to the processing content from the ROM 602, loads it into the RAM 603, and centrally controls the operation of each block of the image forming system 1 in cooperation with the loaded program. At this time, various data such as an LUT (Look Up Table) stored in the storage unit 72 is referenced. The storage unit 72 is configured, for example, with a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or a hard disk drive.

[0047] The control unit 600 transmits and receives various data to and from an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) via the communication unit 71. The control unit 600 receives, for example, image data transmitted from an external device and forms an image on paper based on this image data (input image data). The communication unit 71 is configured, for example, by a communication control card such as a LAN card.

[0048] In this embodiment, the control unit 600 performs a discharge control process to control the discharge destination of the paper when a quality abnormality occurs in the paper on which an image has been formed. The discharge control process will be described in detail later.

[0049] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control unit 600 in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 600 has an image acquisition unit 611, a comparison and judgment unit 612, a discharge control unit 613, and a storage unit 614. Note that only the processing units related to the discharge control process are shown here.

[0050] The image acquisition unit 611 acquires the image formed on the paper sheet, which is detected by the sensors 501 and 502 of the inspection unit 500 .

[0051] During the discharge control process, the comparison and judgment unit 612 compares the image of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred with the image formed on the sheet transported to the inspection unit 500. Then, based on the comparison result, the comparison and judgment unit 612 determines whether the sheet transported to the inspection unit 500 corresponds to the same page as the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred.

[0052] The discharge control unit 613 controls the discharge destination of the paper on which an image is formed. Specifically, the discharge control unit 613 switches the discharge destination so that the paper on which an image is formed is discharged to either the paper discharge tray 401 or the purge tray 402. For example, during the discharge control process, the discharge control unit 613 controls the paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred to be discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0053] The storage unit 614 stores various types of information used by each unit of the control unit 600. For example, the storage unit 614 stores an image formed on a sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred. Note that the "image of the sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred" stored at this time is not an image actually detected by the sensors 501 and 502 of the inspection unit 500, but an image that should have been formed on the sheet of paper. In the following description, the image stored in this way will be referred to as the "image of the sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred."

[0054] [Operation of image forming system 1] The operation of image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described. In image forming system 1, when an image is formed on paper, which is a recording medium, the paper is stored in paper feed trays 201, 202, and 203 of paper feed unit 200. The paper fed from paper feed unit 200 is then transported to reading unit 300, where paper information such as paper size is read, and the paper is then transported to image forming apparatus 100.

[0055] The paper transported to image forming apparatus 100 undergoes image formation (hereinafter referred to as "printing") in image forming apparatus 100, and is then transported to inspection unit 500. The paper transported to inspection unit 500 undergoes discharge control processing, and the presence or absence of quality abnormalities on the printed paper is inspected. After inspection, the paper is transported to paper discharge unit 400.

[0056] The paper conveyed to the paper discharge section 400 is discharged to either the paper discharge tray 401 or the purge tray 402 depending on the inspection results of the discharge control process. For example, if there is no quality abnormality in the paper on which an image has been formed, the paper is normally discharged to the paper discharge tray 401. Furthermore, if a quality abnormality occurs in the paper on which an image has been formed, the paper on which the quality abnormality has occurred (hereinafter referred to as "abnormal paper") is discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0057] Furthermore, if a quality abnormality occurs on a sheet of paper on which an image has been formed, a recovery process is performed to reprint that sheet. The recovery process is performed, for example, by interrupting the current print job. As a result, a reprinted sheet (hereinafter referred to as "recovery sheet") is printed in accordance with the quality abnormality on the sheet of paper.

[0058] In conventional image forming systems, after a defective sheet is ejected to a purge tray, subsequent sheets that do not have quality defects are ejected to a paper ejection tray. At this time, recovery is performed by interrupting the current print job, as described above. Therefore, since the recovery sheet is inserted between the sheets following the defective sheet, it is possible that the recovery sheet may not be inserted in the correct position.

[0059] For example, when creating a printed document consisting of multiple pages, if group printing is performed, in which the required number of copies of each page are printed consecutively, a recovery sheet may be ejected to the paper output tray while a page other than the one to which the recovery sheet corresponds is being printed. In this case, the worker must find the recovery sheet among the sheets ejected to the paper output tray and manually reinsert it in the correct position, which increases the amount of work required.

[0060] In contrast, in the image forming system described in Patent Document 1 explained in the Background Art section, the destination of paper discharge is controlled so that after the abnormal paper is discharged to the purge tray, all the papers following the abnormal paper are discharged to the purge tray. This allows the operator to know that the first paper discharged to the purge tray is the abnormal paper, and also makes it easy to know the correct insertion position of the recovery paper.

[0061] However, in the image forming system described in Patent Document 1, recovery sheets are also discharged to the purge tray. Therefore, even if the operator can determine the insertion position of the recovery sheets, they must find the recovery sheets among the sheets discharged to the purge tray and manually reinsert them in the correct position. Therefore, even if paper discharge is controlled as in the image forming system described in Patent Document 1, the amount of work required increases, just as in the conventional system.

[0062] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a quality abnormality is detected in a sheet on which an image has been formed, a discharge control process is performed to control the discharge destination of sheets following the abnormal sheet depending on the position where the abnormal sheet occurred. The discharge control process is mainly performed during group printing.

[0063] For example, if a quality abnormality is detected in a sheet during group printing, the sheet is discharged to the purge tray 402 as in the conventional method. Then, among the sheets following the abnormal sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred, sheets of the same page on which the same image as that of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed are discharged to the discharge tray 401. Furthermore, sheets of a different page on which an image different from that of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed are discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0064] In the discharge control process according to this embodiment, the "image" formed on the paper refers to the entire characters and images formed on the paper when multiple characters or images are formed on the paper. Therefore, the "same" image means that the image on the entire paper is the same, and the "same page" refers to paper on which such an identical image is formed.

[0065] Furthermore, as described above, "an image of a sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred" does not refer to an image that is actually detected by sensors 501 and 502 of inspection unit 500 when an abnormality has occurred, but rather refers to an image that should have been formed on that sheet of paper. Therefore, when an image of a sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred is "identical" or "matches" an image of a specified sheet of paper, this means that the image that should have been formed on the sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred is identical or matches the image formed on the specified sheet of paper.

[0066] By controlling paper discharge in this way, even in group printing, when printing the required number of copies of a single-page printed material, it is possible to prevent papers of the same page from being split and discharged to multiple trays, thereby reducing the effort required to organize the order of the papers.

[0067] The following describes in detail the control of paper discharge according to the position of the abnormal paper, using a first and second example. The first and second examples are examples of printing only four copies of a three-page printed material. For ease of explanation, the first and second examples are described without taking into consideration recovery when a quality abnormality occurs. In the following examples, the initial settings for the paper discharge destination are set so that paper on which an image is formed is discharged to the paper output tray 401, and paper on which a quality abnormality has been detected is discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0068] (First example) 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first example of setting a paper discharge destination. The first example is an example in which a quality abnormality occurs on the first or middle sheet of the same page during group printing. More specifically, the first example is an example in which a quality abnormality occurs on the first or middle sheet of the second page, and FIG. 4 shows a case in which a quality abnormality occurs on the first sheet of the second page.

[0069] Figure 4 shows the printing order when group printing is performed. In Figure 4, "P1," "P2," and "P3" indicate the sheets of paper for the first, second, and third pages, respectively. Note that this printing order and page notation will be the same in the second to fourth examples described below with reference to Figures 5 to 7.

[0070] 4, the four sheets of the first page P1 are initially discharged to the paper output tray 401. After the first page P1 is discharged, if a quality abnormality occurs in the first sheet of the second page P2, the sheet is discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0071] Furthermore, the three sheets of the second page P2 following the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred have the same image formed on them, and therefore the three sheets of the second page P2 are discharged to the discharge tray 401.

[0072] Meanwhile, the sheet following the sheet of second page P2 is the sheet of third page P3. An image different from the image on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed on the sheet of third page P3. Therefore, the four sheets of third page P3 are ejected to purge tray 402. This is to enable the operator to determine the position of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred (page 2).

[0073] As shown in the first example, if a quality abnormality occurs on the first sheet of the same page, sheets of paper bearing the same image as the image on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred are ejected to the paper output tray 401. All subsequent sheets of paper bearing different images are ejected to the purge tray 402. This also applies if a quality abnormality occurs on a sheet of paper in the middle of the same page. This allows the worker to determine the position of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred, reducing the worker's effort in sorting the sheets.

[0074] (Second example) 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second example of setting the paper discharge destination. The second example is an example in which a quality abnormality occurs on the last sheet of the same page during group printing. More specifically, the second example is an example in which a quality abnormality occurs on the last sheet of the second page P2.

[0075] 5, the four sheets of the first page P1 are initially discharged to the paper output tray 401 according to the initial settings. The three sheets of the second page P2, which were printed before a quality abnormality occurred, are also discharged to the paper output tray 401. When a quality abnormality occurs in the last sheet of the second page P2, that sheet is discharged to the purge tray 402.

[0076] Next, the sheet following the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is the sheet of the third page P3. An image different from the image on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed on the sheet of the third page P3. Therefore, the four sheets of the third page P3 following the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred are ejected to the purge tray 402, as in the first example.

[0077] As shown in the second example, if a quality abnormality occurs on the last sheet of the same page, all of the subsequent sheets of paper on which different images are formed are discharged to purge tray 402. This allows the worker to determine the position of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred, as in the first example, and reduces the worker's effort in sorting the sheets.

[0078] For the above reasons, in this embodiment, as shown in the first and second examples, the abnormal sheet is discharged to purge tray 402, and the remaining sheets of the same page as the abnormal sheet are discharged to paper output tray 401. Furthermore, the sheets following the sheet of the same page as the abnormal sheet are discharged to purge tray 402. This allows the operator to easily grasp the position of the sheet on which a quality abnormality has been detected.

[0079] (Recovery for abnormal paper) On the other hand, when recovery for abnormal sheets is taken into consideration, the discharge control process according to this embodiment further controls the discharge destination of subsequent sheets depending on the insertion position of the recovery sheet.

[0080] The following describes in detail paper discharge control according to the insertion position of the recovery paper, using examples 3 and 4. Similar to the first and second examples, the third and fourth examples are examples of printing four copies of a three-page printed material.

[0081] (Third example) 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third example of setting the paper ejection destination. The third example is an example in which, in group printing, recovery paper is inserted while printing the same page as a paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred. More specifically, the third example is an example in which a quality abnormality has occurred on the paper of the second page P2, and recovery paper is inserted while printing the remaining second page P2.

[0082] First, as shown in Fig. 6, the four sheets of the first page P1 are discharged to the paper output tray 401 according to the initial setting. After the first page P1 is discharged, if a quality abnormality occurs in the first sheet of the second page P2, that sheet is discharged to the purge tray 402. Furthermore, the same image as that on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed on the three sheets of the second page P2 that follow the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred. Therefore, the three sheets of the second page P2 are discharged to the paper output tray 401.

[0083] Here, if a reprinted recovery sheet is inserted while the remaining sheets of the second page P2 are being printed, the inserted recovery sheet is discharged to the paper output tray 401. As a result, the number of copies of the second page P2 to be printed is completed on the paper output tray 401. Therefore, the operator does not need to know the position of the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred, and the subsequent sheets of the third page P3 are discharged to the paper output tray 401 instead of the purge tray 402.

[0084] As shown in the third example, by inserting recovery sheets for defective sheets while the page corresponding to the defective sheet is being printed, the required number of copies of that page can be continuously discharged. Therefore, there is no need to discharge subsequent sheets to purge tray 402, and subsequent sheets can be discharged to discharge tray 401. This reduces the amount of work required by the worker when sorting sheets.

[0085] (Example 4) FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth example of setting the paper ejection destination. The fourth example is an example of a case in which, in group printing, recovery paper is inserted during printing of a page different from the page on which a quality abnormality occurred. More specifically, the fourth example is an example of a case in which a quality abnormality occurs on the second page P2, and recovery paper is inserted during printing of a third page P3 different from the page on which the quality abnormality occurred. FIG. 7 shows a case in which recovery paper is inserted between the first and second sheets of the third page P2.

[0086] First, as shown in Fig. 7, the four sheets of the first page P1 are discharged to the paper output tray 401 according to the initial setting. After the first page P1 is discharged, if a quality abnormality occurs in the first sheet of the second page P2, that sheet is discharged to the purge tray 402. Furthermore, the same image as that on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred is formed on the three sheets of the second page P2 that follow the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred. Therefore, the three sheets of the second page P2 are discharged to the paper output tray 401.

[0087] Next, the first sheet of the third page P3 is ejected to the purge tray 402. After the first sheet of the third page P3 is ejected, a recovery sheet of the second page P2 is inserted and ejected to the paper ejection tray 401. Thereafter, the remaining three sheets of the third page P3 are ejected to the purge tray 402.

[0088] As shown in the fourth example, if a recovery sheet for a defective sheet is inserted while a page different from the page corresponding to the defective sheet is being printed, the sheet corresponding to the page different from the page corresponding to the defective sheet is ejected to purge tray 402. This allows the operator to easily determine the position of the sheet on which a quality abnormality has been detected.

[0089] For the above reasons, in this embodiment, as shown in the third and fourth examples, if a recovery sheet for a defective sheet is inserted while the same page is being printed, all of the remaining sheets following the recovery sheet are ejected to the paper output tray 401. Also, if a recovery sheet for a defective sheet is inserted while a different page is being printed, all of the remaining sheets following the recovery sheet are ejected to the purge tray 402.

[0090] In this way, the destination of paper for pages different from the page to which the recovery paper corresponds is controlled according to the insertion position of the recovery paper, thereby preventing recovery paper from being mixed with paper for different pages, which increases the amount of work required for workers to organize the paper.

[0091] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the discharge control process according to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 8 shows the processes performed by each unit of the control unit 600. This discharge control process is also applied when group printing is performed.

[0092] The discharge control process is performed when a quality abnormality occurs in a sheet on which an image has been formed. At this time, the image formed on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred and detected by sensors 501 and 502 of inspection unit 500 is stored in memory unit 614.

[0093] When the discharge control process is started, first, in step S1, the discharge control unit 613 of the control unit 600 controls the discharge of a sheet of paper on which a quality abnormality has occurred to the purge tray 402.

[0094] In step S2, the control unit 600 prepares to output the next sheet based on the contents of the print job. In step S3, the image acquisition unit 611 acquires the image formed on the sheet transported to the inspection unit 500 from the sensors 501 and 502 of the inspection unit 500.

[0095] In step S4, the comparison and judgment unit 612 reads out the image formed on the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred from the storage unit 614. Then, the comparison and judgment unit 612 compares the image read out from the storage unit 614 with the image acquired in step S3, and determines whether the two images match.

[0096] If the comparison shows that the two images match (step S4: Yes), the sheet is determined to be the same page as the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred. Then, in step S5, the discharge control unit 613 controls the sheet conveyed to the inspection unit 500 to be discharged onto the discharge tray 401.

[0097] On the other hand, if the two images do not match (step S4: No), it is determined that the sheet is a different page from the sheet on which the quality abnormality occurred. Then, in step S6, the discharge control unit 613 controls the sheet conveyed to the inspection unit 500 to be discharged onto the purge tray 402.

[0098] Next, in step S7, the control unit 600 prepares to output the next sheet based on the contents of the print job. In step S8, the control unit 600 determines whether the next sheet to be output is a recovery sheet.

[0099] If the next sheet is a recovery sheet (step S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5, and the recovery sheet is discharged to the paper discharge tray 401. If the next sheet is not a recovery sheet (step S8: No), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0100] In step S9, the control unit 600 determines whether recovery for the paper in which the quality abnormality occurred has been completed. If recovery has been completed (step S9: Yes), the process proceeds to step S10. If recovery has not been completed (step S9: No), the process returns to step S3.

[0101] In step S10, the control unit 600 continues printing by maintaining the tray currently set as the paper ejection destination. That is, if the paper ejection destination is set to the paper ejection tray 401 in step S5, the paper ejection destination will be the paper ejection tray 401 from then on. Also, if the purge tray 402 is set as the paper ejection destination in step S6, the paper ejection destination will be the purge tray 402 from then on.

[0102] As described above, in the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, sheets of paper on which the same image as that of the abnormal sheet has been formed are discharged to the paper discharge tray 401. This allows the worker to easily grasp the location of the abnormal sheet, and reduces the effort required for the worker to sort out the sheets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1. Image forming system 10 Image processing section 20 Image forming unit 21 Image forming unit 22 Intermediate transfer unit 23 Secondary transfer unit 30 Fixing unit 40 Paper transport section 41 Conveying path section 41a Registration roller pair 50 Operation display section 71 Communications Department 72 Memory section 100 Image forming device 200 Paper feed section 201, 202, 203 paper trays 300 Reading unit 301, 302 sensors 400 Paper output section 401 Paper output tray 402 Purge Tray 500 Inspection Department 501, 502 sensors 600 control section 601 CPU 602 ROM 603 RAM

Claims

1. an image forming unit that forms images on a plurality of recording media; an inspection unit that detects quality abnormalities of the recording medium on which the image is formed; a control unit that causes a recording medium on which an image identical to the image of the abnormal recording medium, which is the recording medium on which the quality abnormality has been detected, to be discharged to a first discharge unit; An image forming system comprising:

2. The control unit When the recording medium on which the image is formed is discharged to the first discharge section and the abnormal recording medium is discharged to the second discharge section, When an image on a recording medium following the abnormal recording medium is the same as the image on the abnormal recording medium, the subsequent recording medium is discharged to the first discharge unit; When the image of the subsequent recording medium is different from the image of the abnormal recording medium, the subsequent recording medium is discharged to the second discharge unit. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit ejecting a recovery recording medium obtained by reprinting the abnormal recording medium to the first ejection section; The image forming system according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit ejecting the recording medium following the abnormal recording medium to either the first ejection unit or the second ejection unit according to the insertion position of the recovery recording medium; The image forming system according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit When the recovery recording medium is inserted after a recording medium on which an image identical to that of the recovery recording medium is formed, the recording medium following the recovery recording medium is ejected to the first ejection unit; When the recovery recording medium is inserted after a recording medium on which an image different from that of the recovery recording medium is formed, the recording medium following the recovery recording medium is ejected to the second ejection section. The image forming system according to claim 4 .

6. The control unit If the image on the recording medium following the abnormal recording medium is different from the image on the abnormal recording medium, the formation of the image is stopped. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

7. forming images on a plurality of recording media; detecting a quality abnormality of the recording medium on which the image is formed; Discharging the recording medium on which the same image as the image of the abnormal recording medium, which is the recording medium on which the quality abnormality was detected, to a first discharge section. How to eject the recording medium.

8. A program that causes a computer to execute the discharging method according to claim 7.

Images