Information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of discriminating the size of the irregularity on a surface of a recording medium even in non-coated paper, an image forming apparatus, an information processing program, and a setting discrimination device.SOLUTION: An information processing device in a first mode has a processor, and the processor acquires the smoothness of a recording medium and a characteristic value including basis weight, and discriminates a kind of the recording medium on the basis of the smoothness and the basis weight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology that includes a measurement unit that measures the physical properties of the media on which an image is formed, an image forming operation unit that forms an image on the media, a reading unit that reads the formed image, and a media identification unit that identifies the media type based on the measurement results by the measurement unit and the reading results by the reading unit.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses a technology comprising a measuring unit that measures the physical properties of media, and a control unit, in which the control unit identifies a combination of basis weight and type of media based on the measurement results by the measuring unit, and outputs the combination as a media setting candidate related to the operation settings of image formation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-006628 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-097170 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an image forming apparatus, in order to set image formation control corresponding to the recording medium on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, a technology has been proposed in which multiple characteristic values ​​of the recording medium, such as the smoothness and basis weight of the recording medium, are measured, and each characteristic value is used to identify the type of recording medium, such as coated paper or uncoated paper.

[0006] Incidentally, uncoated paper includes recording media with relatively small surface irregularities, such as fine paper, and recording media with relatively large surface irregularities (for example, embossed paper that has been embossed). Therefore, even if classified as uncoated paper, the size of the surface irregularities of the recording media varies, so the settings of the image forming device when transferring to uncoated paper must be different.

[0007] However, while the unevenness of the surface of a recording medium can be distinguished from uncoated paper based on the smoothness and basis weight, which are characteristics of conventional recording media, it was difficult to distinguish the magnitude of the unevenness of the surface of the recording medium.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an image forming device, and an information processing program that are capable of identifying the magnitude of unevenness on the surface of a recording medium, even in the case of uncoated paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The information processing device of the first aspect has a processor, and the processor acquires characteristic values ​​including the smoothness and basis weight of the recording medium, and identifies the type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and basis weight.

[0010] In an information processing device according to a second aspect, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, the processor identifies embossed paper as the type of recording medium using the smoothness and a weighted smoothness based on the basis weight.

[0011] An information processing device of a third aspect is the information processing device according to the second aspect, wherein the processor identifies the paper as embossed paper when the weighted smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0012] An information processing device of a fourth aspect is an information processing device according to the second or third aspect, in which the processor uses at least one of smoothness, basis weight, and weighted smoothness to identify the type of recording medium as coated paper, uncoated paper, and embossed paper.

[0013] An information processing device of a fifth aspect is the information processing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which the processor further outputs settings of the image forming device corresponding to the type of recording medium.

[0014] An information processing device of a sixth aspect is the information processing device according to the fifth aspect, in which the processor outputs, as the setting, at least one of a transfer voltage and a transfer pressure according to the type of recording medium.

[0015] The image forming apparatus of the seventh aspect has a processor, and the processor acquires characteristic values ​​including the smoothness and basis weight of the recording medium, and identifies the type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and basis weight.

[0016] An information processing program according to an eighth aspect causes a computer to obtain characteristic values ​​including smoothness and basis weight of a recording medium, and identify the type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and basis weight. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the information processing device of the first aspect, the image forming device of the seventh aspect, and the information processing program of the eighth aspect, it is possible to distinguish between large and small irregularities on the surface of a recording medium, even in the case of uncoated paper.

[0018] According to the information processing apparatus of the second aspect, when forming an image, settings for forming an image suitable for embossed paper can be applied.

[0019] According to the information processing device of the third aspect, embossed paper included in uncoated paper can be clearly identified.

[0020] According to the information processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, when forming an image, settings for forming an image corresponding to each recording medium can be applied.

[0021] According to the information processing device of the fifth aspect, the burden of performing settings according to the recording medium can be reduced, compared to when the settings are input by the user.

[0022] According to the information processing device of the sixth aspect, it is possible to apply settings for forming an image that clearly corresponds to the recording medium for each attribute. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a graph showing an example of smoothness for each type of recording medium according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 is a graph showing an example of weighted smoothness for each type of recording medium according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing an example of a setting information database according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for identifying the type of recording medium according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 10 and an image forming device 100. The information processing device 10 and the image forming device 100 are connected via a network and can communicate with each other. The network may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0026] The information processing device 10 is, for example, a terminal such as a personal computer, or a server. The information processing device 10 identifies the type of recording medium from the characteristic values ​​of the recording medium (e.g., basis weight and smoothness), and transmits information on settings for forming an image according to the type of recording medium (hereinafter referred to as "setting information") to the image forming device 100. Here, the types of recording medium according to this embodiment are coated paper and uncoated paper, and among uncoated paper, there is non-embossed paper and embossed paper, and the settings of the transfer voltage, transfer pressure, etc. of the image forming device differ according to the type of these recording media. The information processing device 10 according to this embodiment transmits the settings of the transfer voltage and transfer pressure corresponding to the type of recording medium as setting information to the image forming device 100 according to the identified type of recording medium.

[0027] The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a device such as a multifunction peripheral that forms an image on a recording medium, and obtains setting information from the information processing apparatus 10 and forms an image using the setting information.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0029] 2, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a monitor 16, a communication interface (communication I / F) 17, and a measurement unit 18. The CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the storage 14, the input unit 15, the monitor 16, the communication I / F 17, and the measurement unit 18 are each connected to one another by a bus 19. Here, the CPU 11 is an example of a processor.

[0030] The CPU 11 supervises and controls the entire information processing device 10. The ROM 12 stores various programs including the information processing program used in this embodiment, data, and the like. The RAM 13 is a memory used as a work area when various programs are executed. The CPU 11 performs a process of identifying the type of recording medium by expanding the program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executing it. The storage 14 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory. The storage 14 may store the information processing program, and the like. The input unit 15 is a mouse and a keyboard that accepts character input, and the like. The monitor 16 displays the identified type of recording medium and setting information. The communication I / F 17 transmits and receives data.

[0031] The measuring unit 18 is an optical sensor for measuring the smoothness and an ultrasonic sensor for measuring the basis weight. For example, the measuring unit 18 measures the smoothness by measuring the ratio of light specularly reflected and diffusely reflected on the surface of the recording medium, and measures the basis weight by measuring the ratio of transmitted ultrasonic waves to irradiated ultrasonic waves. Here, the smoothness is the degree of roughness of the surface of the recording medium, and the basis weight is the number of grams (density) of the recording medium per square meter.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the smoothness and basis weight are acquired as the characteristic values ​​of the recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The characteristic values ​​may include electrical resistance, air permeability, friction coefficient, stiffness, etc.

[0033] Next, the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0034] 3, the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 21, a derivation unit 22, a recognition unit 23, a storage unit 24, and an output unit 25. The CPU 11 executes an information processing program to function as the acquisition unit 21, the derivation unit 22, the recognition unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the output unit 25.

[0035] The acquiring unit 21 acquires the smoothness and basis weight as characteristic values ​​of the recording medium.

[0036] The derivation unit 22 uses the acquired smoothness and basis weight to derive a value obtained by weighting the smoothness by the basis weight (hereinafter referred to as "weighted smoothness"). Note that the weighted smoothness according to this embodiment is a value derived based on the smoothness and basis weight, and an embodiment will be described in which the weighted smoothness is a value obtained by dividing the smoothness by the basis weight. However, this is not limited to this. The smoothness may be multiplied by the basis weight, the basis weight may be divided by the smoothness, or the smoothness may be multiplied and divided by a coefficient predetermined according to the basis weight.

[0037] The identification unit 23 uses the smoothness, basis weight, and weighted smoothness to identify the types of recording media, such as coated paper, uncoated paper, and, among uncoated paper, unembossed paper and embossed paper. Here, coated paper is, for example, paper on which paint is applied to the surface of a recording medium such as glossy paper, unembossed paper is paper on which paint is not applied to the surface of a recording medium such as fine paper and Kent paper, and embossed paper is paper on which the surface is largely uneven due to embossing, for example. Here, embossed paper is classified as uncoated paper because paint is not applied to the surface, but is a paper with a large unevenness on the surface compared to fine paper and Kent paper, which are also classified as uncoated paper. Therefore, in this embodiment, it will be described that fine paper and Kent paper, which are classified as uncoated paper, are distinguished from embossed paper by the size of the unevenness on the surface. Note that coated paper is an example of "coated paper", and uncoated paper is an example of "uncoated paper".

[0038] The classification unit 23 uses the smoothness to classify whether the paper is coated or not. As an example, if the smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold, the classification unit 23 determines that the type of recording medium is coated paper. If the smoothness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the classification unit 23 uses the weighted smoothness to classify the type of recording medium as uncoated paper and embossed paper.

[0039] Here, the smoothness of non-embossed paper and embossed paper, which are both uncoated papers, will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is an example of a graph of smoothness for each recording medium, and Figure 5 is an example of a graph of weighted smoothness for each recording medium. Note that the larger the smoothness value, the smaller the roughness of the surface of the recording medium, and the larger the weighted smoothness value, the greater the roughness of the surface of the recording medium.

[0040] As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, when comparing the smoothness of coated paper, uncoated paper, and even among uncoated paper, unembossed paper and embossed paper, a large difference in smoothness appears between coated paper and uncoated paper. For example, as described above, there is a method of measuring smoothness by irradiating light and measuring the reflected light. That is, when the surface smoothness is high (the surface is dense), the reflected light reflected from the surface of the recording medium contains a large amount of specularly reflected light and a small amount of diffusely reflected light. Also, when the surface smoothness is low (the surface is sparse), the reflected light reflected from the surface of the recording medium contains a small amount of specularly reflected light and a large amount of diffusely reflected light. By detecting this difference in reflected light, coated paper and uncoated paper can be distinguished. On the other hand, among uncoated paper, there is no large difference in smoothness between unembossed paper and embossed paper.

[0041] On the other hand, as an example, when comparing weighted smoothness obtained by weighting smoothness by basis weight as shown in Fig. 5, non-embossed paper has a small weighted smoothness, whereas embossed paper tends to have a larger weighted smoothness than non-embossed paper. Therefore, embossed paper can be identified by using the weighted smoothness obtained by weighting smoothness by basis weight as shown in Fig. 5.

[0042] If the weighted smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold, the identification unit 23 determines that the type of recording medium is embossed paper, and if the weighted smoothness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the identification unit 23 determines that the type of recording medium is non-embossed paper.

[0043] In this embodiment, the paper is determined to be embossed paper when the weighted smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the paper may be determined to be embossed paper when the weighted smoothness is less than a predetermined threshold value when the weighted smoothness is calculated by dividing the basis weight by the smoothness.

[0044] The storage unit 24 stores setting information for each recording medium. As an example, as shown in Fig. 6, the storage unit 24 stores a setting information database (hereinafter, referred to as "setting information DB") 24A, and the setting information DB 24A stores type and setting information. Here, the type is the type of recording medium, and the setting information is information related to settings for each attribute such as transfer voltage, transfer pressure, and fixing temperature.

[0045] The setting information DB 24A according to the present embodiment has been described as storing setting information for each type of recording medium. However, this is not limiting. Further detailed setting information may be stored according to the characteristic values ​​of smoothness and basis weight. For example, setting information may be stored for each type of recording medium and each characteristic value of the recording medium, such as reducing the transfer pressure as the basis weight increases.

[0046] The output unit 25 acquires setting information corresponding to the type of recording medium identified by the identification unit 23 from the storage unit 24 and outputs the setting information to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0047] Next, the operation of the information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of a process for identifying the type of recording medium according to the present embodiment. The information processing program shown in Fig. 7 is executed by the CPU 11 reading out and executing an information processing program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14. The information processing program shown in Fig. 7 is executed, for example, when an instruction to identify a recording medium is input from the image forming device 100.

[0048] In step S101, the CPU 11 acquires the smoothness and basis weight as characteristic values ​​of the recording medium.

[0049] In step S102, the CPU 11 determines whether the smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold. If the smoothness is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S102: YES), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, if the smoothness is not greater than the predetermined threshold (the smoothness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold) (step S102: NO), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S104.

[0050] In step S103, the CPU 11 identifies the type of recording medium as coated paper.

[0051] In step S104, the CPU 11 derives a weighted smoothness using the smoothness and the basis weight.

[0052] In step S105, the CPU 11 determines whether the weighted smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold. If the weighted smoothness is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S105: YES), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if the weighted smoothness is not greater than the predetermined threshold (the weighted smoothness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold) (step S105: NO), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S107.

[0053] In step S106, the CPU 11 identifies the type of recording medium as embossed paper.

[0054] In step S107, the CPU 11 identifies the type of recording medium as non-embossed paper.

[0055] In step S108, the CPU 11 acquires setting information according to the type of the identified recording medium.

[0056] In step S109, the CPU 11 outputs the acquired setting information to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to distinguish between large and small projections and recesses on the surface of a recording medium, even when the recording medium is uncoated paper.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the information processing device 10 is separate from the image forming device 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The information processing device 10 may be mounted on the image forming device 100.

[0059] Further, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described as acquiring setting information from the information processing apparatus 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The type of the identified recording medium may also be acquired.

[0060] Further, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described as forming an image using the acquired setting information, but is not limited to this. The acquired setting information may be stored.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the configuration of outputting the setting information corresponding to the identified recording medium has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The setting information corresponding to the identified recording medium may be displayed, or it may be determined whether or not the setting information corresponding to the identified recording medium corresponds to the setting input by the user. For example, if the setting input by the user does not correspond to the identified recording medium (for example, the recording medium installed in the image forming apparatus 100), a notification of the incompatibility may be given to prompt the user to change the setting.

[0062] Although the present invention has been described above using each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the scope described in each embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to each embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention, and the modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including, for example, a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU: Central Processing Unit) and a dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, an ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, an FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, a programmable logic device, etc.).

[0064] In addition, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0065] In the present embodiment, the information processing program is installed in a storage device, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information processing program according to the present embodiment may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, the information processing program according to the present invention may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM. The information processing program according to the present invention may be provided in a form recorded on a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. The information processing program according to the present embodiment may be obtained from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication I / F. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10. Information processing device 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14. Storage 15 Input section 16 monitors 17 Communication I / F 18 Measurement section 19 Bus 21 Acquisition Department 22 Derivation part 23 Identification section 24 Memory section 25 Output section 100 Image forming device

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: Obtaining characteristics of the recording medium, including its smoothness and basis weight; identifying a type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and the basis weight; and The smoothness is weighted by the basis weight to determine a weighted smoothness, and the weighted smoothness is used to identify the type of the recording medium as embossed paper. Information processing device.

2. The processor, If the weighted smoothness is greater than a predetermined threshold, the paper is identified as embossed. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor, Using at least one of the smoothness, the basis weight, and the weighted smoothness, the type of the recording medium is identified as coated paper, uncoated paper, or embossed paper.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The processor, Further, the setting of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the type of the recording medium is output. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The processor, As the setting, at least one of the transfer voltage and the transfer pressure according to the type of the recording medium is output. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. a processor, the processor comprising: Obtaining characteristics of the recording medium, including its smoothness and basis weight; identifying a type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and the basis weight; and The smoothness is weighted by the basis weight to determine a weighted smoothness, and the weighted smoothness is used to identify the type of the recording medium as embossed paper. Image forming device.

7. On the computer, Obtaining characteristics of the recording medium, including its smoothness and basis weight; identifying a type of the recording medium based on the smoothness and the basis weight; and The smoothness is weighted by the basis weight to determine a weighted smoothness, and the weighted smoothness is used to identify the type of the recording medium as embossed paper. An information processing program for executing processing.

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