JP2004241861A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an image forming apparatus that can cope with the occurrence of an abnormality in a slave unit at the time of linked printing performed by connecting the image forming apparatuses and that can easily perform a countermeasure after the occurrence of the abnormality.
In an image forming apparatus, a master device (master device) 90 and a slave device (slave device) 91 are connected by a wired cable 92, and share and print a print job. When the master unit 90 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the slave unit 91, the master unit 90 cancels the connection mode with the slave unit 91, displays the fact in the message area 41 a of the liquid crystal touch panel 31, and notifies the operator. To be recognized. The main power supply of the image forming apparatus, a system error, and a communication error can be dealt with as abnormal occurrence.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that performs linked printing by connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and transfers image data to another connected image forming apparatus to share between a master unit and a slave unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that copes with an abnormality that occurs when performing linked printing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus that outputs a print image, another image forming apparatus is connected to the image forming apparatus that outputs a print, and the two image forming apparatuses operate as a master unit (master unit) and a slave unit (child unit). There is. In such a connection mode, a print image can be continuously output from these two image forming apparatuses (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 3 below).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-220945 [Patent Document 2]
JP 10-322533 A [Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-188651
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the technology disclosed in each of the above-mentioned patent documents, when an abnormality occurs in the slave unit during printing of the image forming apparatus in the connection mode, the master unit also stops printing. After that, to make the remaining copies, the user manually released the connection mode and started the remaining printing on the master machine again, so it was necessary to perform a complicated operation to obtain the desired copy. .
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to cope with the occurrence of an abnormality in a slave unit during linked printing performed by connecting image forming apparatuses. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a countermeasure after occurrence can be easily performed.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention has a reading unit that reads an image on a document and outputs it as image data; an image storage unit that stores the image data; Image printing means for printing data, abnormality detecting means for detecting abnormality of the image forming apparatus, and connection for communicating operation commands, status, image data, etc. between two image forming apparatuses including a master unit and a slave unit Communication means for setting an image forming mode, connecting image forming mode capable of setting a connected image forming mode for transferring stored image data to another image forming apparatus via the connecting communication means for printing out Mode setting means, image forming job accepting means capable of registering a plurality of image forming jobs including printing in the linked image forming mode, and image forming job And printing order control means for performing image printing in the order in which the connected image forming modes are received, and under the setting of the connected image forming mode, the abnormality detecting means of the master unit detects an abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued in the slave unit. In this case, the connected image forming mode setting means of the master machine cancels the connected image forming mode.
[0007]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an error occurs in which the continuous printing cannot be continued in the slave device under the setting of the connected image forming mode, the master device is connected to the slave device. The image forming mode can be automatically canceled. Therefore, it is possible to quickly perform a process for replacing the job assigned to the slave device with the master device. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0008]
In the image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, during the reservation setting of the image forming job with respect to the job receiving unit under the setting of the linked image forming mode, the abnormality of the master machine is set. When the detecting unit detects an abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued in the slave unit, the connected image forming mode setting unit of the master unit cancels the connected image forming mode. .
[0009]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, during the setting of the image forming job reservation for the job receiving unit under the setting of the linked image forming mode, the abnormality that the linked printing cannot be continued by the slave machine is detected. If this occurs, the master unit can cancel the linked image forming mode with the slave unit. Therefore, it is possible to perform a process for promptly substituting a job that is to be assigned to the slave device by the master device. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0010]
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, when the connected image forming mode is canceled, the connected image forming mode is canceled by the master machine. Display means for displaying the effect.
[0011]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the connected image forming mode is cancelled, the operator can recognize that the connected image forming mode has been canceled. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp that the connected image forming mode has been canceled, and can promptly deal with it.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the connected image forming mode setting unit of the master machine cancels the connected image forming mode. And processing for substituting the job to be assigned to the slave unit by the master unit.
[0013]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the master unit cancels the linked image forming mode with the slave unit, the master unit performs a process for substituting the job to be assigned to the slave unit with the master unit. By doing so, the efficiency of the printing process can be improved. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued is caused by a main power supply of the image forming apparatus. It is characterized in that it is based on interruption of power supply such as OFF.
[0015]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately cope with the case where the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued due to the power-off.
[0016]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued is caused by a system error of the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by being based on.
[0017]
According to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to appropriately cope with a case where the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued due to the occurrence of the system error.
[0018]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the abnormality in which the continuous printing cannot be continued is caused by a communication error between the image forming apparatuses. It is characterized by being based on.
[0019]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately cope with the case where the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued due to the occurrence of the communication error.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the image forming apparatus of the present invention. A document bundle is placed on a document table 2 above an automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as an ADF) 1 with the image side of the document facing up.
[0021]
When the print key 34 on the operation unit 30 (see FIG. 2) is pressed, the original is fed from the uppermost document to a predetermined position on the contact glass 6 by the feed rollers 3 and the feed belt 4. The image data of the document on the contact glass 6 is read by the reading unit 50, and the document that has been read is discharged by the feed belt 4 and the discharge roller 5. Further, when the document set detecting section 7 detects that the next document is present on the document table 2, the document is fed onto the contact glass 6 like the previous document. The feed roller 3, the feed belt 4, and the discharge roller 5 are driven by a transport motor 26 (see FIG. 3).
[0022]
The transfer sheets stacked on the first tray 8, the second tray 9, and the third tray 10 below the apparatus are fed by the first sheet feeding device 11, the second sheet feeding device 12, and the third sheet feeding device 13, respectively. Is transported by the vertical transport unit 14 to a position where it contacts the photoconductor 15. The image data read by the reading unit 50 is written on the photoconductor 15 by the laser from the writing unit 57, and passes through the developing unit 27 to form a toner image. Then, the toner image on the photoconductor 15 is transferred while the transfer paper is conveyed by the conveyance belt 16 at the same speed as the rotation of the photoconductor 15. Thereafter, the image is fixed by the fixing unit 17, and the image is discharged to the finisher 100 of the post-processing device by the sheet discharging unit 18.
[0023]
The finisher 100 of the post-processing device can guide the transfer paper toward the normal discharge roller 102 and the lower stapling section. By switching the switching plate 101 upward, the sheet can be discharged to the normal sheet discharge tray 104 via the transport roller 103. By switching the switching plate 101 downward, the sheet can be conveyed to the staple table 108 via the conveying rollers 105 and 107. The transfer paper stacked on the staple table 108 is aligned with the jogger 109 for paper alignment every time one sheet is discharged, and is stapled by the stapler 106 when a part of the copy is completed. The transfer paper group bound by the stapler 106 is stored in the stapling completion paper discharge tray 110 by its own weight.
[0024]
On the other hand, the normal paper discharge tray 104 is a paper discharge tray that can move back and forth. The normal paper discharge tray 104 that can be moved back and forth moves back and forth for each document or for each copy unit sorted by the image memory, and sorts the copy paper that is simply discharged.
[0025]
When images are formed on both sides of the transfer paper, the transfer paper fed and imaged from each of the paper feed trays 8 to 10 is not guided to the normal paper output tray 104 side, and the branch claws 112 for path switching are not provided. Is set on the upper side to temporarily stock the duplex sheet feeding unit 111. Thereafter, the transfer paper stocked in the duplex paper supply unit 111 is re-fed from the duplex paper supply unit 111 in order to transfer the toner image formed on the photoconductor 15 again, and the branch claws 112 for switching the path. Is set on the lower side and guided to the normal paper discharge tray 104. When an image is created on both sides of such a transfer sheet, the duplex sheet supply unit 111 is used.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation unit 30. The operation unit 30 includes a liquid crystal touch panel 31, numeric keys 32, a clear / stop key 33, a print key 34, a preheat key 35, a reset key 36, a new reservation key 38a, a job list key 38b, an initial setting key 39, and the like. The liquid crystal touch panel 31 displays keys for setting a mode, which will be described later, and a message indicating the state of the image forming apparatus.
[0027]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the image forming apparatus. The photoconductor 15, the transport belt 16, the fixing unit 17, the paper discharging unit 18, and the developing unit 27 are driven by a main motor 25. Each of the paper feeding devices 11 to 13 controls the driving of the main motor 25 by a paper feeding clutch 22 to 24. The vertical transport unit 14 is driven to transmit the drive of the main motor 25 by the intermediate clutch 21. The main controller 20 totally controls these. In addition, a connection for a connection printing operation is performed with another image forming apparatus via an image processing unit (IPU) 49 and a connection I / F 48.
[0028]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the liquid crystal touch panel 31 provided in the operation unit 30. When the operator touches a key displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 31, the key indicating the selected function is inverted to black. When the details of the function need to be specified (for example, in the case of scaling, a scaling value or the like), by touching a key, a setting screen for a detailed function is displayed. Since such a liquid crystal touch panel uses a dot display, it is possible to graphically perform an optimal display at that time.
[0029]
In the upper left of FIG. 4, a message area 41a for displaying a message such as "Ready to copy" or "Please wait" is displayed, and a copy number display section 41b for displaying the set number is displayed on the right. . Below the message area 41a, an automatic paper selection key 41c for automatically selecting a transfer paper is displayed. In the center of the right, a sort key 41d for specifying a process of aligning copies one by one in a page order, a stack key 41e for specifying a process of sorting the copies for each page, and a staple for specifying a process of binding the sorted items one by one A key 41f is provided.
[0030]
Below the automatic paper selection key 41c, there are set a same-size key 41g for setting the magnification to the same magnification, a variable-magnification key 41h for setting the enlargement / reduction magnification, a double-sided key 41i for setting the double-sided mode, a binding margin mode, and the like. An edit key 41j and a cover / insert key 41k for setting a cover / insert mode are provided. In addition, a connection mode key 41m is provided on the upper part for dividing a large number of printing operations into a plurality of printouts via a network of a digital copying machine (image forming apparatus). Further, the state of the paper feed tray corresponding to the number of paper feed trays is shown, and a key 41n for manually setting a paper feed tray is displayed for each paper feed tray.
[0031]
Next, an operation from reading an image of a document to forming a latent image on a recording surface will be described with reference to FIG. A latent image is a potential distribution generated by converting an image into optical information and irradiating the image on the photoreceptor surface. The reading unit 50 includes a contact glass 6 on which a document is placed and an optical scanning system. The optical scanning system includes an exposure lamp 51, a first mirror 52, a lens 53, a CCD image sensor 54, and the like. I have. The exposure lamp 51 and the first mirror 52 are fixed on a first carriage (not shown), and the second mirror 55 and the third mirror 56 are fixed on a second carriage (not shown).
[0032]
When reading a document image, the first carriage and the second carriage are mechanically scanned at a relative speed of 2: 1 so that the optical path length does not change. This optical scanning system is driven by a scanner drive motor (not shown). The document image is read by the CCD image sensor 54, converted into an electric signal, and processed. By moving the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 in the left-right direction in FIG. 1, the image magnification changes. That is, the positions of the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 in the left-right direction are set corresponding to the designated magnification.
[0033]
The writing unit 57 includes a laser output unit 58, an imaging lens 59, and a mirror 60. Inside the laser output unit 58, a rotating polygon mirror (polygon) that rotates at high speed at a constant speed by a laser diode as a laser light source and a motor. Mirror). The laser light emitted from the laser output unit 58 is polarized by a polygon mirror that rotates at a constant speed, passes through an imaging lens 59, is turned back by a mirror 60, and condenses and forms an image on the photoconductor surface.
[0034]
The polarized laser light is exposed and scanned in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the photoconductor 15 rotates, and performs recording in units of lines of an image signal output from a selector 64 of an image processing unit described later. An image (electrostatic latent image) is formed on the photoconductor surface by repeating main scanning at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the rotation speed of the photoconductor 15 and the recording density.
[0035]
As described above, the laser beam output from the writing unit 57 is applied to the photoconductor 15 of the image forming system. Although not shown, a beam sensor for generating a main scanning synchronization signal is disposed at a position near one end of the photoconductor 15 where the laser beam is irradiated. Based on the main scanning synchronization signal, control of image recording start timing in the main scanning direction and generation of a control signal for inputting / outputting an image signal described later are performed.
[0036]
Next, the configuration of the image processing unit 49 (the reading unit 50 and the writing unit 57) will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image processing unit 49. The light emitted from the exposure lamp 51 irradiates the original surface, and the reflected light from the original surface is imaged and received by an image forming lens (not shown) by the CCD image sensor 54 and photoelectrically converted. The signal is converted into a digital signal by the D converter 61. The image signal converted into a digital signal is subjected to shading correction by a shading correction unit 62, MTF correction and γ correction are performed by an MTF / γ correction unit 63, and the magnification processing unit 72 performs a magnification process. You. The selector 64 switches the destination of the image signal to the write γ correction unit 71 or the memory controller 65.
[0037]
The image signal that has passed through the writing γ correction unit 71 is sent to the writing unit 57. The memory controller 65 and the selector 64 are configured so that image signals can be input and output in both directions. The image processing unit (IPU) 49 is supplied with image data other than the image data input from the reading unit 50 from outside (for example, data output from a data processing device such as a personal computer) via the connection I / F 48. Has a function of selecting input / output of a plurality of data.
[0038]
The image processing unit 49 includes a CPU 68 for setting the memory controller 65 and the like, and controlling the reading unit 50 and the writing unit 57, and a ROM 69 and a RAM 70 for storing the programs and data. It is connected. The CPU 68 writes and reads data in the image memory 66 via the memory controller 65. Further, an HDD 73 is provided for saving or storing the contents of the image memory 66.
[0039]
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an image signal for one page in the selector 64. / FGATE in FIG. 6B indicates the effective period of one page of image data in the sub-scanning direction. In FIG. 6A, / LSYNC is a main scanning synchronization signal for each line, and the image signal becomes valid at a predetermined clock after this signal rises. / LGATE in FIG. 6E is a signal indicating that the image signal in the main scanning direction is valid. These signals are synchronized with the pixel clock VCLK in FIG. 6C, and data of one pixel in FIG. 6D is transmitted for one cycle of VCLK. The image processing unit (IPU) 49 has a separate / FGATE, / LSYNC, / LGATE, and VCLK generation mechanism for image input and output, respectively, and enables various combinations of image input / output. .
[0040]
Further, in order to share work, it is necessary to transmit and receive image data and commands to and from another digital copying machine (image forming apparatus). In this embodiment, an IEEE 1394 connection interface for transmitting and receiving image data and a serial communication line for transmitting and receiving commands are used, and the memory controller 65 shown in FIG. .
[0041]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a screen during a copy operation. By pressing the print key 34 shown in FIG. 2, the display on the liquid crystal touch panel 31 switches from the state shown in FIG. 4 to the display screen shown in FIG. The copy-in-operation screen is a screen that indicates the setting state of the copy currently in operation. Since the reservation of the copy to be performed next (hereinafter, referred to as reserved copy) has not been registered, the automatic paper selection key 41c, the automatic density key 41p, and the key 41n for manually setting the paper feed stage are set. Is displayed, the magnification display section 41q displays the same magnification (100%) state, and the operation mode based on these settings is displayed.
[0042]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a reserved copy operation screen. A screen for registering a reserved copy is shown. This is displayed by pressing the new reservation key 38a shown in FIG. 2, the reservation is registered by pressing the print key 34, and the reading operation of the document starts. Further, by pressing the release key 41r shown in the figure, the reserved copy can be released, and the screen can be returned to the copy operation screen shown in FIG. In the display screens shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a job number 41s is displayed in a message area 41a at the upper center of the screen. The job number 41s is a number for identifying a job, and is incremented by one each time a reservation is made.
[0043]
In the reserved copy mode, the operation unit 30 is opened during the execution of the copy operation to enable the operation input of the next job. If the original reading operation of the job during the copying operation has been completed, the scanner (including the ADF 1) is opened, and this is an operation mode in which the original reading operation of the next job is enabled.
[0044]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a job list screen. Lists the status of the currently printing copy and reserved copy. The job list screen is displayed by pressing the job list key 38b of the operation unit 30 shown in FIG. Each job being displayed is a key, and when pressed, becomes in a selected state and is displayed in reverse video. When the button is pressed again in the inverted state, the inversion is canceled and the state returns to the non-selected state. FIG. 9 shows that three reserved jobs are registered in addition to the job being printed, and a state is shown in which reservation 2 is highlighted by selection.
[0045]
After selection for each job, the following keys are enabled. Pressing the "Previous" key 41t for changing the order of reservation advances the order of reservation by one. However, it does not go ahead of the job being printed. Further, pressing the “back” key 41u moves the reservation order down by one. In FIG. 9, when the "Previous" key 41t is pressed, as shown in the job list screen of FIG.
[0046]
Further, by pressing the content display key 41v, the screen shifts to the mode selection screen of the selected job, and the copy mode can be changed. In FIG. 9, when the content display key 41v is pressed, the screen transits to the reservation waiting screen shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the user can return to the job list display screen (FIG. 9) by pressing the “return to list” key 41w.
[0047]
Next, a software control module configuration in the image forming apparatus, and image transfer and print control will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a software module configuration of the image forming apparatus. The job information set in the application layer 80 is transferred to the control service layer 81 with a start key or the like as a trigger. The control service layer 81 interprets job information from the application layer 80 and requests process information for operating the handler layer 82 from the handler manager 82a.
[0048]
The handler manager 82a operates the individual handlers 82b to 82d according to the process information. The handlers include a scanner handler 82b for controlling a reading unit, an image memory handler 82c for controlling input and output of image data to and from an image memory, and a plotter handler 82d for controlling a writing unit and paper transport and a post-processing peripheral. In cooperation with the software modules, the processes from reading to storage in the image memory and image formation are performed.
[0049]
The image forming apparatus (master unit 90) includes a connection I / F 48 for connecting to another image forming apparatus (slave unit 91). Image data and command information are connected via the connection I / F 48. And status information of the device can be exchanged.
[0050]
In the case of a single copy job, the procedure of reading and storing an image and the procedure of printing a stored image are performed. In the case of a linked copy job, the following control is added to the above procedure. The linked copy job generated on the master device 90 side has a process of storing the image read by the scanner in the image memory after the job information is interpreted in the control service layer 81 of the master device 90, and a process of storing the image in the slave device 91. And is executed separately in the process of transferring to the image memory.
[0051]
When the transfer of the necessary image is completed, the control service layer 81 of the slave unit 91 generates a print process referring to the image data that has been transferred in advance according to the information received from the control service layer 81 of the master unit 90, and Requests the handler manager 82a of the printer 91 for printing.
[0052]
Then, the control service layer 81 of the slave unit 91 notifies the master unit 90 of the print job processed by the master unit 90 one by one. According to this information, the control service of the master device 90 monitors the progress of the print job of the own device (master device) 90 and the progress of the print job of the slave device 91, and performs printing as necessary.
[0053]
Next, a printing operation in the connection mode according to the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, there are two image forming apparatuses connected by a wired cable 92, and the side that sets the mode and shares the work is the master unit 90, and the side that is assigned the work is the slave unit 91. Call.
[0054]
(1) When an Abnormality Occurs on the Side of the Child Unit 91 While the Connection Mode is Set In this case, the occurrence of the abnormality is transmitted from the child unit 91 to the parent unit 90 via the connection I / F 48, and the parent unit When the master device 90 receives it, the master device 90 cancels the connection mode. At the same time, the master device 90 displays on the liquid crystal touch panel 31 on the operation unit 30 shown in FIG. 2 a notification that the connection mode has been released. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display of the connection mode release. In the example shown in the figure, "An error has occurred at the link destination. Cancel link copy." Is displayed. It should be noted that this message may be displayed below the message of "can be copied" in the message area 41a shown in FIG. Further, the message content of “An error has occurred at the connection destination” may be specific content such as “The main power has been turned off at the connection destination”. The same processing is performed when the main power of the slave unit 91 is turned off as a factor of the occurrence of an abnormality, and a system error, a communication error due to a disconnection of the wired cable 92, or the like occurs.
[0055]
As described above, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in which the continuous printing cannot be continued in the slave unit 91 when the connected mode is selected, the master unit 90 automatically cancels the connected mode. At the same time, a display is made on the liquid crystal touch panel 31 to notify the operator that the connection mode has been released. Accordingly, the operator can easily know that the connection mode has been released, and can immediately perform processing for replacing the job assigned to the slave unit 91 with the master unit 90.
[0056]
(2) When an error occurs on the slave unit 91 side during the setting of the operation conditions of the job to be reserved or the job reservation under the connection mode setting, also in this case, the slave unit 91 receives the master unit via the connection I / F 48. When the occurrence of an abnormality is transmitted to the master device 90 and the master device 90 receives the abnormality, the master device 90 releases the connection mode of the job in which the connection mode is selected, and the liquid crystal touch panel 31 of the operation unit 30 on the master device 90 side as shown in FIG. A connection impossible display as shown is performed. The same processing is performed when a main power OFF, a system error, a communication error due to a disconnection of the wired cable 92, or the like occurs as a cause of the abnormality.
[0057]
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even when an abnormality in which connection printing cannot be continued occurs in the slave unit 91 during the reservation of the connection mode, the master unit 90 automatically cancels the connection mode and sets the liquid crystal touch panel. A display is made at 31 to inform the operator that the connection mode has been released. Accordingly, the operator can easily know that the connection mode has been released, and can perform a process for quickly replacing the job to be assigned to the child device 91 with the parent device 90.
[0058]
The control of image processing including the connection mode described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.
[0059]
The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the matters described in this embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like can be made based on the description in the claims.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, a reading unit that reads an image on a document and outputs the read image data, an image storage unit that stores the image data, and prints the stored image data. Image printing means, abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the image forming apparatus, connecting communication means for communicating operation commands, status, image data, etc. between two image forming apparatuses including a master unit and a slave unit; Connecting image forming mode setting means for setting an image forming mode, setting a connected image forming mode for transferring stored image data to another image forming apparatus via the connecting communication means and printing out the image data, and An image forming job receiving means capable of registering a plurality of image forming jobs including printing in the linked image forming mode; A printing order control unit for performing printing, wherein when the abnormality detection unit of the master unit detects an abnormality in the slave unit in which the connection image forming mode cannot be continued, Since the linked image forming mode setting means of the machine can cancel the linked image forming mode, when an error occurs in which the linked printing cannot be continued in the slave machine under the linked image forming mode setting, The master device can automatically cancel the connected image forming mode with the slave device. Therefore, it is possible to quickly perform a process for replacing the job assigned to the slave device with the master device. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0061]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, during the setting of the image forming job with respect to the job receiving unit under the linked image forming mode setting, When the abnormality detecting means detects an abnormality in which the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued in the slave machine, the connected image forming mode setting means of the master machine can cancel the connected image forming mode. In a case where an abnormality in which connection printing cannot be continued in the slave device occurs during the reservation setting of the image forming job for the job receiving unit under the setting of the connection image forming mode, the master device is set to the slave device. The connected image forming mode with the machine can be canceled. Therefore, it is possible to perform a process for promptly substituting a job that is to be assigned to the slave device by the master device. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0062]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, when the connected image forming mode is canceled, the master device cancels the connected image forming mode. Since the display means for indicating that the connected image forming mode is canceled is provided, the operator can recognize that the connected image forming mode is canceled when the connected image forming mode is canceled. Therefore, the operator can easily understand that the connected image forming mode has been canceled, and can take prompt action.
[0063]
According to the invention described in claim 4, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the connected image forming mode setting means of the master machine cancels the connected image forming mode. At this time, since a process for substituting the job to be assigned to the slave device by the master device is performed, the necessary print process can be performed, and the efficiency of the print process can be improved. Further, the slave device can be released from the job, and the recovery operation of the slave device can be started immediately.
[0064]
According to the invention described in claim 5, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued is caused by the main power supply of the image forming apparatus. The power supply is cut off, for example, when the power supply is turned off. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with the case where the continuous image formation mode cannot be continued due to the power cutoff.
[0065]
In the invention according to claim 6, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the abnormality in which the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued is based on a system error of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with the case where the continuous image forming mode cannot be continued due to the occurrence of the system error.
[0066]
Also, in the invention according to claim 7, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the abnormality in which the continuous printing cannot be continued is based on a communication error between the image forming apparatuses. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with the case where the continuation of the linked image forming mode becomes impossible due to the occurrence of the communication error.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation unit.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a liquid crystal touch panel provided in an operation unit.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing unit.
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an image signal for one page in a selector.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen during a copy operation.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a reserved copy operation screen.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a job list screen.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a job list screen.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen during reservation standby.
FIG. 12 illustrates a software module configuration of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which two image forming apparatuses are connected.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display of connection mode release.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)
2 Document table 3 Feed roller 4 Feed belt 5 Discharge roller 8 First tray 9 Second tray 10 Third tray 11 First paper feeder 12 Second paper feeder 13 Third paper feeder 14 Vertical transport unit 15 Photoconductor 17 Fixing unit 18 Discharge unit 20 Main controller 27 Developing unit 30 Operation unit 31 LCD touch panel 32 Numeric keys 33 Clear / Stop key 34 Print key 35 Preheat key 36 Reset key 38a New reservation key 38b Job list key 39 Initial setting key 48 Consolidated I / F
49 Image Processing Unit (IPU)
50 reading unit 57 writing unit 65 memory controller 66 image memory 68 CPU
69 ROM
70 RAM
90 Main Unit 91 Slave Unit 92 Wired Cable 100 Finisher 104 Normal Eject Tray 106 Stapler 108 Staple Stand 111 Duplex Feed Unit

Claims (7)

Reading means for reading an image on a document and outputting the image data as image data; image storing means for storing the image data; image printing means for printing the stored image data; and abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the image forming apparatus Communication communication means for communicating operation commands, states, image data, and the like between two image forming apparatuses including a master device and a slave device, and setting an image forming mode, and linking the stored image data. Linked image forming mode setting means for setting a linked image forming mode for transferring to another image forming apparatus via communication means for printing and outputting, and a plurality of image forming jobs including printing in the linked image forming mode. Registerable image forming job receiving means, and printing order control means for performing image printing in the order in which the image forming jobs are received,
Under the connected image forming mode setting, when the abnormality detecting means of the master unit detects an abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued in the slave unit, the connected image forming mode setting unit of the master unit, An image forming apparatus for canceling a connected image forming mode. During the setting of the image forming job for the job receiving unit under the setting of the linked image forming mode, the abnormality detecting unit of the master unit detects an abnormality in which the linked image forming mode cannot be continued in the slave unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the link image forming mode is set, the linked image forming mode setting unit of the master machine cancels the linked image forming mode. 3. The said master machine is provided with the display means which displays that the said connection image formation mode was canceled when the said connection image formation mode was canceled, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. The connected image forming mode setting means of the master unit performs a process for replacing the job to be assigned to the slave unit by the master unit when the connected image forming mode is canceled. Item 4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the abnormality in which the connected image forming mode cannot be continued is based on a power supply cutoff such as a main power supply of the image forming apparatus being turned off. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the abnormality in which the connection image forming mode cannot be continued is based on a system error of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality in which the connection image forming mode cannot be continued is based on a communication error between the image forming apparatuses.

Images