Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The purpose is to prevent the recording medium from stopping unexpectedly by the user. [Solution] The information processing device obtains the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, estimates the diameter of the roll paper wound up after printing based on the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, and controls the display according to the estimated diameter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for forming an image on a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it is known to perform printing on a recording medium such as roll paper and wind up the printed recording medium as a product. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for stopping the winding of a recording medium when an overload of a winding unit is detected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, there is a case where the winding of the recording medium stops unexpectedly by the user during printing.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the unexpected stop of the winding of the recording medium by the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires the length of roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, an estimation unit that estimates the diameter of the roll paper wound by a winding unit after printing based on the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, and a display control unit that controls display according to the estimated diameter.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from stopping unexpectedly by the user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the configuration of the image forming system. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming system [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the processes performed by an information processing device. [Figure 4] Diagram showing an example of the screen for setting the upper limit diameter. [Figure 5] Diagram showing an example of a warning screen. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of a message screen. [Figure 7] Diagram showing an example of an error message screen. [Figure 8] A diagram showing where to obtain the information necessary to estimate the roll paper diameter after printing. [Figure 9] A diagram showing the relationship between heating time and the height of the protrusion. [Figure 10] A diagram showing the relationship between the amount of foam-promoting ink injected and the height of the protrusions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not necessarily limit the present invention. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in each embodiment are essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0010] [First Embodiment] Conventionally, in digital printing equipment, there is a technique to achieve uneven printing by impregnating a recording medium having a foaming layer with foam-promoting ink and heating it, causing the areas where the foam-promoting ink was impregnated to foam. When unevenness is formed on the roll paper used as the recording medium, the thickness of the roll paper increases compared to before printing, so the diameter of the roll paper in the winding section after printing becomes larger. Therefore, if a large amount of printing is done, the diameter of the roll paper in the winding section after printing may exceed the winding limit diameter, potentially damaging the winding section or the roll paper. In this embodiment, the diameter of the roll paper in the winding section is estimated before printing, and the user is notified whether the estimated diameter exceeds the winding limit diameter. This prevents the recording medium from stopping unexpectedly by the user.

[0011] <Configuration of the image forming system> Figure 1 shows an example of the apparatus configuration of the image forming system in this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 111 is an apparatus that forms images on a roll of paper (continuous paper) 110 that allows for continuous image formation. The paper feeder 103 is an apparatus that transports the roll of paper 110 and supplies it to the image forming apparatus 111. The paper feeder 103 rotates the paper core of the roll of paper 110 around the rotation axis 112 and transports the roll of paper 110 wound on the paper core towards the image forming apparatus 111 at a constant speed via a plurality of rollers (transport rollers, paper feed rollers, etc.).

[0012] The winding device 104 is a device that winds the roll paper 110, which has been transported from the image forming apparatus 100, into a roll shape around a paper core. As shown in Figure 1, the roll paper 110 is wound around the paper core of the rotating shaft 113 and held in a roll shape. The winding device 104 winds the roll paper 110, which has been transported by rotating the paper core around the rotating shaft 113, onto the rotating shaft 113 at a constant speed, passing through multiple rollers (transport rollers, paper discharge rollers, etc.).

[0013] Before starting printing, the roll paper 110 is passed from the paper feeding device 103 to the winding device 104. Specifically, first, the roll paper 110 is set in the paper feeding device 103, and the leading end of the roll paper 110 is passed over the skew correction unit 109. Next, the leading end of the roll paper 110 is sequentially passed under the image forming unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 111, under the drying unit 105, and over the cooling units 107 and 108. The leading end of the roll paper 110 is passed between the scanners 106 and wound around the winding device 104. After passing the roll paper 110 through the image forming system, a print job is input to the control PC 114. The control PC 114 is equipped with a preprocessor. After inputting the print job, the user presses the print start button on the UI operation panel 101 to start printing. The image forming unit 102 has a print head including nozzles for discharging each of the four-color color inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and the foaming promoting ink. Note that the liquid to be discharged is not limited to the above inks, and a configuration capable of discharging white ink for forming a base, light color ink, clear ink, metallic ink, a reaction liquid for fixing the ink to the recording medium, etc. may also be used.

[0014] The roll paper 110, which is a recording medium with a foaming layer into which the foaming promoting ink is driven, is heated by the drying unit 105, and the area where the foaming promoting ink is driven foams. The ultrasonic sensor 115 measures the roll paper diameter in the paper feeding device 103 and the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 at a constant period. The ultrasonic sensor 115 is installed facing the axial center of the roll paper 110, and measures the distance from the ultrasonic sensor 115 to the outer diameter of the roll paper. The roll paper diameter can be calculated by the following formula (1). Roll paper diameter = (Distance from the ultrasonic sensor to the axial center of the roll paper - Measured value of the ultrasonic sensor) × 2 ··· Formula (1)

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming system. The image forming system 200 includes a paper conveyance unit 201, an image forming unit 202, a communication unit 203, a control unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation display unit 206, an inspection unit 207, a paper feed control unit 208, and a winding control unit 209. The paper conveyance unit 201 conveys the roll paper 110 conveyed from the paper feed control unit 208 to the image forming unit 202 by a plurality of rollers, and conveys the roll paper 110 that has passed through the image forming unit 202 to the winding control unit 209.

[0016] The image forming unit 202 forms an image on the roll paper 110 supplied from the paper feed control unit 208 based on the image data included in the print job. The image forming unit 202 conveys the roll paper 110 on which the image has been formed toward the winding control unit 209. The communication unit 203 is composed of a communication control card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card. The communication unit 203 performs transmission and reception of various data with an external device (such as a personal computer) connected to a communication network such as a LAN or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0017] The control unit 204 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The CPU of the control unit 204 reads out various programs such as system programs and processing programs stored in the storage unit 205 and expands them in the RAM, and executes various processes according to the expanded programs. The control unit 204 can perform image forming processing in response to a user's instruction. The storage unit 205 is composed of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 205 stores various programs including system programs and processing programs executed by the control unit 204, and various data necessary for the execution of these programs.

[0018] The paper feed control unit 208 and the winding control unit 209 each have a measuring unit 210. The measuring unit 210 measures the roll paper diameter in the paper feed device 103 in the paper feed control unit 208 and the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 in the winding control unit 209 using an ultrasonic sensor 115. The measurement results are displayed on the display unit 206a of the operation display unit 206 via the control unit 204. The operation display unit 206 consists of a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel and includes a display unit 206a and an operation unit 206b. The display unit 206a displays various information on the display screen according to the display control signal input from the control unit 204. The operation unit 206b is equipped with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, accepts various input operations from the user, and outputs operation signals to the control unit 204. The operation display unit 206 is used for setting job information when executing a print job. The user can use the operation display unit 206 to set printing conditions such as the recording medium to be used, printing speed, number of pages to print, number of copies to print, print length, print weight, and print diameter.

[0019] The inspection unit 207 checks whether printing can be performed without ink ejection defects. The inspection unit 207 causes the image forming unit 202 to print a pattern for ejection defect inspection, and the scanner 106 reads the printed pattern and performs an inspection for ejection defects based on the resulting read image. If the inspection unit 207 detects an ejection defect, it stops the image forming process. In addition to the method described above, there are various other inspection methods, such as inspecting the results of printing the images included in the print job using a camera or scanner, or monitoring the ink ejection status from the nozzles, and any of these may be adopted.

[0020] Next, the operation when image forming processing is performed on the roll paper 110 in the image forming system 200 will be described. First, the user creates the print job data in an external device, sets the print job settings and the number of rolls to be delivered, and transmits this data to the image forming system 200 via a communication network. The control unit 204 of the image forming system 200 receives a job ticket via the communication unit 203 that includes the print job data, print job settings, and the number of rolls to be delivered transmitted from the external device.

[0021] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the image forming apparatus 100, which functions as an information processing device. The process shown in the flowchart of Figure 3 begins when the user presses the print start button on the UI operation panel 101, and the CPU of the control unit 204 receives the print start instruction. Hereafter, each step (process) is represented by the letter S before the symbol. Alternatively, the control PC 114 may function as an information processing device and perform the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 3. Furthermore, the processing may be divided, with the image forming apparatus 100 performing some of the processing and the control PC 114 performing the remaining processing.

[0022] In S300, the control unit 204 displays a screen on the display unit 206a for the user to input a value for the maximum winding diameter. The control unit 204 stores the value of the maximum winding diameter input via the operation unit 206b in the memory of the storage unit 205 or the control PC 114. Figure 4 shows the setting screen for the maximum winding diameter displayed on the UI operation panel 101. The setting screen 400 includes a dialog box 401 and an OK button 402. The user inputs a value for the maximum winding diameter into the dialog box 401. After that, when the user presses the OK button 402, the input value is stored in the memory of the storage unit 205 or the control PC 114. Note that the value of the maximum winding diameter may be stored in advance in the memory of the storage unit 205 or the control PC 114.

[0023] In S301, the control unit 204 estimates the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing. Figure 8 shows the sources from which the information necessary for estimating the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing is obtained. Column 800 lists the information necessary for estimating the roll paper diameter, and column 801 lists the sources from which the corresponding information is obtained. The control unit 204 estimates the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing according to the following equation (2).

[0024]

number

[0025] Furthermore, the roll paper thickness after printing in equation (2) can be calculated by adding the roll paper thickness before printing to the height of the protrusions. The height of the protrusions can be obtained based on the heating time and the amount of foam-promoting ink applied, according to the relationship shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0026] Figure 9 is a graph showing the relationship between heating time and the height of the raised area. As shown in graph 900, the height of the raised area increases as the heating time increases, but when the heating time exceeds a certain time 901, the height of the raised area saturates and does not increase any further. Figure 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of foam-promoting ink injected and the height of the raised area. As shown in graph 1000, the height of the raised area increases as the amount of foam-promoting ink injected increases. A specific method for determining the height of the raised area will be explained using braille printing as an example. The height of braille specified in JIS T9253 is 0.4 mm ± 0.1 mm. If the heating time is adjusted to a certain time 901 at which the height of the raised area saturates, and the amount of foam-promoting ink injected is adjusted to an amount 1001 at which the height of the raised area becomes 0.3 mm, the height of the raised area becomes 300 μm. Furthermore, if the amount of foam-promoting ink injected is increased from the above conditions and adjusted to an amount 1002 at which the height of the raised area becomes 0.4 mm, the height of the raised area becomes 400 μm.

[0027] In S302, the control unit 204 determines whether the roll paper diameter estimated in S301 exceeds the winding limit diameter obtained in S300. Alternatively, the control unit may use a threshold value obtained by adding a predetermined value or approximately 10% of the winding limit diameter to the winding limit diameter to prevent roll paper diameters close to the winding limit diameter from being tolerated. If it is determined that the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing exceeds the winding limit diameter, the process proceeds to S303; otherwise, it proceeds to S305.

[0028] In S303, the control unit 204 displays a warning on the display unit 206a. Figure 5 shows an example of a warning screen displayed on the UI operation panel 101. On the warning screen 500, the user can choose to cancel printing or proceed with printing by pressing a button. In S304, the control unit 204 determines whether the user has instructed the user to cancel printing. If the control unit 204 receives confirmation that the print cancellation button 501 has been pressed, it terminates the process without performing printing. If the control unit 204 receives confirmation that the print execution button 502 has been pressed, it proceeds to S305. In S305, the control unit 204 controls the image forming unit 202 to start image formation on the roll paper 110.

[0029] In S306, the control unit 204 determines whether the actual roll paper diameter in the winding device 104, as measured by the measuring unit 210, exceeds the upper limit winding diameter obtained in S300. The determination in S306 is performed periodically, for example, every 3 seconds, during printing. The determination period may be determined according to the printing speed. If it is determined that the actual roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 exceeds the upper limit winding diameter, the process proceeds to S307; otherwise, the process proceeds to S311.

[0030] In S307, the control unit 204 re-estimates the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing. The estimation method is the same as in S301. In S308, the control unit 204 determines whether the roll paper diameter re-estimated in S307 exceeds the upper limit winding diameter obtained in S300. If it is determined that the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing exceeds the upper limit winding diameter, the process proceeds to S309; ​​otherwise, the process proceeds to S311.

[0031] In S309, the control unit 204 displays a message on the display unit 206a. Figure 6 shows an example of a message screen displayed on the UI operation panel 101. The message screen 600 has an acceptance button 601. If the user presses the acceptance button 601, in S310 the control unit 204 cancels printing.

[0032] In S311, the control unit 204 determines whether an unexpected operation occurred during printing. An unexpected operation might be, for example, that the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 after printing exceeded the upper limit winding diameter, even though it had been determined that it would not exceed the upper limit winding diameter. Other examples include the roll paper diameter in the winding device 104 not exceeding the upper limit winding diameter as expected, or the wound roll paper 110 not being a perfect circle but being wound in an uneven shape. If it is determined that an unexpected operation occurred during printing, the process proceeds to S312; if it is determined that no unexpected operation occurred during printing, the process ends. The determination in S311 is performed periodically during printing, similar to S306.

[0033] In S312, the control unit 204 displays an error message on the display unit 206a. Figure 7 shows an example of an error message screen displayed on the UI operation panel 101. The error message screen 700 has an acceptance button 701. If the user presses the acceptance button 701, in S313, the control unit 204 cancels printing.

[0034] As described above, the information processing device in this embodiment obtains the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, estimates the diameter of the roll paper wound up after printing based on the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, and controls the display according to the estimated diameter. This prevents the winding of the recording medium from stopping unexpectedly by the user. In this embodiment, the diameter of the roll paper was estimated and compared with an upper limit, but the radius could be used instead of the diameter.

[0035] [Other embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 100 Image forming apparatus 114 Control PC114 204 Control Unit 206 Operation display section

Claims

1. A means for obtaining the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, An estimation means for estimating the diameter of the roll paper wound up by a winding means after printing, based on the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, A display control means that controls the display according to the estimated diameter, An information processing device characterized by having the following features.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means displays a warning when the estimated diameter exceeds a threshold.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the threshold value is a value entered by the user.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the threshold value is a value obtained by adding a predetermined value to a value entered by the user.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising determination means for determining whether to perform or cancel printing when the display control means displays the warning.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the determination means determines whether to perform or cancel printing based on the user's instructions.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An acquisition step to obtain the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, An estimation step of estimating the diameter of the roll paper wound up by the winding means after printing, based on the length of the roll paper and the thickness of the roll paper after printing, A display control step that controls the display according to the estimated diameter, An information processing method characterized by having the following features.

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