Job allocation device, printing system, and job allocation method

Abstract

Provided is a job allocation device capable of appropriately allocating a plurality of print jobs. First to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 stored in a job storage unit 101 are allocated to a first printer 10A, a second printer 10B, and a third printer 10C by an allocating unit 107. The allocating unit 107 allocates the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 on the basis of total score TP scores. The total score TP is a score based on information relating to usage status items UM for each printer 10. Therefore, even if there are a plurality of print jobs, the print jobs can be allocated to the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C on the basis of the information relating to the usage status items UM.

Description

Job Allocation Device, Printing System, and Job Allocation Method

[0001] The present invention relates to a job allocation device, a printing system, and a job allocation method.

[0002] Conventionally, in an inkjet printer that executes printing based on a print job, a printer system that automatically allocates print jobs is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a network printer system that distributes the amount of unexecuted print jobs in each inkjet printer. In such a network printer system, when a print job is input, the print job is allocated in consideration of the load of each inkjet printer. The load of an inkjet printer is the total data amount of the amount of unprocessed print data and the amount of unprocessed overlay data for each inkjet printer, or the time until the unprocessed print data and the unprocessed overlay data are output (see Patent Document 2).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-227499, Japanese Patent No. 2773639

[0004] Here, for example, when making an operation plan for a plurality of printers, there may be a case where a plurality of print jobs are pre-allocated to a plurality of inkjet printers. In such a case, it is necessary to allocate the print job before the inkjet printer is loaded. Therefore, in the load of the printer, there may be a case where a plurality of print jobs cannot be appropriately allocated.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a job allocation device capable of appropriately allocating a plurality of print jobs to a plurality of inkjet printers.

[0006] The job assignment device of the present invention is a job assignment device that assigns print jobs to first to m (m is a natural number of 2 or more) inkjet printers that eject ink onto a medium and perform printing based on the print job, and comprises: a job storage unit that stores first to n (n is a natural number of 2 or more) of the print jobs; an information acquisition unit that acquires machine information including information on usage status items which are items of usage status for each of the first to m inkjet printers; and an assignment unit that assigns the first to n print jobs to any of the first to m inkjet printers based on the information on usage status items.

[0007] According to the job assignment device of the present invention, the first to nth print jobs stored in the job storage unit are assigned to the first to mth inkjet printers by the assignment unit. The assignment unit assigns the first to nth print jobs based on the information regarding the usage status items. Therefore, even if there are multiple print jobs, the first to nth print jobs are appropriately assigned to the first to mth inkjet printers based on the information regarding the usage status items.

[0008] According to the present invention, the objective is to provide a job assignment device that can appropriately assign multiple print jobs to multiple inkjet printers.

[0009] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a printing system according to one embodiment. Figure 2 is a front view of an inkjet printer according to one embodiment. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the bottom surface of the ink head of an inkjet printer according to one embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic front view showing a cleaning unit. Figure 5 is a block diagram of a printing system according to one embodiment. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a data table stored in the data storage unit. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a data table stored in the data storage unit. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a job list stored in the job storage unit. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process of assigning a print job to an inkjet printer.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are not intended to particularly limit the present invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same function, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of printing system 1. Printing system 1 includes an inkjet printer 10 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 10"), a management device 100, and a cloud server 200. The printer 10, the management device 100, and the cloud server 200 are connected wirelessly via a network NW. The network NW consists of the internet and various mobile communication systems constructed by wireless base stations (not shown). The management device 100 is a device that creates print jobs to be executed by the printer 10 and assigns the created print jobs to the printer 10. A print job is one or more controls executed by the printer 10. The management device 100 also serves as the job assignment device in this invention.

[0012] The printing system 1 is equipped with three printers 10. However, the number of printers 10 is not limited to three. Here, the printers 10 will also be referred to as the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C, in order from top to bottom in the diagram of Figure 1. However, in the case of a common description of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C, the term "printer 10" will be used as appropriate. The printers 10, cloud server 200, and management device 100 will be described in that order below.

[0013] Figure 2 is a front view showing the printer 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the bottom surface of the ink head 61 of the printer 10. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D represent the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom of the printer 10, respectively. The symbol Y in the drawings indicates the scanning direction. In this embodiment, the scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The symbol X in the drawings indicates the transport direction (sub-scanning direction). In this embodiment, the transport direction X is the front-back direction and intersects (in this case is orthogonal to) the scanning direction Y in a plan view. However, these directions are merely defined for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the installation configuration of the printer 10 in any way, nor do they limit the present invention in any way.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 includes a platen 11 that supports the media 5, a transport device 30 that transports the media 5, a carriage moving device 40, a carriage 60 equipped with an ink head 61 that ejects ink, an ink supply unit 70, an ink consumption measuring device 81, a media consumption measuring device 82, a control device 90, and an operation panel 85. The transport device 30 and the carriage moving device 40 constitute a moving mechanism 20 that moves the media 5 and the ink head 61 relative to each other.

[0015] The conveying device 30 is configured to move the media 5, supported on the platen 11, in the conveying direction X. The conveying device 30 includes a grid roller 31, a pinch roller 32, and a feed motor 33. The grid roller 31 is provided on the platen 11. The grid roller 31 rotates when driven by the feed motor 33. The pinch roller 32 is positioned above the grid roller 31. The pinch roller 32 is positioned opposite the grid roller 31. The pinch roller 32 is configured to swing up and down so that it can approach and move away from the grid roller 31. When the grid roller 31 rotates with the media 5 sandwiched between the pinch roller 32 and the grid roller 31, the media 5 is conveyed in the conveying direction X. The feed motor 33 is electrically connected to a control device 90 and controlled by the control device 90.

[0016] The carriage movement device 40 includes a guide rail 41, a pulley 42, a pulley 43, a belt 44, and a scan motor 45. The guide rail 41 is provided above the platen 11. The guide rail 41 extends in the scanning direction Y. The carriage 60 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 41. The pulley 42 is provided to the left of the left end of the guide rail 41. The pulley 43 is provided to the right of the right end of the guide rail 41. The carriage 60 is provided above the platen 11, facing the platen 11. The belt 44 is wrapped around the pulleys 42 and 43. The scan motor 45 is connected to the right pulley 43. However, the scan motor 45 may also be connected to the left pulley 42. When the scan motor 45 is driven, the pulley 43 rotates, causing the belt 44 to travel between the pulleys 42 and 43. The scan motor 45 is electrically connected to the control device 90 and controlled by the control device 90.

[0017] The carriage 60 is equipped with multiple ink heads 61. As shown in Figure 3, the ink heads 61 are formed in a shape where the length in the transport direction X is longer than the length in the scanning direction Y. The multiple ink heads 61 are formed to be the same shape and size. The ink heads 61 are equipped with multiple nozzles 62 arranged in the transport direction X and a nozzle surface 63 on which the multiple nozzles 62 are formed. The number of nozzles 62 is not particularly limited. The nozzles 62 of the ink heads 61 eject ink onto the media 5. In this embodiment, the carriage 60 is equipped with four ink heads 61, but the number of ink heads 61 is not limited to four.

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic front view of the cleaning unit 65. The cleaning unit 65 is configured to clean the ink head 61 when the carriage 60 has moved to a predetermined cleaning position L1. The cleaning position L1 is, for example, near the right end of the guide rail 41. However, the location of the cleaning position L1 is not particularly limited. As shown in Figure 4, the cleaning unit 65 here comprises a wiper unit 66 and a cap unit 67. The wiper unit 66 comprises a wiper 66a and a wiper moving part 66b. The wiper 66a is configured as a flat plate extending in the scanning direction Y and the vertical direction. The wiper 66a is made of, for example, rubber. The wiper moving part 66b moves the wiper 66a in the transport direction X and brings it into contact with the nozzle surface 63 (see Figure 3) of the ink head 61. The nozzle surface 63 is wiped by the wiper 66a moving in the transport direction X. In the following description, this will be referred to as the wiping process. The wiping process is one of the cleaning processes for cleaning the ink head 61. The configuration of the wiper unit 66 is not limited to the above. Wiping may be performed, for example, by the movement of the carriage 60, or by moving in the scanning direction Y.

[0019] The cap unit 67 protects the ink head 61 and also sucks ink from the nozzle 62 (see Figure 3) of the ink head 61. The process of sucking ink from the nozzle 62 is called the suction process. The suction process is one of the cleaning processes. As shown in Figure 3, the cap unit 67 comprises a cap 67a, a cap moving part 67b, and a suction pump 67c. The cap 67a is configured to be attachable to the ink head 61. The cap moving part 67b moves the cap 67a vertically to attach or detach the cap 67a from the ink head 61. The suction pump 67c sucks ink from the nozzle 62 by reducing the pressure inside the cap 67a when the cap 67a is attached to the ink head 61. This performs the suction process. In addition, during the cleaning process, when the cap 67a is detached, a process is performed to discharge ink from the ink head 61 towards the cap 67a. This process is called the flushing process. The flushing process is one of the cleaning processes. In this specification, "cleaning the ink head 61" means performing cleaning procedures such as wiping, suction, and flushing. However, cleaning the ink head 61 is not limited to these procedures.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the ink supply unit 70 includes an ink tank 71 and an ink supply passage 72. The ink contained in each ink tank 71 is supplied to each ink head 61 through the ink supply passage 72. Each ink tank 71 stores, for example, one of the process color and spot color inks (e.g., white ink, clear ink, etc.). Alternatively, the ink may be colorless ink. The material of the ink is not limited in any way, and various materials that have been conventionally used as ink materials for inks in inkjet printers can be used. The ink may be, for example, a solvent-based pigment ink or an aqueous pigment ink. Alternatively, the ink may be an aqueous dye ink or an ultraviolet-curing pigment ink that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light. The ink tank 71 may be, for example, an ink cartridge or a pouch.

[0021] The ink supply passage 72 is a flow path connecting the ink tank 71 and the ink head 61. One end of the ink supply passage 72 is connected to the ink tank 71, and the other end of the ink supply passage 72 is connected to the ink head 61. The configuration of the ink supply passage 72 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is made of a flexible tube. The ink in the ink tank 71 flows through the ink supply passage 72 and is supplied to the ink head 61.

[0022] The ink tank 71 is equipped with an ink consumption measuring device 81. The ink consumption measuring device 81 is a device that measures the amount of ink consumed by printing. The measurement method of the ink consumption measuring device 81 is not particularly limited, but can be implemented by a measuring device comprising, for example, a pressure-sensitive film (not shown), a member to be detected (not shown), and a sensor unit (not shown). The pressure-sensitive film flexes and deforms in conjunction with the amount of ink stored inside the ink tank 71. When the pressure-sensitive film flexes and deforms, the position of the member to be detected moves, and the sensor unit detects this position. The amount of ink consumed is measured by the position of the member to be detected. The ink consumption measuring device 81 is connected to a control device 90. The ink consumption measuring device 81 transmits the measured amount of ink consumed to the control device 90.

[0023] The media consumption measuring device 82 is a device that measures the amount of media 5 consumed. In this embodiment, the media consumption measuring device 82 is a device that measures the amount of media 5 transported. The media consumption measuring device 82 is, for example, a sensor that measures the amount of rotation of the grid roller 31. The media consumption measuring device 82 is connected to the control device 90. When the media 5 is transported, the amount of rotation of the grid roller 31 is measured by the sensor. The amount of rotation measured by the sensor is used to measure the amount of media 5 consumed. The media consumption measuring device 82 may also be, for example, a sensor that measures the transport length in the transport direction X when the media 5 is transported.

[0024] Figure 5 is a block diagram of the printing system 1. The control device 90 is a device that controls printing on the media 5 (see Figure 2). The configuration of the control device 90 is not particularly limited. The control device 90 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited, but for example, it includes an interface (I / F) for receiving print data etc. from an external device such as a host computer, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions for the control program, a ROM (read-only memory) that stores the program executed by the CPU, a RAM (random access memory) used as a working area for expanding the program, and a storage device such as memory that stores the program and various data.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5, the control device 90 is connected to the feed motor 33, the scan motor 45, the ink head 61, the cleaning unit 65, the ink consumption measuring device 81, the media consumption measuring device 82, and the operation panel 85, and controls their operation. The control device 90 includes a receiving unit 91, a remaining amount calculation unit 92, a cleaning control unit 93, an elapsed time measurement unit 94, an execution time measurement unit 95, an area acquisition unit 96, a progress calculation unit 97, a first transmission unit 98, and a setup unit 99.

[0026] The receiving unit 91 receives the amount of ink consumed measured by the ink consumption measuring device 81 and the amount of media 5 consumed measured by the media consumption measuring device 82. The remaining amount calculation unit 92 calculates the remaining ink amount V10 and the remaining media amount V20 from the amount of ink consumed and the amount of media 5 consumed received by the receiving unit 91. In this embodiment, the remaining amount calculation unit 92 calculates the remaining ink amount V10 (unit: %) as the ratio of the current ink to the maximum amount of ink in the ink tank 71 (see Figure 2). The maximum amount of ink is stored in advance in the control device 90. The remaining ink amount before calculating the remaining ink amount V10 is also stored in the control device 90. The remaining amount calculation unit 92 calculates the difference between the remaining ink amount stored in the control device 90 and the amount of ink consumed received by the receiving unit 91. The remaining ink amount V10 is calculated from this calculated difference and the maximum amount of ink. The remaining ink amount stored in the control device 90 is updated to the ink remaining amount V10. Similarly, the remaining amount calculation unit 92 calculates the media remaining amount V20 (in %).

[0027] The cleaning control unit 93 performs cleaning using the cleaning unit 65. The cleaning control unit 93 performs each process in the following order, for example: flushing, suction, and wiping. However, the cleaning control unit 93 may perform one or two of the above processes. Furthermore, the order in which the cleaning control unit 93 performs each process is not particularly limited. The cleaning control unit 93 performs cleaning, for example, at night when printing by the printer 10 is infrequent. However, the time for which cleaning is performed is not particularly limited. The elapsed time measurement unit 94 measures the elapsed time V30 (unit: day) since cleaning was performed by the cleaning control unit 93. When cleaning is performed by the cleaning control unit 93, the elapsed time measurement unit 94 resets the measured time to "0".

[0028] The execution time measurement unit 95 measures the job execution time V40, which is the time it takes to execute a certain job. The area acquisition unit 96 acquires the size V50 of the area in the printer 10 where the print job is executed. In this embodiment, the size V50 is the area in which ink is ejected onto the media 5 and printing is performed. The size V50 information is included in the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 (see Figure 8), which will be described later. The area acquisition unit 96 acquires the size V50 when executing any of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5.

[0029] The progress calculation unit 97 calculates the completion rate V60, which is the percentage of the assigned print jobs that have been completed. Details of how the completion rate V60 is calculated will be described later.

[0030] The first transmission unit 98 transmits information such as ink level V10, media level V20, elapsed time V30, job execution time V40, size V50, and completion rate V60 to the cloud server 200.

[0031] The setup unit 99 sends a signal to the management device 100 when the setup in the printer 10 is complete. Here, the setup in the printer 10 refers to setting the media 5 (see Figure 2) and the ink tank 71 (see Figure 2). For example, the setup is started when an operator gives the printer 10 the instruction to "start setup" using the operation panel 85. After that, the operator sets the media 5 and the ink tank 71. Once the operator has completed the setup, the setup unit 99 sends a signal to the management device 100 notifying that the setup is complete. Note that the setup may include operations such as origin adjustment when the carriage 60 (see Figure 2) moves. This origin adjustment is performed automatically by the printer 10, for example.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, an operation panel 85 with buttons and a display is located on the front of the right side cover 13R of the printer 10. The operation panel 85 is connected to the control device 90.

[0033] The configuration of the printer 10 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, the cloud server 200 will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the cloud server 200 is wirelessly connected to the printer 10 and the management device 100 via a network NW. As shown in Figure 5, the cloud server 200 includes a receiving unit 201, a data storage unit 202, an average time calculation unit 203, and a second transmission unit 204.

[0034] The receiving unit 201 receives information transmitted by the first transmitting unit 98 of the control device 90. The data storage unit 202 stores the information received by the receiving unit 201. The data storage unit 202 is composed of, for example, memory or storage. The data storage unit 202 has data table DT1 and data table DT2 for storing the information received by the receiving unit 201.

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the data table DT1 stored in the data storage unit 202. In this embodiment, the data table DT1 stores the machine information DN for each printer 10 (see Figure 2). In this embodiment, the machine information DNs for the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C (see Figure 2) are designated as machine information DN1, DN2, and DN3, respectively. Each machine information DN includes a name NA, a usage status item UM, and an operation information item OM. In the data table DT1, items stored in the same row are linked and stored together. As shown in Figure 6, in the data table DT1, the column indicated by name NA stores information about the name of the printer 10 indicated by the machine information DN. In this embodiment, the information "10A", "10B", and "10C" stored in the name NA column indicates the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C, respectively. Therefore, for example, information written on the same line as the information for "10A" indicates that it is information about the first printer 10A.

[0036] The usage status item UM refers to items related to the usage status of each printer 10. In this embodiment, the usage status item UM includes items related to the usage status of consumables in printing and the maintenance performed. More specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the items "ink usage status," "media usage status," and "maintenance status" from the data table DT1 are included in the usage status item UM. The "ink usage status" column stores information indicating the remaining amount of ink for each printer 10. That is, the "ink usage status" column stores information on the remaining ink level V10. The larger the value indicated by the remaining ink level V10, the more printable documents can be printed with that printer. The "media usage status" column stores information indicating the remaining amount of media 5 for each printer 10. That is, the "media usage status" column stores information on the remaining media level V20. The larger the value indicated by the remaining media level V20, the more printable documents can be printed with that printer. The "maintenance status" column stores the maintenance status for each printer 10. In this embodiment, the maintenance status refers to information indicating the elapsed time since cleaning was performed on the printer 10. That is, the "Maintenance Status" column stores information on the elapsed time V30. The smaller the value indicated by the elapsed time V30, the shorter the time elapsed since cleaning the ink head 61 (see Figure 3), and the less impact there is on the quality of the printed material. The number of usage status items UM included in the machine information DN is not particularly limited.

[0037] The operation information item OM is an item related to operations performed in the past for each printer 10. In this embodiment, the operation information item OM includes the items "Job Progress Status" and "Average Job Completion Time". The "Job Progress Status" column stores information indicating the percentage of completed print jobs for each printer 10. That is, the "Job Progress Status" column stores information on the completion rate V60. The larger the value of the completion rate V60, the more print jobs the printer has completed. The "Average Job Completion Time" column stores the average time V70, which is information indicating the average time it takes to complete a print job for each printer 10. The average time V70 is calculated by the average time calculation unit 203 (see Figure 5), which will be described later.

[0038] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the data table DT2 stored in the data storage unit 202. The data table DT2 stores information for each print job. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, it includes information on "job name," "executing printer," "job execution time," and "print area." In the data table DT2, items in the same row are linked and stored together.

[0039] The "Job Name" column stores information about the names of the executed print jobs. In this embodiment, the "Job Name" column contains information for "Print Job 1," "Print Job 2," and "Print Job 3." "Print Job 1," "Print Job 2," and "Print Job 3" correspond to the first print job JB1 (see Figure 8), the second print job JB2 (see Figure 8), and the third print job JB3 (see Figure 8), respectively, as described later. The "Executing Printer" column displays information about the name of the printer that executed the print job indicated in the "Job Name" column. Similar to data table DT1, the information for "10A," "10B," and "10C" indicates the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C (see Figure 2), respectively. The "Job Execution Time" column stores information about the time required to execute the print job indicated in the same "Job Name" column. That is, the "Job Execution Time" column stores information about the job execution time V40. The "Print Area" column stores information about the area to be printed for the print job indicated in the "Job Name" column of the same row. In other words, the "Job Execution Time" column stores information for size V50.

[0040] The average time calculation unit 203 shown in Figure 5 calculates the average time V70, which is information about the "average job completion time" (see Figure 6). The average time calculation unit 203 calculates the average time V70 using the job execution time V40 and size V50 information stored in data table DT2. The average time calculation unit 203 calculates the average time V70 by dividing the value indicated by the job execution time V40 by the value indicated by the size V50. The calculated average time V70 is stored in data table DT1 (see Figure 6).

[0041] The second transmission unit 204 transmits the aircraft information DN (see Figure 6) to the management device 100. The second transmission unit 204 transmits the aircraft information DN to the management device 100 when the cloud server 200 receives a command sent from the transmission command unit 102, which will be described later.

[0042] The cloud server 200 shown in Figure 1 has been described above. Next, the management device 100 shown in Figure 1 will be described. The management device 100 is a device that assigns print jobs to the printer 10. In this embodiment, the management device 100 also performs tasks such as creating the print data to be printed by the print job. For example, the print data is obtained by processing the image taken into the management device 100 using a RIP (Raster Image Processor). An application for performing RIP processing may be installed on the management device 100. The configuration of the management device 100 is not particularly limited. The management device 100 is, for example, a laptop computer. The hardware configuration of the laptop computer is not particularly limited, but for example, it includes an interface (I / F) for receiving images and shape data from external devices such as a host computer, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions for a control program, a read-only memory (ROM) that stores programs executed by the CPU, a random access memory (RAM) used as a working area for expanding programs, and a storage device such as memory that stores the above programs and various data. The management device 100 is connected to the display screen 100a and the operating mechanism 100b. The operations described above, such as assigning print jobs, may be performed, for example, on a web browser displayed on the display screen 100a. The operating mechanism 100b is a mechanism for performing various operations on the display screen 100a, and is, for example, a mouse or keyboard. However, the form of the management device 100, the display screen 100a, and the operating mechanism 100b is not limited in any way.

[0043] As shown in Figure 5, the management device 100 includes a job storage unit 101, a transmission command unit 102, an information acquisition unit 103, a calculation unit 104, a determination unit 105, an operation information comparison unit 106, an assignment unit 107, and a completion determination unit 108.

[0044] The job storage unit 101 stores the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 (see FIG. 8). FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a job list JL stored in the job storage unit 101. A job list is a list of print jobs to be executed. In the present embodiment, the above-described first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are included in the job list JL. In the job list JL, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are printed in the order of the first print job JB1, the second print job JB2, the third print job JB3, the fourth print job JB4, and the fifth print job JB5. However, the order of execution is not limited to this. The first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 stored in the job storage unit 101 are created, for example, when the user operates the management device 100 (see FIG. 5). Here, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are jobs for printing different print data. In the present embodiment, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are print jobs scheduled to be executed within a certain day. However, the scheduled execution period of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 is not particularly limited. Also, the number of print jobs included in the job list JL is not limited to five. Also, the print jobs included in the job list JL may be appropriately added or deleted due to changes in the scheduled execution or the like. As shown in FIG. 8, information on the size V50 is stored in each of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5.

[0045] The transmission command unit 102 shown in FIG. 5 sends a command to send the aircraft information DN (see FIG. 6) stored in the data storage unit 202 to the management device 100 to the cloud server 200. In the present embodiment, the transmission command unit 102 sends a command to send the aircraft information DN1 to DN3. Note that the transmission command unit 102 may send a command to send only the aircraft that satisfy a predetermined condition among the aircraft information DN stored in the data storage unit 202. For example, when the print jobs included in the job list JL require ejection of gloss ink, a command may be sent to send the aircraft information DN of the printers 10 that can eject gloss ink.

[0046] The information acquisition unit 103 acquires the aircraft information DN transmitted by the second transmission unit 204. Further, in the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 103 also acquires the signal transmitted by the setup unit 99.

[0047] The calculation unit 104 calculates the total score TP of the weighted scores assigned when the determination conditions predetermined for each usage status item UM (see FIG. 6) included in the aircraft information DN (see FIG. 6) are satisfied. In the present embodiment, the predetermined determination conditions are the weighting data shown in Table 1 and the notification of the completion of the setup by the setup unit 99. In the present embodiment, for the printer 10 that has acquired the signal indicating the completion of the setup by the setup unit 99, the total score TP is calculated based on the weighting data shown in Table 1.

[0048]

[0049] In the weighting data of Table 1, "item", "condition", and "score" are associated. In Table 1, "ink usage status", "media usage status", and "maintenance status" in the "item" column are synonymous with "ink usage status", "media usage status", and "maintenance status" in FIG. 6. The calculation unit 104 determines which of the conditions in Table 1 the numerical values indicating the information of "ink usage status", "media usage status", and "maintenance status" in FIG. 6 correspond to, respectively. When the corresponding condition is determined, the numerical value of the "score" corresponding to the "condition" is respectively cited, and the total value of the numerical values is calculated as the total score TP.

[0050] For example, as shown in Figure 6, in the machine information DN1, the information in the columns for "Ink Usage," "Media Usage," and "Maintenance Status" are 100[%], 100[%], and 0[day], respectively. When these are compared with the weighted data in Table 1, "Ink Usage" meets the condition of "70[%] or more," "Media Usage" meets the condition of "70[%] or more," and "Maintenance Status" meets the condition of "less than 2[days]." In other words, the scores for "Ink Usage," "Media Usage," and "Maintenance Status" are all "3." The calculation unit 104 calculates the sum of these scores. Therefore, the total score TP in the machine information DN1 is "9." Note that the contents of "Item," "Condition," and "Score" in Table 1 are not limited to these. Also, in this embodiment, for printers 10 that have not received a setup completion signal, the total score TP is set to "-1" regardless of the machine information DN.

[0051] The determination unit 105 shown in Figure 5 determines whether there are any matching total scores TP calculated by the calculation unit 104. The operation information comparison unit 106 compares the operation information items OM (see Figure 6) for each printer 10 whose total scores TP are determined to match by the determination unit 105. In this embodiment, the operation information comparison unit 106 compares the information in the "average job completion time" item. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, even if the total scores TP are the same, the printer with the shorter "average job completion time" is given priority in being assigned a print job.

[0052] The assignment unit 107 assigns all the print jobs that each of the multiple printers 10 will execute, based on the usage status item UM of the machine information DN. In this embodiment, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 (see Figure 8) are assigned. If the determination unit 105 determines that there are two or more printers 10 whose total score TP matches, the assignment unit 107 assigns the print jobs based on the information in the operation information item OM. Details of the assignment of print jobs by the assignment unit 107 will be described later.

[0053] The completion determination unit 108 determines whether all of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 assigned by the assignment unit 107 have been executed. In this embodiment, the completion determination unit 108 makes the determination based on the completion percentage V60 included in the machine information DN. That is, when it is determined that the completion percentage V60 for all of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C is 100%, the completion determination unit 108 determines that all of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 have been executed.

[0054] The configuration of the printing system 1 has been described above. Next, the operation of assigning print jobs to the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C using the printing system 1 shown in Figure 1 will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process of assigning print jobs to printers 10. It should be assumed that before the start of the flowchart shown in Figure 9, the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B have completed setup, while the third printer 10C has not yet completed setup. Furthermore, steps S101 to S109 below are assumed to be performed, for example, when the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C are first activated on a given day. At this point, since printer 10 is not performing any printing, the "Job Progress Status" information in data table DT1 (see Figure 6) is "0%" for all three printers: the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C.

[0055] In step S101, the job storage unit 101 of the management device 100 stores the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 shown in Figure 8. The first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 may be created by the management device 100, for example, or by another computer or the like. Step S101 is an example of the job storage process in the present invention.

[0056] In step S102, first, the transmission command unit 102 sends a command to the cloud server 200. This transmits the aircraft information DN stored in the data storage unit 202 of the cloud server 200 to the management device 100. In this embodiment, a command is issued to transmit aircraft information DN1 to DN3 from the aircraft information DN. When the cloud server 200 receives this command, the second transmission unit 204 transmits aircraft information DN1 to DN3. When the second transmission unit 204 transmits aircraft information DN1 to DN3, the information acquisition unit 103 acquires aircraft information DN1 to DN3. Also, the setup unit 99 of the control device 90 transmits a signal notifying that the setup of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B is complete. The information acquisition unit 103 also acquires this signal. Step S102 is an example of the information acquisition process in the present invention.

[0057] In step S103, the calculation unit 104 calculates the total score TP for each printer 10. As described above, the total score TP is the sum of the scores based on the usage status item UM of the printer 10. As described above, in this embodiment, the setup of the third printer 10C is not yet complete. Therefore, the total score TP for the third printer 10C is "-1". Comparing the machine information DN1 and machine information DN2 of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B shown in Figure 6 with the weighting data in Table 1, as described above, the total score TP for both the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B is "9". A list of total scores TP is shown in Table 2.

[0058]

[0059] In step S104, the determination unit 105 determines whether any of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C have matching total scores TP. As shown in Table 2, in this embodiment, the total scores TP of "10A" and "10B" are both "9". That is, the total scores TP of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B are matching. If there are matching total scores TP, the process proceeds to step S105. If there are no matching total scores TP, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0060] In step S105, the operation information comparison unit 106 compares the operation information items OM of the printers 10 whose total score TP matches. That is, the operation information comparison unit 106 compares the operation information items OM of printer 10A and printer 10B. Thus, the operation information comparison unit 106 compares the operation information items OM of machine information DN1 and machine information DN2. In this embodiment, the operation information comparison unit 106 compares the "average job completion time" item shown in Figure 6. The operation information comparison unit 106 compares the magnitude of the average time V70 of the "average job completion time". In this embodiment, it is found that of "printer 10A" and "printer 10B", "printer 10A" has a smaller average time V70 value.

[0061] In step S106, the assignment unit 107 assigns the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 to the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C, respectively. First, the assignment unit 107 sets the assignment priority based on the results of steps S103 to 105. In step S103, the total score TP of the third printer 10C was "-1", and the total score TP of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B was "9". Therefore, among the printers 10, the total score TP of the third printer 10C is the lowest. Thus, as shown in Table 2, the priority of the third printer 10C becomes "3".

[0062] Furthermore, in steps S104 and S105, it is confirmed that the first printer 10A has a smaller average job completion time V70 than the second printer 10B. Therefore, the assignment unit 107 sets the priority of the first printer 10A higher than the priority of the second printer 10B. Thus, in this embodiment, as shown in Table 2, the priority of the first printer 10A becomes "1" and the priority of the second printer 10B becomes "2".

[0063] Once the "priority" of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C is determined, the assignment unit 107 assigns the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 to each printer in the order of the "priority" values. In this embodiment, the assignment is performed in the order of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5. The assignment unit 107 first assigns print job JB1 to "10A", print job JB2 to "10B", and the third print job JB3 to "10C". Since the assignment has been performed for the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C, the assignment unit 107 performs the assignment again in the order of the "priority" values. That is, it assigns the fourth print job JB4 to "10A" and the fifth print job JB5 to "10B". Step S107 is an example of the assignment process in the present invention.

[0064] In step S107, the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C each execute the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 that are assigned to them. Specifically, the first printer 10A executes the first print job JB1 and the fourth print job JB4, the second printer 10B executes the second print job JB2 and the fifth print job JB5, and the third printer 10C executes the third print job JB3. When the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are executed in step S107, the execution time measurement unit 95 of the printer 10 measures the job execution time V40 for each of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5. The area acquisition unit 96 acquires the size V50 of the print job in progress. The progress calculation unit 97 calculates the completion rate V60.

[0065] The progress calculation unit 97 calculates a completion percentage V60 when, for example, one print job is completed. For example, when the first print job JB1 is completed in the first printer 10A, the progress calculation unit 97 calculates a completion percentage V60 of 50%, assuming that the first print job JB1 is completed out of the two print jobs, the first print job JB1 and the fourth print job JB4. The first transmission unit 98 transmits information to the cloud server 200 when, for example, one print job is completed. However, the timing of calculating the completion percentage V60 and the timing of transmission by the first transmission unit 98 are not particularly limited.

[0066] In step S108, the completion determination unit 108 determines whether all of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 have been executed. The completion determination unit 108 determines whether the completion percentage V60 of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C are all 100%. If it is determined that all of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 have been executed, the flow ends. If it is determined that all of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 have not been executed, the process returns to step S102. When the process returns to step S102 and the flow is executed again, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are reassigned based on the machine information DN since the printer 10 started printing. For example, if the transmission command unit 102 sends a command every hour and the flow starts from step S102, the assignment of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 will be performed every hour.

[0067] In step S107, printing has already started, so if you return to step S102 from step S108, some of the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 may have already been completed. Therefore, if you return to step S102 and then proceed to step S105 again, you may use the "Job Progress Status" information from the operation information item OM. In this case, the printer 10 with a higher "Job Progress Status" value will be assigned a higher "Priority" as shown in Table 2. In other words, print jobs will be preferentially assigned to the printer 10 that has more print jobs running.

[0068] As described above, according to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 stored in the job storage unit 101 are assigned to the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C by the assignment unit 107. The assignment unit 107 assigns the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 based on the total score TP. The total score TP is a score based on information regarding the usage status item UM for each printer 10. Therefore, even if there are multiple print jobs, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 can be pre-assigned to the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C based on information regarding the usage status item UM. This makes it possible to understand which print jobs the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C will each execute, and for example, when planning the operation of the printers 10, multiple print jobs can be appropriately assigned.

[0069] According to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are print jobs scheduled to be executed on a given day. Therefore, for example, an operator can assign all the print jobs scheduled to be executed on a given day to the printer 10 in advance before printing begins. This allows the operator to understand the daily printing schedule for the printer 10. Furthermore, by understanding the printing schedule, the operator can, for example, decide in advance when to replenish ink or media 5. Therefore, the operator's daily work schedule can also be determined.

[0070] According to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the usage status item UM includes information on "ink usage," "media usage," and "maintenance status" for each of the first printer 10A, the second printer 10B, and the third printer 10C. Therefore, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 can be assigned based on the remaining ink level, the remaining media 5 level, and the elapsed time since cleaning was performed for each printer 10.

[0071] According to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the calculation unit 104 calculates the total score TP by comparing the information regarding the usage status item UM with weighted data. The machine information DN includes the items "ink usage," "media usage," and "maintenance status" as the usage status item UM. The calculation unit 104 calculates the total score TP, which is the sum of the "scores" corresponding to the information for each of these items. In this embodiment, the "scores" for "ink usage" and "media usage" are a maximum of "3." On the other hand, the "score" for "maintenance status" is a maximum of "2." Therefore, when assigning the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5, the "scores" for "ink usage" and "media usage" are more important than the "maintenance status." In this way, by weighting the information regarding the usage status item UM, it is possible to set items that are more important when assigning the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5.

[0072] According to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the machine information DN has an operation information item OM. In this embodiment, the total score TP of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B are the same. At this time, the priority of the first printer 10A and the second printer 10B is determined based on the operation information item OM. Therefore, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are assigned based on the information regarding the usage status item UM and the information regarding the operation information item OM. Here, the operation information item OM is an item related to operations that have been performed in the past for each printer 10. Therefore, in addition to the information regarding the usage status item UM, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are assigned based on the actual operation information for each printer 10. This makes it possible to assign the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 more appropriately.

[0073] According to the management device 100 of this embodiment, the operation information item OM includes information on "job progress status" and "average job completion time". Therefore, for example, by preferentially assigning print jobs to those with a high completion rate V60 or a low average time V70, the time it takes for the assigned print jobs to be completed can be shortened. As a result, the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 are assigned in such a way that the printer 10 can efficiently complete them.

[0074] The printing system 1 of this embodiment includes a management device 100 and a printer 10. Therefore, the printing system 1 can realize a series of operations from assigning the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 by the management device 100 to executing the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5 by the printer 10.

[0075] A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the job assignment device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

[0076] In the embodiments described above, the weighting data shown in Table 1 was used for the first to fifth print jobs JB1 to JB5, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, different weighting data may be used for each print job.

[0077] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to various types of printers. In addition to the roll-to-roll type printer shown in the embodiments described above, it can also be applied to so-called flatbed type printers, for example, in which a recording medium is fixed on a table and the table is transported to print. Furthermore, it can also be applied to so-called gantry type printers, in which a recording medium is placed on a table and a carriage is moved relative to the table in the scanning direction Y and in the front-back direction to print.

[0078] 5 Media 10A First printer 10B Second printer 10C Third printer 100 Management device (job assignment device) 101 Job storage unit 103 Information acquisition unit 107 Assignment unit JB1 to JB5 First to fifth print jobs

Claims

1. A job assignment device that assigns print jobs to first to m (m is a natural number of 2 or more) inkjet printers that eject ink onto media and perform printing based on print jobs, comprising: a job storage unit that stores first to n (n is a natural number of 2 or more) of the print jobs; an information acquisition unit that acquires machine information including information on usage status items which are items of usage status for each of the first to m inkjet printers; and an assignment unit that assigns the first to n print jobs to any of the first to m inkjet printers based on the information on usage status items.

2. The job assignment device according to claim 1, wherein the first to nth print jobs are print jobs scheduled to be executed within a predetermined period.

3. The job assignment device according to claim 1, wherein the usage status item includes at least one of the ink usage status for each of the first to m inkjet printers, the media usage status for each of the first to m inkjet printers, and the maintenance status for each of the first to m inkjet printers.

4. The job assignment device according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft information includes two or more usage status items, and for each piece of information regarding the usage status items included in the aircraft information, a calculation unit calculates the total score of weighted points to be awarded when predetermined judgment conditions are met, and the assignment unit assigns the first to nth print jobs based on the total score calculated by the calculation unit.

5. The job assignment device according to claim 4, wherein the machine information includes operation information items which are items relating to operations previously performed for each of the first to m inkjet printers, and the assignment unit assigns the first to n print jobs based on the information relating to the usage status items and the information relating to the operation information items when there are two or more of the first to m inkjet printers whose total scores match.

6. The job assignment device according to claim 5, wherein the operation information item includes at least one of the progress status of the print job for each of the first to m inkjet printers and the average printing time for each of the first to m inkjet printers.

7. A printing system comprising a job assignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the first to m inkjet printers.

8. A job assignment method for assigning a print job to a first to m (m is a natural number of 2 or more) inkjet printers that eject ink onto a media and perform printing based on the print job, comprising: a job storage step for storing the first to n (n is a natural number of 2 or more) print jobs; an information acquisition step for acquiring machine information including information on usage status items which are items of usage status for each of the first to m inkjet printers; and an assignment step for assigning the first to n print jobs to any of the first to m inkjet printers based on the information on usage status items.

Images