JP2009143070A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention detects each remaining amount of a plurality of printing agents, makes it possible to select a normal printing mode and a printing agent adjustment mode, and when the printing agent adjustment mode is selected, the selected printing agent is used as the remaining amount. In accordance with the adjustment, the plurality of selected printing agents are finished almost at the same time, thereby suppressing variation in the remaining amount of each printing agent, reducing the number of times the printing agent is replenished, and good. So that the correct print result can be obtained.
A remaining amount detecting unit for detecting remaining amounts of a plurality of printing agents, a printing mode selecting unit capable of selecting a normal printing mode and a printing agent adjustment mode, and a printing agent to be adjusted in the printing agent adjustment mode are selected. When the printing agent adjustment mode is selected by the printing agent selection unit and the printing mode selection unit, the plurality of printing agents selected by the printing agent selection unit are adjusted according to the remaining amount and selected by the printing agent selection unit. And a printing agent control unit for controlling the printing agents to finish simultaneously.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing using a plurality of printing agents.

Conventionally, in an electrophotographic printing apparatus, the remaining amount of a printing agent such as ink or toner is detected, whether or not the remaining amount of the printing agent is equal to or less than a specified amount, and the remaining amount of the printing agent is If the amount is less than the specified amount, printing is finished, the recording paper is discharged, and the printing apparatus is set in an off-line state to make it impossible to receive data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, since data is not received unless the printing agent cartridge is replaced, it is possible to prevent the image from being blurred or fogging.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-24656

  However, since the conventional printing apparatus has a plurality of printing agent cartridges, the opportunity for replacement naturally increases, and a troublesome replacement work must be performed each time.

  The present invention solves the problems of the conventional printing apparatus, detects each remaining amount of a plurality of printing agents, and makes it possible to select a normal printing mode and a printing agent adjustment mode. When selected, the selected printing agent is adjusted according to the remaining amount, and the selected printing agents are finished almost simultaneously, thereby suppressing variation in the remaining amount of each printing agent, An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of reducing the number of times of replenishment of a printing agent and obtaining a good printing result.

  For this purpose, the printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus that prints the print data using a plurality of printing agents based on input print data, and detects the remaining amount of the plurality of printing agents. A remaining amount detection unit to perform, a printing mode selection unit capable of selecting a normal printing mode and a printing agent adjustment mode, a printing agent selection unit that selects a printing agent to be adjusted in the printing agent adjustment mode, and the printing mode selection unit When the printing agent adjustment mode is selected, the plurality of printing agents selected by the printing agent selection unit are adjusted according to the remaining amount, and the plurality of printing agents selected by the printing agent selection unit are almost simultaneously And a printing agent control unit that controls to finish.

  According to the present invention, the printing apparatus detects each remaining amount of a plurality of printing agents, makes it possible to select the normal printing mode and the printing agent adjustment mode, and selects the printing agent adjustment mode. The selected printing agent is adjusted according to the remaining amount, and the selected printing agents are finished almost simultaneously. Thereby, variation in the remaining amount of each printing agent can be suppressed, the number of times of replenishing the printing agent can be reduced, and good printing results can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. For example, a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a multifunction machine having various functions, and the like may be of any type. A description will be given assuming that this is a printer. The printing apparatus 10 may be an apparatus using any kind of printing system such as an ink jet printing system, an electrophotographic system, or a thermal transfer system, but here, an electrophotographic system is used, Assume that the apparatus forms an image. That is, in the present embodiment, the case where the printing apparatus 10 is a color electrophotographic printer will be described.

  In this case, inside the printing apparatus 10, as shown in the figure, four process units 11a to 11d that respectively form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images as image forming units are used as media. Arranged in tandem along the transport path of the paper P. The paper P is fed one by one from a paper cassette 17 that stores the paper P, and is sucked by the transport belt 27 and transported along the transport path.

  In each of the process units 11a to 11d, a photosensitive drum 12 as an image carrier, a charging device that is arranged around the photosensitive drum 12 and supplies electricity to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 for charging. 13. An exposure device 14 is provided that selectively irradiates light onto the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 12 to form an electrostatic latent image.

  Further, a developing device 15 that conveys toner as a printing agent to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a cleaning device 16 that removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 are arranged. Established. The photosensitive drum 12 is rotated by a drive source and a gear (not shown).

  Here, in each of the process units 11a to 11d, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 by the exposure device 14 is visualized by the developing device 15 having toner corresponding to each color. It has become.

  The paper P is stored in a state of being stacked on a paper cassette 17 disposed below the printing apparatus 10, separated from the paper cassette 17 by a hopping roller 18 and taken out one by one. The paper is fed to the conveyor belt 27 via the rollers 19a and 19b. The transport belt 27 is configured to hold and transport the paper P by electrostatic force. As a result, the paper P is sequentially conveyed below the photosensitive drums 12 of the process units 11a to 11d.

  The transport belt 27 is stretched between the support roller 28a and the support roller 28b, and the support roller 28a or the support roller 28b is rotated by a drive source (not shown), so that the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 12 is increased. The sheet P is transported at a speed equal to. A transfer roller 29 is provided below each photoconductive drum 12, and the toner image on the photoconductive drum 12 is attached to the paper P by the transfer roller 29.

  As described above, the toner images of the respective colors are sequentially superimposed on the paper P by the four process units 11a to 11d to form an image. Thereafter, the paper P is conveyed to the fixing device 23, and after the toner is fixed by the fixing device 23, the paper P is discharged out of the printing device 10 by a plurality of discharge rollers 24 a and 24 b.

  Reference numerals 20a, 20b, 25a and 25b denote pinch rollers, and 26 denotes a print result holding unit for storing the paper P which is the discharged print result.

  A color image can be formed on the paper P by the printing apparatus 10 having such a configuration.

  Next, the configuration of the control system of the printing apparatus 10 will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the printing apparatus 10 includes a control device 30 that controls the operation of each unit of the printing device 10, an input unit 40 that inputs various information to the control device 30, and an input from the input unit 40. The output unit 50 is controlled by the control device 30 based on the obtained information.

  The control device 30 includes a CPU 31 that is a central processing unit as a control unit that controls the output unit 50 based on information input from the input unit 40, a ROM 32 that stores a predetermined program, and the It has RAM33 as a memory | storage part which memorize | stores the information input from the input part 40, and the calculation result of CPU31. The control device 30 includes a toner control unit 34 as a printing agent control unit for controlling the amount of toner.

  The input unit 40 includes a print data receiving unit 41 that receives print data input from a host device such as a computer (not shown), a remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of toner of each color as a plurality of printing agents, A printing mode selection unit 46 for selecting a mode and an adjustment toner selection unit 47 as a printing agent selection unit for selecting toner to be adjusted are provided. The remaining amount detecting unit includes a cyan toner remaining amount detecting unit 42 that detects the remaining amount of cyan toner, a magenta toner remaining amount detecting unit 43 that detects the remaining amount of magenta toner, and a yellow that detects the remaining amount of yellow toner. A toner remaining amount detecting unit 44 and a black toner remaining amount detecting unit 45 for detecting the remaining amount of black toner are included.

  In addition, the output unit 50 individually includes a notification unit 51 that notifies various types of information to a user who is a user of the printing apparatus 10 and each of the process units 11 a to 11 d for transferring the toner of each color onto the paper P. A process unit drive unit 52 for driving the device.

  Next, the configuration of the operation panel 60 that functions as a man-machine interface between the printing apparatus 10 and the user and also functions as the print mode selection unit 46, the adjustment toner selection unit 47, and the notification unit 51 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention functions as a print mode selection unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention functions as an adjustment toner selection unit, and FIG. 6 illustrates the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state in which an operation panel functions as a alerting | reporting part.

  As shown in the figure, the operation panel 60 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display panel 61 and operation units 62 to 67, and is disposed on the upper surface, the front surface, and the like of the printing apparatus 10 main body. Then, various information of the printing apparatus 10 can be displayed on the LCD display panel 61, and the user can set the printing apparatus 10 by operating the operation units 62 to 67.

  In the present embodiment, the operation panel 60 functions as the print mode selection unit 46. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, a list of selectable print modes is displayed on the LCD display panel 61. Then, the user can select a desired mode from the displayed print modes by operating the operation buttons 62 to 65, the determination button 66, and the cancel button 67. The operation buttons 62 to 65, the determination button 66, and the cancel button 67 will be described as the operation units 62 to 67 when collectively explained.

  The operation panel 60 functions as an adjustment toner selection unit 47. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, a list of selectable adjustment target toners, a remaining amount of each toner, and a check sign 70 as to whether or not the adjustment target is selected are displayed on the LCD display panel 61. . FIG. 5 shows that cyan, magenta, and black are selected. Note that an apply button 71 and a return button 72 as selection means are displayed on the LCD display panel 61 so as to be operable. The user can select a desired toner from the displayed adjustment target toners by operating the operation units 62 to 67.

  Further, the operation panel 60 functions as the notification unit 51. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the remaining amount of each toner is displayed on the LCD display panel 61, and the toner to be replaced is inverted and displayed in order to prompt the replacement of the toner. .

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described. First, the operation when the printing apparatus 10 is set to the toner adjustment mode will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the remaining amount of toner in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the toner adjustment mode is set when the remaining amount of toner in the printing apparatus 10 is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, C represents cyan toner, M represents magenta toner, Y represents yellow toner, and K represents black toner.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the user of the printing apparatus 10 operates the operation panel 60 functioning as the print mode selection unit 46, selects the toner adjustment mode as the print mode, and sets the toner adjustment mode. Set in the printing apparatus 10. Then, the cyan toner remaining amount detecting unit 42, the magenta toner remaining amount detecting unit 43, the yellow toner remaining amount detecting unit 44, and the black toner remaining amount detecting unit 45 detect the remaining amount of each toner at the present time. The remaining amount of each toner can be obtained by subtracting the total amount of toner used from the time when the cartridge is replaced to the present time from the specified capacity of each toner. Further, the remaining amount of each toner may be directly measured by a toner sensor (not shown).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the user operates the operation panel 60 functioning as the adjustment toner selection unit 47 and selects the toner to be adjusted. Here, description will be made assuming that cyan and black toners are selected. That is, it is assumed that the user has selected two colors of toner to be adjusted from cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

  When arbitrary print data is input to the print data receiving unit 41 of the printing apparatus 10, that is, when print data is received from the host apparatus, the control apparatus 30 performs printing in the toner adjustment mode or in the normal print mode. Determine whether to print. That is, it is determined whether or not the toner adjustment mode is set. This determination is made based on information given by the user.

  Here, when the toner adjustment mode is not set, that is, in the normal printing mode, the printing apparatus 10 performs printing as usual and performs printing according to the print data.

  On the other hand, in the toner adjustment mode, the cyan toner remaining amount detecting unit 42, the magenta toner remaining amount detecting unit 43, the yellow toner remaining amount detecting unit 44, and the black toner remaining amount detecting unit 45 perform the remaining toner remaining at the present time. Detect the amount. Then, the toner control unit 34 calculates information for controlling the toner usage based on the detected remaining amount of toner. That is, information for adjusting the usage amount is calculated for each toner.

  Further, the toner control unit 34 controls the process unit driving unit 52 based on the calculated information, and performs printing by adjusting the usage amount for each toner. The use amount of each color toner can be adjusted by adjusting the development charge and the exposure amount.

  Here, a method for calculating information for adjusting the amount of toner used for each color, that is, information for controlling the amount of toner used will be described.

In this case, the remaining amount of cyan toner to be adjusted is Tc, the remaining amount of black toner is Tk, and the relationship between the remaining amount of cyan toner and black toner is
Tc <Tk
Suppose that In this embodiment, the maximum toner adjustment amount is halved. This numerical value can be adjusted by operating the operation panel 60, and shows that the amount of toner used can be reduced to a maximum of ½ as an adjustment result. Further, it is indicated that the variation of each toner that can be selected as an adjustment target is 1/2 or less.

  Then, the amount of cyan toner used at a point of print data that can be selected at a time is Uc, the amount of magenta toner used is Um, the amount of yellow toner used is Uy, and the amount of black toner used is Uk.

  Based on the information on the remaining toner amount T and the toner usage amount U, the toner control unit 34 calculates the usage amount Uc of the color toner corresponding to the minimum remaining amount Tc, that is, the cyan toner usage amount Uc. Reduce to '. As a result, the cyan toner usage amount Uc ′ in the toner adjustment mode is reduced compared to the cyan toner usage amount Uc in the original print data.

Further, since the maximum remaining amount is the remaining amount Tk of the black toner, the usage amount Uc ′ of the cyan toner among the toner usage amounts to be adjusted is
Uc ′ = Uc × Tc / Tk
It becomes. However, when Tc / Tk is smaller than 1/2 of the maximum adjustment amount, the maximum adjustment amount is used.

On the other hand, the usage amount Uk ′ of the color toner corresponding to Tk which is the maximum remaining amount among the toners to be adjusted, that is, the usage amount Uk ′ of the black toner,
Uk '= Uk
And

  By such a reduction method, the usage amount Uc of the cyan toner with the minimum remaining amount is reduced. However, the balance with the amount of toner used for other colors is lost.

  Therefore, with respect to the ratio (Uk−Uc) :( Uk′−Uc ′), the remaining magenta toner usage amount Um ′ and the yellow toner usage amount Uy ′ are also adjusted. Thereby, the ratio of the toner at each point can be maintained, and the color according to the original print data can be reproduced.

  Based on the toner usage U ′ obtained as described above, that is, the cyan toner usage Uc ′, the magenta toner usage Um ′, the yellow toner usage Uy ′, and the black toner usage Uk ′. The toner control unit 34 controls the process unit driving unit 52 to adjust the usage amount of each toner and perform printing.

  When the printing is finished, the toner control unit 34 determines whether or not the remaining amount of toner is smaller than a certain value, that is, the empty amount. Here, when the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation panel 60 functions as the notification unit 51 to notify the user of toner replacement. When the remaining amount of toner is not smaller than the empty amount, the printing apparatus 10 enters a standby state and waits for reception of print data.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S1: The toner adjustment mode is set to the printing apparatus 10.
Step S2: The remaining amount of each toner is detected.
Step S3: Two colors are selected from cyan, magenta, yellow, and black as the toner to be adjusted.
Step S4: Print data is received from the host device.
Step S5: It is determined whether or not the toner adjustment mode is set. If it is in the toner adjustment mode, the process proceeds to step S6, and if it is not in the toner adjustment mode, the process proceeds to step S9.
Step S6: The remaining amount of each toner is detected.
Step S7: Information for adjusting the usage amount is calculated for each toner.
Step S8: Printing is performed by adjusting the amount used for each toner.
Step S9: Printing is performed according to the print data.
Step S10: It is determined whether the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount. If the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount, the process proceeds to step S11. If the remaining amount of toner is not smaller than the empty amount, the process returns to step S4.
Step S11: Toner replacement is notified and the process is terminated.

  Next, a method for setting the toner adjustment mode in the printing apparatus 10 will be described.

  In this case, first, the user operates the operation units 62 to 67 of the operation panel 60 as shown in FIG. 3 several times to display the print mode selection screen as shown in FIG. 4 on the LCD display panel 61. Let As a result, the operation panel 60 shifts to a state of functioning as the print mode selection unit 46.

  Then, when the user selects the toner adjustment mode and presses the enter button 66, an adjustment target toner selection screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the LCD display panel 61. In the LCD display panel 61 shown in FIG. 5, the numerical value next to each toner represents the remaining amount of each toner at the present time, and the check sign 70 indicates whether or not the toner is to be adjusted. The user can press the operation buttons 62 and 64 to select a desired toner, and press the enter button 66 to decide whether or not to select.

  When all the toners to be adjusted are selected, when the user selects the apply button 71 and presses the enter button 66, the toner adjustment mode is set in the printing apparatus 10. It is also possible to set by sending a command from the host device to the printing device 10.

  Next, a notification method when the toner is in an empty state will be described.

  In this case, when the toner remaining amount is a certain value after printing is completed, that is, smaller than the empty amount, a notification screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the LCD display panel 61 of the operation panel 60. This notifies the user of the toner in the empty state and prompts replacement.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the toner adjustment mode is set in the printing apparatus 10, the user can select any of a plurality of toners as an adjustment target, and the usage amount of the selected toner can be selected as a target. Adjustments can be made. Furthermore, by suppressing the variation in the remaining amount of toner that can be selected, a good printing result can be obtained.

  In the method of adjusting the amount of toner used for each color in the present embodiment, the amount of toner used is dynamically adjusted so as not to destroy the ratio of the amount of toner used in the original print data. While achieving the above object, it is possible to obtain a print result in a form closer to the original print data as compared with the conventional method.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the thing which has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted by providing the same code | symbol. The description of the same operation and the same effect as those of the first embodiment is also omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention functions as a print mode selection unit. FIG. 10 illustrates the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention functions as a notification unit.

  In the present embodiment, when the operation panel 60 functions as the print mode selection unit 46, a list of selectable print modes is displayed on the LCD display panel 61 as shown in FIG. It is in a state where it can be operated. In this embodiment, the toner adjustment mode 2 is selected.

  When the operation panel 60 functions as the adjustment toner selection unit 47, as shown in FIG. 10, a list of toners to be adjusted that can be selected on the LCD display panel 61, the remaining amount of each toner, and the adjustment target A check sign 70 as to whether or not it is selected is displayed. The check sign 73 indicates that black toner cannot be selected as an adjustment target.

  Further, when the operation panel 60 functions as the notification unit 51, as shown in FIG. 11, the remaining amount of each toner is displayed on the LCD display panel 61, and the toner to be replaced is reversed to urge the replacement of the toner. Is displayed.

  Since the configuration of other points is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described. First, the operation when the printing apparatus 10 is set to the toner adjustment mode will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the remaining amount of toner in the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the toner adjustment mode is set when the remaining amount of toner in the printing apparatus 10 is as shown in FIG. As in FIG. 7 in the first embodiment, in FIG. 12, C indicates cyan toner, M indicates magenta toner, Y indicates yellow toner, and K indicates black toner.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9, the user of the printing apparatus 10 operates the operation panel 60 functioning as the print mode selection unit 46, and sets the toner adjustment mode 2 which is one of the toner adjustment modes as the print mode. The toner adjustment mode 2 is selected and the printer 10 is set. Then, the cyan toner remaining amount detecting unit 42, the magenta toner remaining amount detecting unit 43, the yellow toner remaining amount detecting unit 44, and the black toner remaining amount detecting unit 45 detect the remaining amount of each toner at the present time. The remaining amount of each toner can be obtained by subtracting the total amount of toner used from the time when the cartridge is replaced to the present time from the specified capacity of each toner. Further, the remaining amount of each toner may be directly measured by a toner sensor (not shown).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10, the user operates the operation panel 60 functioning as the adjustment toner selection unit 47 and selects the toner to be adjusted. In this embodiment, black cannot be selected from cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Therefore, the adjustment target is selected from cyan, magenta, and yellow. Here, description will be made assuming that cyan, magenta, and yellow toners are selected. That is, it is assumed that the user has selected three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow as the toner to be adjusted.

  When arbitrary print data is input to the print data receiving unit 41 of the printing apparatus 10, that is, when print data is received from the host apparatus, the control apparatus 30 performs printing in the toner adjustment mode or in the normal print mode. Determine whether to print. That is, it is determined whether or not the toner adjustment mode is set. This determination is made based on information given by the user.

  Here, when the toner adjustment mode is not set, that is, in the normal printing mode, the printing apparatus 10 performs printing as usual and performs printing according to the print data.

  On the other hand, in the toner adjustment mode, the cyan toner remaining amount detecting unit 42, the magenta toner remaining amount detecting unit 43, the yellow toner remaining amount detecting unit 44, and the black toner remaining amount detecting unit 45 perform the remaining toner remaining at the present time. Detect the amount. Then, the toner control unit 34 calculates information for controlling the toner usage based on the detected remaining amount of toner. That is, information for adjusting the usage amount is calculated for each toner.

  Further, the toner control unit 34 controls the process unit driving unit 52 based on the calculated information, and performs printing by adjusting the usage amount for each toner. The use amount of each color toner can be adjusted by adjusting the charge and the exposure amount.

  Here, a method for calculating information for adjusting the amount of toner used for each color, that is, information for controlling the amount of toner used will be described.

In this case, the remaining amount of cyan toner to be adjusted is Tc, the remaining amount of magenta toner is Tm, the remaining amount of yellow toner is Ty, and the relationship between the remaining amounts of toner at the present time is
Tm <Tc <Ty
Suppose that In this embodiment, the maximum toner adjustment amount is halved. This numerical value can be adjusted by operating the operation panel 60, and shows that the amount of toner used can be reduced to a maximum of ½ as an adjustment result. Further, it is indicated that the variation of each toner that can be selected as an adjustment target is 1/2 or less.

  Then, the amount of cyan toner used at a point in the print data is Uc, the amount of magenta toner used is Um, the amount of yellow toner used is Uy, and the amount of black toner used is Uk.

  Based on the information on the remaining toner amount T and the toner usage amount U, the toner control unit 34 calculates the usage amount Um of the color toner corresponding to the minimum remaining amount Tm, that is, the usage amount Um of the magenta toner to Um. Reduce to '. As a result, the magenta toner usage amount Um ′ in the toner adjustment mode is reduced compared to the magenta toner usage amount Um in the original print data.

Further, since the maximum remaining amount of the toner usage amount to be adjusted is the remaining amount Ty of the yellow toner, the magenta toner usage amount Um ′ is
Um ′ = Um × Tm / Ty
It becomes. However, when Tm / Ty is smaller than 1/2 of the maximum adjustment amount, the maximum adjustment amount is used.

On the other hand, the usage amount Uy ′ of the color toner corresponding to Ty which is the maximum remaining amount among the toners to be adjusted, that is, the usage amount Uy ′ of the yellow toner,
Uy '= Uy
And

  By such a reduction method, the usage amount Um of the magenta toner having the minimum remaining amount is reduced. However, the balance with the amount of toner used for other colors is lost.

  Therefore, the toner usage amount is adjusted for the remaining black toner usage amount Uk ′ on the basis of the ratio of (Uy−Um) :( Uy′−Um ′). Thereby, the ratio of the toner at each point can be maintained, and the color according to the original print data can be reproduced.

  Based on the toner usage U ′ obtained as described above, that is, the cyan toner usage Uc ′, the magenta toner usage Um ′, the yellow toner usage Uy ′, and the black toner usage Uk ′. The toner control unit 34 controls the process unit driving unit 52 to adjust the usage amount of each toner and perform printing.

  When the printing is finished, the toner control unit 34 determines whether or not the remaining amount of toner is smaller than a certain value, that is, the empty amount. Here, when the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation panel 60 functions as the notification unit 51 to notify the user of toner replacement. When the remaining amount of toner is not smaller than the empty amount, the printing apparatus 10 enters a standby state and waits for reception of print data.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S21: The toner adjustment mode is set to the printing apparatus 10.
Step S22: The remaining amount of each toner is detected.
Step S23: Three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are selected as toners to be adjusted.
Step S24: Receive print data from the host device.
Step S25: Whether the toner adjustment mode is set is determined. When it is in the toner adjustment mode, the process proceeds to step S26, and when it is not the toner adjustment mode, the process proceeds to step S29.
Step S26: The remaining amount of each toner is detected.
Step S27: Calculate information for adjusting the usage amount for each toner.
Step S28: Printing is performed by adjusting the amount of use for each toner.
Step S29 Printing is performed according to the print data.
Step S30: It is determined whether the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount. If the remaining amount of toner is smaller than the empty amount, the process proceeds to step S31. If the remaining amount of toner is not smaller than the empty amount, the process returns to step S24.
Step S31 The toner replacement is notified and the process is terminated.

  Next, a method for setting the toner adjustment mode in the printing apparatus 10 will be described.

  In this case, first, the user operates the operation units 62 to 67 of the operation panel 60 as shown in FIG. 3 several times to display the print mode selection screen as shown in FIG. 9 on the LCD display panel 61. Let As a result, the operation panel 60 shifts to a state of functioning as the print mode selection unit 46.

  Then, when the user selects the toner adjustment mode 2 and presses the enter button 66, an adjustment target toner selection screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the LCD display panel 61. In the LCD display panel 61 shown in FIG. 10, the numerical value next to each toner represents the remaining amount of each toner at the present time, and the check sign 70 indicates whether or not the toner is to be adjusted. The check sign 73 indicates that the black toner as the toner cannot be selected as an adjustment target. The user can press the operation buttons 62 and 64 to select a desired toner, and press the enter button 66 to decide whether or not to select.

  When all the toners to be adjusted are selected, when the user selects the apply button 71 and presses the enter button 66, the toner adjustment mode 2, which is one of the toner adjustment modes, is set in the printing apparatus 10. It is also possible to set by sending a command from the host device to the printing device 10.

  Next, a notification method when the toner is in an empty state will be described.

  In this case, when the remaining amount of toner is smaller than a certain value after printing is completed, that is, smaller than the empty amount, a notification screen as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the LCD display panel 61 of the operation panel 60. This notifies the user of the toner in the empty state and prompts replacement.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the black toner cannot be selected, so that the print amount cannot be adjusted based on the remaining amount of black toner. This is because if the amount of black toner is an adjustment target, there may be a difference in the color density of the adjustment result compared to the original print data. Therefore, by not using black toner as an adjustment target, it is possible to obtain a result that emphasizes color reproducibility while achieving the original purpose.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the electrophotographic color electrophotographic printer is applied to the printing apparatus 10 using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner has been described. Any printing apparatus that uses an agent can also be applied to a printing apparatus such as an inkjet method.

  In the first embodiment, the two colors, cyan and black, are targeted for adjustment. However, the remaining two colors, that is, magenta and yellow, can be adjusted, and the two colors can be used simultaneously. You can also

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the case where the print mode is set by the operation panel 60 provided in the printing apparatus 10 has been described. However, the print mode may be set by a printer driver provided in the host apparatus.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously based on the meaning of this invention, and does not exclude them from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the printing apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation panel of the printing apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention functions as a print mode selection unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where an operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention functions as an adjustment toner selection unit. It is a figure which shows the state from which the operation panel of the printing apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention functions as an alerting | reporting part. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a remaining amount of toner in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state from which the operation panel of the printing apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention functions as a printing mode selection part. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state where an operation panel of a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention functions as an adjustment toner selection unit. It is a figure which shows the state from which the operation panel of the printing apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention functions as an alerting | reporting part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a remaining amount of toner in a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the printing apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing apparatus 34 Toner control part 42 Cyan toner remaining amount detection part 43 Magenta toner remaining amount detection part 44 Yellow toner remaining amount detection part 45 Black toner remaining amount detection part 46 Print mode selection part 47 Adjustment toner selection part

Claims (4)

(A) a printing apparatus that prints the print data using a plurality of printing agents based on the input print data,
(B) a remaining amount detecting unit for detecting remaining amounts of the plurality of printing agents;
(C) a printing mode selection unit capable of selecting a normal printing mode and a printing agent adjustment mode;
(D) a printing agent selection unit that selects a printing agent to be adjusted in the printing agent adjustment mode;
(E) When a printing agent adjustment mode is selected by the printing mode selection unit, a plurality of printing agents selected by the printing agent selection unit are adjusted according to the remaining amount and are selected by the printing agent selection unit. And a printing agent control unit that controls the printing agents so that the plurality of printing agents are finished almost simultaneously. The plurality of printing agents are toners transferred to a medium by an electrophotographic method, and the printing agent control unit controls a usage amount of toner corresponding to a density when transferring the toners. Printing device. The plurality of printing agents are inks transferred to a medium by an inkjet printing method, and the printing agent control unit controls the amount of ink used corresponding to the density when transferring the ink. Printing device. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing agent selection unit displays the remaining amount of printing agent detected by the remaining amount detection unit and selects at least two printing agents to be adjusted.

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