Image Forming Apparatus Job Scheduling for Downtime Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, downtime occurs due to the need for initial processing settings that interrupt continuous paper forming, and existing systems fail to detect these interruptions, leading to reduced productivity, especially in high-volume POD environments.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a control section that determines and displays continuous output feasibility conditions, allowing for the rescheduling of jobs to prevent interruptions by comparing job settings and paper characteristics, and displaying execution order changes to manage downtime effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If initial processing is executed in the post-processing apparatus to carry out settings corresponding to the content of post-processing, then the post-processing can be correctly performed, but the image forming process to papers is interrupted causing downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The control section executes preliminary determination before job execution to identify whether initial processing is required. By detecting the need for initial processing in advance and notifying the operator, the system allows for proactive scheduling of processing interruptions, preventing unexpected downtime during continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The display section provides feedback to the operator about jobs requiring initial processing and their positions in the execution queue. This feedback mechanism enables the operator to monitor and manage downtime effectively by understanding when and where processing interruptions will occur
2Productivity
If multiple jobs are executed continuously without interrupting the image forming process, then productivity is improved, but the operator cannot know when downtime will occur leading to ineffective time management
Solution Approach 1:
The display section provides real-time feedback to the operator about the execution order of reserved jobs and identifies which jobs require initial processing. This visibility allows the operator to plan and manage downtime effectively while maintaining continuous operation as much as possible
3Reliability
If the image forming process is stopped for initial processing, then correct post-processing settings are achieved, but the continuous execution of reserved jobs is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The control section performs preliminary determination before executing reserved jobs to identify which jobs require initial processing in the post-processing apparatus. By notifying the operator in advance, the system enables proactive scheduling of necessary interruptions, minimizing their impact on overall productivity while ensuring processing accuracy is maintained
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit which executes a predetermined image forming process to a paper, a control section which controls so as to receive reservations of a plurality of jobs, so as to execute the plurality of jobs in a predetermined order and to make the image forming unit carry out the image forming process to the paper in each predetermined interval, so as to continuously executed the plurality of jobs without interrupting the image forming process in each predetermined interval, so as to stop the image forming process in each predetermined interval until a reserved job be in a state where the image forming process is startable when a predetermined continuous execution not-feasible condition is met when starting an execution of the reserved job and a display section which displays an execution order of the plurality of jobs which are received by the control section so as to be specified.