JP2019202485A - Image forming system and data management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming system and a data management method that allow a printing job to be continued although abnormality has occurred in a quality inspection device.SOLUTION: An image forming system includes: an image forming device for forming an image on paper by implementing a printing job; an image reading device for reading an image on the paper on which the image is formed; a quality inspection device for inspecting quality of the image on paper, on the basis of a reading result of the image reading device; and a control unit that, in the case that abnormality occurs in the quality inspection device, performs control for storing inspection image data containing data of the image read by the image reading device and to be used for quality inspection, at a place other than the quality inspection device, in order to continue the printing job.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system and a data management method.

  Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a combination of these) that forms a toner image on a sheet and an output image reading apparatus equipped with a scanner are connected inline or integrally. Devices or systems. Here, the output image reading apparatus reads an output product (that is, an image on paper, the same applies hereinafter) output by the image forming apparatus with a scanner or the like, and feeds back information on color and misregistration to the image forming apparatus. It functions as a post-processing device for correcting. As a known technique when an abnormality occurs in the post-processing apparatus, it is confirmed in advance whether or not the post-processing can be executed. If it is determined that the post-processing cannot be performed, the print job is not executed. There are things that suppress the generation of paper. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the post-processing device determines whether or not post-processing can be executed, and reliably performs the post-processing according to attributes such as paper quality of the paper on which the image is printed.

JP 2002-99182 A

  In recent years, in addition to a system of an image forming apparatus and an output image reading apparatus, a quality inspection apparatus (also referred to as an automatic inspection apparatus) that automatically inspects the quality of an output product output by the image forming apparatus is inline or integrated. Proposed systems have been proposed. Here, the quality inspection apparatus executes an inspection job based on inspection data (inspection image data) to inspect the quality of the output (inspection). Here, as the inspection image data, reference data as a reference or correct image and image information of an actually printed output (read image data of the output image reading device) are used. That is, the quality inspection apparatus acquires input image data input to the image forming apparatus as reference data when an inspection job is executed, and also outputs image information (read image data) of an output read by the output image reading apparatus. get. Then, the quality inspection apparatus inspects the quality of the image printed on the paper by comparing the acquired read image data with the corresponding reference data. According to such a system (hereinafter referred to as an image forming system), it is automatically inspected whether or not an output product (image on paper) output by the image forming apparatus is printed with a quality desired by the customer. Can be inspected.

  By the way, in the image forming system as described above, the inspection job described above is interrupted (that is, abnormally terminated) when an abnormality (for example, power down or software failure) occurs in the quality inspection apparatus. ) Here, even when the inspection job is interrupted (abnormally terminated), depending on the system configuration or the like, the print job (hereinafter also referred to as main body processing) of the image forming apparatus itself may be continued. Further, if the inspection job is interrupted and the main body process is stopped, the downtime of the user is increased, so it is desirable to continue the main body process as much as possible.

  However, if an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection device, if only the main body process is continued with the inspection job suspended, it is necessary to perform various setting operations related to the resumption of the inspection job for the output printed after the inspection job is interrupted. The work was complicated. In the conventional image forming system, if the inspection job is interrupted (abnormally terminated) due to an abnormality in the quality inspection apparatus, it is more efficient to interrupt the main body process together with the total work efficiency. In many cases, it was good in terms of points, so in the end, it was forced to interrupt (stop) the main body processing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system and a data management method capable of continuing a print job even when an abnormality occurs in a quality inspection apparatus.

An image forming system according to the present invention includes:
An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by executing a print job, an image reading apparatus that reads the image on the sheet on which the image is formed, and the image on the sheet based on a reading result of the image reading apparatus An image forming system comprising a quality inspection device that performs image quality inspection,
When an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, inspection image data including the image data read by the image reading apparatus and used in the quality inspection is stored in a device other than the quality inspection apparatus, and the print job is continued. A control unit that performs control is provided.

The data management method according to the present invention includes:
An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by executing a print job, an image reading apparatus that reads the image on the sheet on which the image is formed, and the image on the sheet based on a reading result of the image reading apparatus A data management method in an image forming system comprising a quality inspection device that performs image quality inspection,
When an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, inspection image data including the image data read by the image reading apparatus and used in the quality inspection is stored in a device other than the quality inspection apparatus, and the print job is continued. .

  According to the present invention, a print job can be continued even when an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an image forming system in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of a control system in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of processing of an inspection job. It is a flowchart explaining a process when abnormality arises in an inspection apparatus during execution of an inspection job.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an image forming system 1 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a main part of a control system for explaining the flow of signals between the devices constituting the image forming system 1 in the present embodiment.

  The image forming system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 forms (outputs) an image on the paper S by the image forming apparatus 20, reads the image on the paper S, and determines whether the quality of the output image is good or not based on the read result. The sheet S is discharged to a discharge destination (tray) according to the inspection result.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 20 that forms an image based on input image data on a sheet S, a sheet feeding apparatus 10 that feeds the sheet S to the image forming apparatus 20, and the image forming apparatus 20. An image reading device 30 for reading the image of the paper S discharged from the printer, and a post-processing device 40 having a plurality of paper discharge trays (42, 43).

In the image forming system 1, the paper feeding device 10, the image forming device 20, the image reading device 30, and the post-processing device 40 are physically connected in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper S (the device main bodies are connected to each other). The conveyance path P of the sheet S is configured to be continuous between the plurality of apparatuses. The conveyance path P is the sorting portion 41 of the post-processing apparatus 40, a path P ₁ connecting to the discharge tray 42 of the lower, the path P ₂ continuing onto the paper output tray 43 is branched into.

For simplicity, the conveyance path P in the image forming apparatus 20 is indicated by a single line in FIG. 1, but the actual image forming apparatus 20 is provided with a duplex conveyance path for duplex printing. Further, for the sake of simplicity, in FIG. 1, _two paths P ₁ and P ₂ are branched in the post-processing device 40, but more branch paths are provided according to the number of discharge trays and the like. be able to.

  The paper feeder 10 can store paper S of various sizes and types. The paper feeding device 10 includes a paper feeding roller for feeding the stored (stacked) paper S one by one, a motor for driving the paper feeding roller, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 20 includes an intermediate transfer type image forming unit 21 using an electrophotographic process technology. In this example, the image forming unit 21 uses Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) toner images formed on a photosensitive drum (not shown) as an intermediate transfer belt (not shown). 1), the four color toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt, and then secondarily transferred onto the paper S to form a toner image. Further, a toner image is secondarily transferred to the downstream side of the image forming unit 21 in the conveyance direction of the paper S, and the fixing unit 22 that fixes the toner image on the paper S by heating and pressurizing the conveyed paper S. Is arranged. Since the image forming unit 21 and the fixing unit 22 have a known configuration, detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the image forming method in the image forming apparatus 20 is not limited to the above method, and other various methods can be applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 200 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 20. The control unit 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (not shown), and is included in the image forming apparatus 20 in addition to the image forming unit 21 and the fixing unit 22 described above. Control the operation of each part. That is, the CPU of the control unit 200 reads out a program corresponding to the processing content from the ROM, expands it in the RAM, and cooperates with the expanded program in the image forming unit 21, the fixing unit 22, and the other in the image forming apparatus 20. Centrally control the operation of the block.

  Other blocks provided in the image forming apparatus 20 include an image processing unit that performs various corrections such as gradation correction on input image data, a paper transport unit that drives a plurality of transport rollers that transport the paper S, and communication. Examples include a communication unit that communicates with an external device through a network or the like, an operation display unit that accepts a user's input operation and displays the state of the device, and the like. Since these are known configurations, illustration and description are omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 controls each of the blocks described above, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, as an apparatus state determination unit 210, an inspection result determination unit 220, and a power supply control unit 230. It has the function of. These functions in the control unit 200 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image reading device 30 includes an output image reading unit 31 that optically reads an image (toner image) of the paper S discharged from the image forming device 20. Specifically, the output image reading unit 31 optically scans the paper S and forms an image of reflected light from the paper S on a light receiving surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor (not shown). The double-sided image is read, and read image data is generated based on the read result. The generated read image data is input to both the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 and the quality inspection apparatus 50 described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the post-processing device 40 includes a transport roller that transports the paper S on which an image is read by the image reading device 30, a plurality of paper discharge trays 42 and 43 that discharge the paper S, and A sorting unit 41 for switching the discharge destination (conveyance route) of the paper S is provided. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration including two paper discharge trays 42 and 43, but the number of paper discharge trays is arbitrary, and more paper discharge trays may be provided. Sorting unit 41, a switching gate for switching the discharge destination of the sheet S (the conveying route) to one of the paths P ₁ and path P _2, a driving source such as a solenoid that drives the switching gate, the image forming apparatus 20 and the inspection apparatus 50 And an interface for sending and receiving data.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1 inspects the quality of the output image formed (output) on the paper S based on the read image data generated by the image reading device 30. Is provided. The quality inspection apparatus 50 includes a hardware processor such as a CPU, a ROM, a data storage unit 51 described later, and the like, and the CPU reads and executes a program stored in the ROM, thereby inspecting the quality of the output image. A job to be executed (hereinafter referred to as an inspection job).

  The quality inspection device 50 can be physically incorporated in a housing of the image reading device 30, the post-processing device 40, and the image forming device 20 or the like, or a device that is physically independent of these devices, for example. It can also be configured as. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the quality inspection apparatus 50 is the latter, that is, a physically independent apparatus, and is configured to be electrically connected to a control unit 200 or the like, which will be described later, of the image forming apparatus 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1 uses input image data and data of printing conditions (various user setting values such as a printing method and the number of copies) as reference data (reference image or correct image data). A PC (personal computer) 60 for supplying the image forming apparatus 20 and the like is provided.

  Further, in the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 2, a relay device 80 is provided as an optional device or an accessory device of the quality inspection device 50. The relay device 80 is electrically connected to the PC 60, the image forming device 20, the image reading device 30, and the quality inspection device 50, and branches the reference data transmitted from the PC 60 into two, The data is transmitted to the control unit 200 and the quality inspection apparatus 50 of the image forming apparatus 20. Further, the relay device 80 divides the read image data transmitted from an output image reading unit 31 (to be described later) of the image reading device 30 into two branches, and sends the same read image data to the control unit 200 and the quality inspection of the image forming device 20. To device 50.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1 includes data storage units 51, 52, and 53 for storing the above-described reference data (reference image data) or read image data. Among these, the data storage unit 51 is a part of the quality inspection device 50 and is mainly used for temporarily storing reference data. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the data storage units 52 and 53 are provided in the main body (housing) of the image forming apparatus 20 and are connected to the control unit 200 and the CPU of the quality inspection apparatus 50 via an interface (not shown). It is connected. Of these, the data storage unit 52 stores reference data, and the data storage unit 53 stores read image data. These data storage units 51, 52, and 53 can use various data storage media such as an HDD and a semiconductor memory.

  As another configuration example, the data storage units 52 and 53 may be provided in another external device (for example, a network server or a relay device) that can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

  Next, the flow of inspection job processing executed by the quality inspection apparatus 50 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 10, the quality inspection apparatus 50 (CPU shown in FIG. 2, the same applies hereinafter) acquires the above-described reference data (reference image data) as the print job is executed by the image forming apparatus 20. In the present embodiment, the quality inspection device 50 receives the reference data transmitted from the PC 60 through the relay device 80 and stores the received reference data in the data storage unit 51. As another configuration example, when the relay device 80 is not provided, the quality inspection device 50 may receive the reference data directly from the PC 60 or may be received through the image forming device 20. .

  In step S <b> 20, the quality inspection device 50 acquires the read image data read by the output image reading unit 31 of the image reading device 30. In the present embodiment, the quality inspection device 50 receives the read image data transmitted from the image reading device 30 through the relay device 80. As another configuration example, when the relay device 80 is not provided, the quality inspection device 50 may receive the read image data directly from the image reading device 30 or through the image forming device 20. May be.

  In step S30, the quality inspection apparatus 50 compares the read image data acquired in step S20 with the corresponding reference data acquired in step S10, thereby determining the identity between the reference image (correct image) and the read image. inspect.

  In step S40, the quality inspection apparatus 50 determines whether the image quality of the read image data is acceptable (OK). Such determination processing differs depending on items relating to the identity (image defect) between the correct image and the read image, a reference value (threshold value) for pass / fail, and the like, which are the same as known methods, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. . Here, when the quality inspection apparatus 50 determines that the image quality of the read image data is acceptable (OK) (step S40, YES), the quality inspection apparatus 50 proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, when the quality inspection apparatus 50 determines that the image quality of the read image data is unacceptable (NG) (NO in step S40), the quality inspection apparatus 50 proceeds to step S60.

  In step S50, the quality inspection device 50 outputs (discharges) the sheet S corresponding to the read image data that has passed the test to a preset first tray (for example, the discharge tray 42 in FIG. 1). The post-processing device 40 is notified.

  In step S60, the quality inspection apparatus 50 outputs (discharges) the paper S corresponding to the read image data that has failed to the preset second tray (for example, the paper discharge tray 43 in FIG. 1). Then, the post-processing device 40 is notified.

  The post-processing device 40 that has received the notification in step S50 and / or step S60 drives the switching gate of the sorting unit 41 so as to discharge the target paper S to the corresponding paper discharge tray (42 or 43).

  As another example, the quality inspection apparatus 50 notifies the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 of whether the image quality of the read image data is acceptable or not, and discharges the corresponding paper S (discharge tray 42 or 43) may be instructed from the control unit 200 to the post-processing device 40.

  The quality inspection apparatus 50 repeatedly performs the above-described processing of step S20 to step S60 until the inspection job is completed. When the inspection job is completed (completed), the inspection result is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20, Finish the inspection job normally. Typically, the quality inspection apparatus 50 continuously performs the inspection job by repeatedly performing the above-described steps S20 to S60 on all printed matter printed by the image forming apparatus 20 by executing the print job. After execution, the process ends normally as described above.

  By the way, in such a system, when an abnormality occurs on the quality inspection apparatus 50 side and quality inspection (inspection job) is terminated (in the case of so-called abnormal termination), inspection is performed during execution of a print job by the image forming apparatus 20. In some cases, the job is interrupted, and complicated work is required to complete (restart) the inspection job.

  For example, when the power of the quality inspection apparatus 50 is down or when a problem occurs in the software executed by the quality inspection apparatus 50, the print job (that is, main body processing) by the image forming apparatus 20 can be continued. The inspection job of the quality inspection apparatus 50 is forcibly interrupted. Here, when the inspection job is interrupted, if the main processing is stopped, the downtime of the user is increased, so it is desirable to continue the main processing as much as possible.

  However, when an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus 50, if only the main body process (print job) is continued while the inspection job is interrupted, various types of inspection jobs relating to resumption of the inspection job for an output printed after the inspection job is interrupted. It was necessary to perform a setting operation, and the work was complicated. In the conventional system, in consideration of such complicated work, if the inspection job is interrupted due to an abnormality in the quality inspection apparatus 50, it is preferable to interrupt the main body processing together with the total work. From the viewpoint of efficiency, there were many things that were good, so in the end the main body processing had to be stopped.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus 50, the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 includes inspection image data including image data read by the image reading apparatus 30 and used in the quality inspection. Is stored in a device other than the quality inspection device 50, and the print job is controlled to continue.

  More specifically, when an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus 50 and the inspection job is interrupted (that is, when the inspection job is terminated abnormally), the control unit 200 obtains inspection image data used in the inspection job (quality inspection). When the abnormality of the quality inspection apparatus 50 is resolved (that is, when the normal state is restored), the inspection image data is transferred so as to be acquired by the quality inspection apparatus 50.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the data storage units 52 and 53 are provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 20, inspection image data is always stored even when the quality inspection apparatus 50 is in a normal state. be able to. In addition, the inspection image data may be deleted from the oldest according to a restriction such that the capacity (resources) of these data storage units 52 and 53 will soon be full.

  As another example, the control unit 200 temporarily stores the acquired inspection image data in a predetermined external terminal (for example, a cloud terminal or a server on the network) other than the quality inspection apparatus 50, and the quality inspection apparatus When 50 returns, an instruction may be output to the external terminal so as to transfer the inspection image data to the quality inspection apparatus 50. Such a configuration is suitable when the capacity of the inspection image data is larger than the capacity of the data storage units 52 and 53 described above.

  Hereinafter, an example of the flow of processing performed by the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 when the inspection job of the quality inspection apparatus 50 ends abnormally will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 exemplifies a case where inspection image data is temporarily stored in an external terminal when an inspection job of the quality inspection apparatus 50 ends abnormally.

  In step S100, the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 starts executing the print job. Specifically, the control unit 200 controls the image forming unit 21 so as to develop and primarily transfer the toner image according to the input image data onto the intermediate transfer belt. Further, the control unit 200 controls the paper feeding device 10 so as to feed the paper S into the apparatus, and the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred onto the fed paper S. The conveyance of the paper S is controlled so as to transfer. Further, the control unit 200 controls the fixing unit 22 so as to fix the toner image on the paper S.

  In step S120, the control unit 200 outputs an instruction (job start instruction) to the quality inspection apparatus 50 so as to start execution of the inspection job. Upon receiving this job start command, the quality inspection apparatus 50 starts executing the inspection job as described above with reference to FIG. 3 (Steps S10 to S60). That is, the quality inspection device 50 acquires the reference data transmitted from the PC 60 and the read image data generated by the output image reading unit 31 of the image reading device 30 via the relay device 80, respectively, and reads the read image. Compare the data with the corresponding reference data and start the image quality inspection.

  In subsequent step S140, control unit 200 functions as device state determination unit 210 (see FIG. 2). Specifically, the control unit 200 monitors the operating state of the quality inspection device 50 and determines whether the inspection job has ended abnormally. Here, the control unit 200 regards that the quality inspection apparatus is operating normally (the inspection job is normal) until it is determined that the inspection job has ended abnormally (step S140, YES) (the inspection job is normal) ( Step S140, NO), the determination of step S140 is repeated. Further, the control unit 200 checks the inspections stored in the data storage units 52 and 53 until it is determined that the inspection job has ended abnormally (step S140, YES) (when NO is determined in step S140). Image data can be deleted as appropriate.

  When it is determined that the inspection job has ended abnormally (step S140, YES), the control unit 200 proceeds to step S160. In step S160, the control unit 200 transfers the inspection image data (reference data and read image data) stored in the data storage units 52 and 53 to a predetermined external terminal (for example, a network server), and the external An instruction is transmitted to the external terminal so as to be stored in the storage medium (HDD or the like) of the terminal.

  In step S <b> 160, the control unit 200 controls to change the discharge destination or discharge position of the sheet S on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 21 and not inspected by the quality inspection apparatus 50. I do. In one example, the control unit 200 sets the discharge destination of the paper S on which the inspection is not performed to the second tray (for example, the discharge tray 43 in FIG. 1), and the inspection by the quality inspection apparatus 50 is NG (failed). In order to distinguish from the above case, an instruction is output to the post-processing device 40 so as to shift the position of the paper side edge discharged onto the paper discharge tray 43. As another example, when more post-discharge trays are provided in the post-processing device 40 (not illustrated in FIG. 1), the control unit 200 discharges the paper S that has not been inspected by the quality inspection device 50. A dedicated paper discharge tray may be designated as a discharge destination.

  With the above-described configuration, the user can easily visually recognize the paper S that has not been inspected by the quality inspection device 50, and the efficiency of subsequent work is improved.

  If the inspection job is abnormally terminated (step S140, YES), and the cause of the abnormal termination is the power-down of the quality inspection device 50, the relay device 80 may depend on the configuration of the relay device 80 (connection mode, etc.). There may be a case where power is not supplied to the power supply. Specifically, when the relay device 80 is an accessory device of the quality inspection device 50 as in this example, if the power supply of the quality inspection device 50 is down, power may not be supplied to the relay device 80 as well. is there.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 200 functions as a power supply control unit 230 that supplies power to the relay device 80 when the power supply of the quality inspection device 50 is down. Specifically, when the inspection job ends abnormally (step S140, YES), the control unit 200 determines the cause of the abnormal end, and when the cause is a power down of the quality inspection apparatus 50, the image forming apparatus Control to supply a part of the power supplied to 20 to the relay device 80 is performed.

  In step S180, the control unit 200 monitors the state of the quality inspection apparatus 50 again and determines whether or not the inspection job can be restarted. Here, the control unit 200 is still in an abnormal state (the inspection job cannot be resumed) until it is determined that the inspection job can be resumed (step S180, YES). (Step S180, NO), the determination of step S180 is repeated. Further, the control unit 200 continues the process of step S160 described above until it is determined that the inspection job can be restarted (YES in step S180) (that is, in the case of NO in step S180).

  If the control unit 200 determines that the inspection job can be resumed (step S180, YES), the control unit 200 proceeds to step S200.

  In step S200, the control unit 200 executes processing for resuming the inspection job that has been interrupted. Specifically, the control unit 200 outputs an instruction (transfer command) to the external terminal so as to transfer the inspection image data transferred to the external terminal in step S160 to the quality inspection apparatus 50. This inspection image data transfer process can be directly transferred from the external terminal to the quality inspection apparatus 50, or can be transferred from the external terminal to the quality inspection apparatus 50 via the image forming apparatus 20 (control unit 200). Also good.

  In step S200, the control unit 200 outputs an instruction (job resumption instruction) to the quality inspection apparatus 50 so as to resume the suspended inspection job.

  By performing such processing, when the inspection job of the quality inspection apparatus 50 is interrupted due to various abnormalities, the image forming apparatus 20 can continuously execute the print job. Further, when the inspection job is interrupted, the quality inspection apparatus 50 can automatically restart inspection of the printed matter corresponding to the unprocessed portion of the inspection job.

(Modification)
Hereinafter, modified examples of the above-described configuration will be described.

  The above-described example is a configuration example in which the quality inspection apparatus 50 itself resumes the inspection of the printed matter corresponding to the unprocessed portion of the inspection job. As another example, the inspection of the printed matter corresponding to the unprocessed part of the inspection job is transferred to another quality inspection apparatus (second quality inspection apparatus) (not shown) that can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 other than the quality inspection apparatus 50. It is good also as a structure to make it execute (to be able to act as it is). In this case, the control unit 200 transfers the inspection image data acquired in step S160 to another quality inspection apparatus other than the quality inspection apparatus 50, and performs an unprocessed inspection job (the inspection process described above in FIG. 3). ) Is output to the other quality inspection apparatus.

  As another example, the inspection of the printed matter corresponding to the unprocessed portion of the inspection job (the quality inspection process described above with reference to FIG. 3) may be performed by the image forming apparatus 20 (executed on behalf). As a specific example, the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 20 assigns a part of the hardware resource control resource used in the main body job (that is, printing) to the inspection job, so that the main body job and the inspection job are simultaneously executed in parallel. Do it. Here, the resource of the control unit 200 that performs the inspection job has the function of the inspection result determination unit 220 illustrated in FIG. 2. That is, the inspection result determination unit 220 executes the processing of Steps S10 to S60 described above with reference to FIG. 3, and sets the paper S discharge destination (separate from the paper discharge tray 42 or 43) according to the inspection result to the post-processing device 40. Notify Alternatively, as another specific example, in addition to the control unit 200, a dedicated processor for performing inspection of the printed matter corresponding to the unprocessed portion of the inspection job (processing in steps S <b> 10 to S <b> 60) is provided in the image forming apparatus 20. The inspection job may be executed by such a processor.

  In the configuration in which a part of the control resources used in the main body job is allocated to the inspection job and the main body job and the inspection job are performed in parallel by the control unit 200, the processing load of the control unit 200 may be depending on the print contents. It may become excessive and the time until the end of inspection may be enlarged. Therefore, in the case of such a configuration, when the quality inspection device 50 ends abnormally (YES in step S140), the control unit 200 notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality and the abnormality of the quality inspection device 50 is resolved ( That is, an inspection standby mode (first process) for resuming the inspection job after returning to the normal state, and an inspection continuation mode (second process) for continuing the inspection job (quality inspection process) in the image forming apparatus 20. It is preferable to perform a process of displaying on the operation display unit so that the user can select which process to perform. In this case, the control unit 200 executes either the first process or the second process according to the user's selection operation. Here, when the first process is selected by the user, the control unit 200 executes the processes of steps S160 to S200 described above with reference to FIG. On the other hand, when the second process is selected by the user, the control unit 200 performs the processes of steps S10 to S60 in FIG. 3 by executing the processes of steps S160 to S200 and using the function of the inspection result determination unit 220. Execute.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when an inspection job is interrupted due to an abnormality in the quality inspection apparatus 50, printing is performed after the inspection job is interrupted while continuing the printing process in the image forming apparatus 20. It is possible to resume the inspection job for the output product with little effort.

  In the above embodiment, the system using the image forming apparatus 20 that forms an image based on image data received from an external apparatus such as a personal computer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus 20 may be configured to include an automatic document feeder such as an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and a document image scanning device (scanner) (not shown).

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the paper feeding device 10, the image reading device 30, and the post-processing device 40 are separate devices from the image forming device 20 has been described, but these devices may be integrated. Of course it is good.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, all have shown only an example of actualization in implementing this invention, and the technical scope of this invention should not be limitedly interpreted by these. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 10 Paper feeder 20 Image forming apparatus 21 Image forming part 22 Fixing part 30 Image reading apparatus 31 Output image reading part 40 Post-processing apparatus 41 Sorting part 42,43 Paper discharge tray 50 Quality inspection apparatus 60 PC
51, 52, 53 Data storage unit 80 Relay device 200 Control unit 210 Device state determination unit 220 Inspection result determination unit 230 Power supply control unit

Claims (15)

An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by executing a print job, an image reading apparatus that reads the image on the sheet on which the image is formed, and the image on the sheet based on a reading result of the image reading apparatus An image forming system comprising a quality inspection device that performs image quality inspection,
When an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, inspection image data including the image data read by the image reading apparatus and used in the quality inspection is stored in a device other than the quality inspection apparatus, and the print job is continued. A control unit for performing the control,
Image forming system. The control unit acquires the inspection image data when the abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, and when the abnormality of the quality inspection apparatus is resolved, the acquired inspection image data is acquired as the quality inspection. Let the device acquire,
The image forming system according to claim 1. The control unit stores the acquired inspection image data in a data storage unit, and when the quality inspection device is in a normal state, the control unit stores the inspection image data stored in the data storage unit. Forward to
The image forming system according to claim 2. The data storage unit is provided in the image forming apparatus.
The image forming system according to claim 3. The data storage unit is provided in an external terminal other than the quality inspection apparatus capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus,
The control unit transfers the acquired inspection image data to the external terminal, and when the quality inspection apparatus is in a normal state, the control unit transfers the transferred inspection image data to the quality inspection apparatus. Control terminal,
The image forming system according to claim 3. The control unit controls the quality inspection apparatus to resume the quality inspection process when the abnormality of the quality inspection apparatus is resolved;
The image forming system according to claim 1. The control unit transfers the acquired inspection image data to a second quality inspection apparatus that can communicate with the image forming apparatus other than the quality inspection apparatus, and executes the quality inspection process. Controlling the second quality inspection device;
The image forming system according to claim 1. A post-processing device having a plurality of paper discharge trays capable of switching the discharge destination of the paper subjected to the quality inspection according to the result of the quality inspection processing;
The image forming system according to claim 1. The control unit controls the post-processing device to change a discharge destination of the paper on which the image is formed in the image forming unit when the abnormality occurs in the quality inspection device;
The image forming system according to claim 8. The control unit executes the quality inspection process when the abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus.
The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 8, and 9. The control unit is provided in the image forming apparatus, and when the abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, a part of control resources for the process of forming the image on the paper is allocated to the quality inspection process. And executing the quality inspection process,
The image forming system according to claim 10. The control unit, when the abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, according to a user instruction, a first process of restarting the quality inspection of the image after the abnormality of the quality inspection apparatus is resolved, or Performing a second process of performing the quality inspection process by the control unit;
The image forming system according to claim 11. The inspection image data includes reference image data to be compared with the read image data,
The image forming apparatus is connected to a relay device that divides the input read image data and the reference image data into two branches and supplies them to the control unit and the quality inspection apparatus,
The image forming system according to claim 1. A power control unit that supplies power from the image forming apparatus to the relay apparatus when the power of the quality inspection apparatus is down;
The image forming system according to claim 13. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by executing a print job, an image reading apparatus that reads the image on the sheet on which the image is formed, and the image on the sheet based on a reading result of the image reading apparatus A data management method in an image forming system comprising a quality inspection device that performs image quality inspection,
When an abnormality occurs in the quality inspection apparatus, inspection image data including the image data read by the image reading apparatus and used in the quality inspection is stored in a device other than the quality inspection apparatus, and the print job is continued. ,
Data management method.

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