JP2021196444A - Image forming device, its control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To forget to take a printed printing paper.
SOLUTION: An operation unit having a light emitting element, a light receiving element, an operation screen for displaying information and accepting a user's operation, and a paper ejection receiver for receiving printed printing paper based on a printing job. The image forming apparatus has the first detecting means for detecting the printed printing paper in the paper ejection receiver based on the energization result due to the light incident on the light receiving element, and the first detecting means is said to have the same. The image forming apparatus is characterized by having a notification means for notifying the sender of the print job that the printed print paper has been forgotten when detecting the printed print paper.
[Selection diagram] FIG. 5

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a function of preventing forgetting to remove printed printing paper.

In recent years, the user interface of an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction device has become highly functional. For example, an increasing number of models are equipped with a touch panel that also serves as a display unit that presents information to the user and an operation unit that accepts operations by the user. The touch panel is operated by the user physically touching the displayed area or blocking the light incident on the area with a finger or the like, and the user can operate the touch panel sensuously. The touch panel has a configuration in which the optical responsiveness and the electrical characteristics change according to the operation by the user, and the operation position on the touch panel by the user is derived by detecting the change in the optical responsiveness and the electrical characteristics by a special sensor. , Accepts user operations.

By the way, there are an increasing number of cases where a plurality of users share one image forming apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing forgetting to take out printed printing paper in an image forming apparatus when a plurality of users share one image forming apparatus. According to this technique, the sender of a print job can be identified by scanning the forgotten print paper with an image forming apparatus.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-25160

However, Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is necessary for another person who does not know the contents of the job to scan the printed printing paper in order to confirm the print job sender, which causes the user to take time and effort. rice field. In addition, the problem of forgetting to remove the printed printing paper has not been solved.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents a user from forgetting to remove a printed printing paper without requiring a special operation.

One embodiment of the present invention includes an operation unit having a light emitting element, a light receiving element, an operation screen for displaying information and accepting a user's operation, and a paper ejection for receiving printed printing paper based on a printing job. An image forming apparatus having a receiver, a first detection means for detecting the printed printing paper in the output receiver based on the energization result due to light incident on the light receiving element, and the first detection means. When the detection means detects the printed print paper, the image forming apparatus includes a notification means for notifying the sender of the print job that the printed print paper has been forgotten. Is.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents the printed printing paper from being forgotten to be removed without requiring a special operation by the user.

A block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. Perspective view of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment Flow chart of the process for preventing forgetting to remove the printed printing paper in the first embodiment The figure which shows the operation part and the paper ejection tray at the time of detecting the presence or absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection tray of 1st Embodiment. Flow chart of the process for preventing forgetting to remove the printed printing paper in the second embodiment Example of image and comparison reference data formed on printed printing paper in the second embodiment Example of image and comparison reference data formed on printed printing paper in the third embodiment A flowchart showing a brightness adjustment process in the light emitting unit when the angle of the operation unit is changed in the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further, the contents, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those alone unless otherwise specified.

[First Embodiment]
<Hardware configuration of image forming device>
Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment.

The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a multifunction device having an image printing function, an image reading function, and an image duplication function. The image forming apparatus 1 is roughly classified into a system unit 11, a driving unit 12, an ink head 13, and an image reading unit 14.

The system unit 11 corresponds to, for example, a board on which electrical components are mounted. The system unit 11 includes a CPU 110, an image processing unit 111, a drive control unit 112, a head control unit 113, a RAM 114, a ROM 115, an operation unit 116, and an I / F controller 117.

The CPU 110 is a hardware component that performs all control and drive operations in the image forming apparatus 1. The CPU 110 temporarily expands the operation program and setting information of the image forming apparatus 1 stored in the ROM 115 into the RAM 114, reads them out, and performs various processes. For example, the CPU 110 expands the image data received from the information processing apparatus 2 via the IF controller unit 117 into the RAM 114, and then executes the image forming process by the ink head 13 via the head control unit 113.

The image processing unit 111 corresponds to, for example, an analog front-end IC. The difference between the input signal of the image reading unit 14 and a constant reference voltage is defined as the image signal level. The image processing unit 111 samples the image signal level, corrects it, converts it into digital data, and transmits it to the CPU 110.

The drive control unit 112 corresponds to, for example, a motor driver IC. The drive control unit 112 transmits a control signal to the drive unit 12 in accordance with an operation program command received from the CPU 110, controls the movement of the image reading unit 14 in the main scanning direction, and feeds the paper installed in the image forming apparatus 1. The drive control of the paper feed roller and the drive control of the ink head 13 are performed. The direction in which the image reading unit 14 is moved by the driving unit 12 is the main scanning direction of the image reading unit 14.

The head control unit 113 controls the ejection of ink in the ink head 13. Specifically, the head control unit 113 transmits a digital signal converted from an image signal to the ink head 13 to control ink ejection. The head control unit 113 also controls the power supply of the ink head 13 and controls the voltage, current, temperature, and the like. As the head control unit 113 that realizes these functions, for example, a transistor group corresponds to the head control unit 113. In order to reduce the number of parts, the function of the head control unit 113 may be built in the CPU 110.

The RAM 114 corresponds to, for example, a memory such as DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). The RAM 114 is used for temporarily storing the operation program of the image forming apparatus 1, the image data to be printed, the read image data, and the like.

The ROM 115 corresponds to, for example, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), or the like. The ROM 115 stores an operation program of the image forming apparatus 1 and setting information of the image forming apparatus 1. Although it is assumed here that a flash memory, EEPROM, or the like is used as the ROM 115, an HDD or the like may be used instead of these.

The operation unit 116 includes an operation screen 1160 and a position detection unit 118 for detecting a user operation position. The operation unit 116 corresponds to, for example, a touch panel or the like, and accepts operations by the user such as changing the reading accuracy setting. The user inputs the setting via the operation unit 116. The operation unit 116 has an angle changing mechanism that changes the angle by 90 degrees according to the user's visibility. The angle changing mechanism may be one in which the angle is changed by manually operating the mechanism in which the gears are engaged.

The I / F controller 117 corresponds to, for example, a communication IC such as USB or LAN. The I / F controller 117 transmits image data to the information processing device 2, receives image data from the information processing device 2, receives a print job from the information processing device 2, and provides information on various settings of the image forming device 1. Used for transmission, etc. The function of the communication IC may be built in the CPU 110. Further, the I / F controller 117 is not limited to the wired connection. For example, the I / F controller 117 may be a communication IC for wireless communication represented by WLAN.

The position detection unit 118 is composed of a light emitting unit 1180 and a light receiving unit 1181. When the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180 is blocked by a user operation, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 1181 changes. The position detection unit 118 transmits an electric signal based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 1181 to the CPU 110. The CPU 110 detects a user operation position based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 1181 at regular time intervals. Further, the CPU 110 changes the display of the operation screen 1160 according to the operation performed by the user at the user operation position detected via the position detection unit 118.

The drive unit 12 corresponds to, for example, a motor. The drive unit 12 includes a carriage drive motor that drives a carriage on which the ink head 13 is mounted, a roller drive motor that drives a paper feed roller, and a reader drive motor that drives the image reading unit 14. These motors are driven by the CPU 110 according to their respective operation programs during the printing process and the image reading process.

The ink head 13 is connected to an ink tank filled with ink, and ejects ink to the printing paper 3 according to a digital signal converted from an image signal to form an image on the printing paper 3. The ejection method of the ink head 13 may be a heating type or a piezo type. Further, it is assumed that the ink head 13 is arranged with nozzles of ink of each color.

The image reading unit 14 is also called a contact image sensor, and corresponds to, for example, a CMOS linear image sensor. During the image reading process, the light emitting element built in the image reading unit 14 emits light, and the light reflected from the paper set at the image reading position is incident on the light receiving element. The image reading unit 14 converts the reflected light incident on the light receiving element into a signal corresponding to the amount of the light and transmits it to the image processing unit 111.

The operation screen 1160 corresponds to, for example, a liquid crystal panel. Information and the like related to the image forming apparatus 1 are displayed on the operation screen 1160. Further, the operation screen 1160 has a touch panel function by the light emitting unit 1180 and the light receiving unit 1181, which will be described later. For example, when the user touches the operation screen 1160 with a finger, the position of the operation screen 1160 touched by an operator such as a finger is detected, and it is considered that the touch operation is performed at that position. Alternatively, when the user blocks the light incident on the operation screen 1160 with an operator such as a finger in the area on the operation screen 1160, the position where the light incident is blocked is detected, and the touch operation is performed at that position. It is regarded. The light emitting unit 1180 corresponds to, for example, a light emitting element such as a plurality of arranged LEDs. The light emitted by the issuing unit 1180 may be visible light or infrared light. The light emitting unit 1180 lights up according to the control signal output by the CPU 110. The light emitting elements of the light emitting unit 1180 are turned on one by one in order from one end, and after the other end light emitting element is turned on, they are turned on again in order from the first turned end light emitting element. The lighting of this light emitting element is repeated in a short cycle that cannot be confirmed with the naked eye. The brightness of the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180 is proportional to the current flowing through the light emitting element. The current flowing through the light emitting element is controlled by the CPU 110 and can be adjusted in increments of several mA. In order to maintain the quality of the light emitting element, the current flowing through the light emitting element is set to 50% of the maximum rated current of the light emitting element as the maximum setting current, and the emission brightness when the maximum current in the setting flows through the light emitting element is the maximum brightness. And.

The light receiving unit 1181 corresponds to, for example, a light receiving element such as a plurality of arranged photodiodes. When the light receiving unit 1181 receives light, it is energized by the movement of a small number of carriers in the light receiving element. The light receiving unit 1181 transmits the energization result of each light receiving element to the CPU 110. Each light emitting element of the light emitting unit 1180 is turned on in sequence, and each light emitting element is turned on once, which constitutes one cycle. The user operation position in the operation unit 116 is detected based on the energization result of each light receiving element for each cycle in a fixed time.

The information processing device 2 corresponds to, for example, a PC or the like. The information processing apparatus 2 transmits a print job or the like to the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the information processing apparatus 2 receives the image data or the like transmitted by the image forming apparatus 1. The information processing device 2 is not limited to the stationary device. The information processing device 2 may be, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone.

<Appearance of image forming device>
Hereinafter, the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The operation unit 116 includes an operation screen 1160 and a position detection unit 118 for detecting a user operation position. For example, when the user touches the operation screen 1160 with a finger, the position detection unit 118 detects the position of the operation screen 1160 with which the finger touches. In addition, in this embodiment, the thing that comes into contact with the operation screen 1160 at the time of operation by the user does not have to be the finger of the user. For example, what comes into contact with the operation screen 1160 during operation by the user may be a pencil, a pole pen, or the like as long as it can block the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180. The operation unit 116 is operated by the user. The operation unit 116 has a mechanism for changing the angle. This mechanism is used, for example, when the user adjusts the operation screen 1160 to an angle that makes it easy to see.

The image forming apparatus 1 has a mechanism capable of opening and closing the paper ejection port from which the printed printing paper 3 is ejected during the printing process. There is a paper ejection tray 15 directly below the paper ejection port, and the printed printing paper 3 is ejected to the paper ejection tray 15 at the time of printing. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the paper ejection port is closed. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the paper ejection port is open and there is no printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15. FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the paper ejection port is open and the printed printing paper 3 is present in the paper ejection receiver 15. The paper ejection receiver 15 may be formed with a surface treatment that weakens the reflection of the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180, a barcode for generating characteristic reflected light, an uneven pattern, or the like.

<Processing to prevent forgetting to remove printed printing paper>
Hereinafter, the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed when a single print job is executed in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process for preventing forgetting to remove the printed printing paper 3 when a single print job in the present embodiment is executed. The CPU 110 stores the source of the print job in the RAM 114 before starting the print process. The flowchart of FIG. 3 is started when the printing process based on the print job is completed.

In step S301, the CPU 110 determines whether an operation on the operation unit 116 is being performed. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the user operation position is detected in the operation unit 116. If the determination result of this step is true, it waits until the operation for the operation unit 116 is stopped. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process proceeds to S302. Hereinafter, steps S ~ will be abbreviated as S ~.

In S302, the CPU 110 detects the presence / absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15, and proceeds to S303. After the printed printing paper 3 is ejected, the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180 is reflected by the printed printing paper 3 or the paper ejection receiver 15. The energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 differs between the light reflected by the printed printing paper 3 and the light reflected by the paper ejection receiver 15. Based on this difference in the energization result, the CPU 110 detects the presence / absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15 (see FIG. 4).

In S303, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the printed printing paper 3 is present in the output tray 15 according to the detection result in S302. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S304. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed is terminated.

In S304, the CPU 110 determines whether the number of times it is determined that the printed paper 3 is present in the output tray 15 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. It should be noted that this predetermined threshold value may be arbitrarily set. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S305. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process returns to S301. The processes of S301 to S304 are repeatedly executed at regular time intervals. When the determination in this step is true, the time elapsed while the printed printing paper 3 is present in the output tray 15 is longer than the predetermined time. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the printed printing paper 3 has been forgotten.

In S305, the CPU 110 identifies the print job sender and proceeds to S306. The print job sender is identified based on the source of the print job stored in the RAM 114.

In S306, the CPU 110 provides data for notifying that the print job sender has forgotten to take the printed print paper 3 via the I / F controller 117 as information of the print job sender specified in S305. It is transmitted to the processing device 2.

<Operation unit and paper ejector when detecting the presence or absence of printed printing paper>
Hereinafter, the operation unit 116 and the paper ejection receiver 15 for detecting the presence / absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows an operation unit 116 and a paper ejection receiver 15 when detecting the presence / absence of printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15. FIG. 4A shows the operation unit 116 and the paper ejection receiver 15 when the paper ejection receiver 15 does not have the printed printing paper 3 when detecting the presence or absence of the printed printing paper 3. Shows. As shown in FIG. 4A, when there is no printed printing paper 3 in the output tray 15, the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180 of the operation unit 116 is reflected by the output paper receiver 15 and is reflected by the operation unit 116. It is incident on the light receiving unit 1181. The arrow 41 in FIG. 4A abstractly shows the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180. Further, the arrow 42 in FIG. 4A abstractly shows the light reflected by the paper ejection receiver 15 and incident on the light receiving unit 1181.

FIG. 4B shows an operation unit 116 and a paper ejection receiver 15 when the paper ejection receiver 15 has the printed printing paper 3 when detecting the presence or absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15. Shows. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the printed printing paper 3 is present in the output tray 15, the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180 of the operating unit 116 is reflected by the printed printing paper 3 and is reflected by the printed printing paper 3. It is incident on the light receiving portion 1181 of 116. The arrow 41 in FIG. 4B abstractly shows the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1180. Further, the arrow 42 in FIG. 4B abstractly shows the light reflected by the printed printing paper 3 and incident on the light receiving unit 1181.

Different light is emitted when the output paper receiver 15 shown in FIG. 4 (a) does not have the printed printing paper 3 and when the output paper receiver 15 shown in FIG. 4 (b) has the printed printing paper 3. It is incident on the light receiving unit 1181. When the light incident on the light receiving unit 1181 is different, the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 is also different. Based on this difference in the energization result, the CPU 110 detects the presence / absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15. In this embodiment, in order to perform this detection, data indicating the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 when there is no printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15 shown in FIG. 4A is stored in the RAM 114 in advance. It shall be remembered.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 1 executes a single print job, it is determined whether or not the printed paper 3 is present in the output tray 15. When the printed printing paper 3 is in the output tray 15 for a longer time than a predetermined time, the sender of the print job is notified that the printed printing paper 3 has been forgotten. This makes it possible to prevent the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed without requiring a special operation by the user and without providing new parts (that is, without increasing the cost).

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 executes a single print job. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 executes a plurality of print jobs. In the following embodiments, the description of the contents common to the above-described embodiments will be omitted as appropriate, and the points different from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described.

<Processing to prevent forgetting to remove printed printing paper>
Hereinafter, the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed when the image forming apparatus 1 receives a plurality of printing jobs in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for preventing forgetting to remove the printed printing paper 3 when the image forming apparatus 1 executes a plurality of printing jobs in the present embodiment. Before starting the printing process, the CPU 110 stores in the RAM 114 the source of the last print job to be executed. The flowchart of FIG. 5 is started when the printing process based on all the print jobs is completed.

In S501, the CPU 110 determines whether or not an operation is being performed on the operation unit 116. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the user operation position is detected in the operation unit 116. If the determination result of this step is true, it waits until the operation for the operation unit 116 is stopped. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process proceeds to S502.

In S502, the CPU 110 creates image data in which the image formed on the printed printing paper 3 on the paper ejection receiver 15 is represented by 0 and 1. This image data is created based on the energization result of the light reflected by the printed printing paper 3 on the paper ejection receiver 15 incident on the light receiving unit 1181 (see FIG. 6). The image data created in this step is called comparison target data. When creating the comparison target data in this step, if there is no printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15, the light reflected by the paper ejection receiver 15 is incident on the light receiving unit 1181 based on the energization result. The comparison target data is created. After this step, the process proceeds to S503.

In S503, the CPU 110 creates image data in which the image data of the last page included in the last executed print job is represented by 0 and 1 (see FIG. 6). The image data created in this step is called comparison reference data. The CPU 110 compares the comparison target data with the comparison reference data. The specific comparison method in this step will be described later (see FIG. 6). After this step, the process proceeds to S504.

In S504, the CPU 110 determines whether the image shown by the comparison target data and the image shown by the comparison reference data are the same based on the comparison result of S503. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S505. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed is terminated. The specific determination method in this step will be described later (see FIG. 6).

In S505, the CPU 110 determines whether the number of times the determination result is determined to be true in S504 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S506. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process returns to S501. The processes of S501 to S504 are repeatedly executed at regular time intervals. When the determination result of this step is true, the time elapsed while the printed printing paper 3 is present in the paper ejection receiver 15 is longer than the predetermined time. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the printed printing paper 3 has been forgotten.

In S506, the CPU 110 identifies the sender of the last executed print job, and proceeds to S507. The print job sender is identified based on the source of the print job stored in the RAM 114.

In S507, the CPU 110 sends data for notifying that the sender of the print job has forgotten to take the printed print paper 3 via the I / F controller 117 to the sender of the print job specified in S506. It is transmitted to the information processing device 2 of.

Here, the process of preventing forgetting to remove the printed print paper 3 is performed only for the last executed print job, but all the executed print jobs may be targeted. In this case, the CPU 110 stores the transmission source of each print job in the RAM 114 in advance.

<Comparison method between comparison target data and comparison reference data>
Hereinafter, a method of comparing the comparison target data and the comparison reference data in the printing paper 3 forget-to-take prevention process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of an image and comparison reference data formed on the printed printing paper 3 in the present embodiment.

The comparison target data is image data of a binary image created based on the energization result caused by the light reflected by the printed printing paper 3 incident on the light receiving unit 1181. Further, the comparison reference data is image data of a binary image created based on the image data of the last page included in the print job, and corresponds to the comparison target data.

As a method of comparing the comparison target data and the comparison reference data, the comparison target data created for the entire image formed on the printed print paper 3 and the entire last page included in the last executed print job are targeted. A method of comparing with the comparison standard data created in is conceivable. However, when this comparison method is adopted, there is a concern that the capacity of the RAM 114 for storing the comparison target data and the comparison reference data will be insufficient. Therefore, here, as a method of comparing the comparison target data and the comparison reference data, a method of comparing the comparison target data in an arbitrary row with the corresponding comparison reference data is adopted.

A procedure for creating comparison target data for an arbitrary line and storing it in the RAM 114 will be described. First, the image formed on the printed printing paper 3 is divided into the smallest parts that can be identified in the column direction based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181. In the image formed on the printed printing paper 3, each portion divided in the column direction is used as a row. The CPU 110 selects an arbitrary row from these rows, and makes the selected row a target for creating comparison target data. At this time, the line selected by the CPU 110 may be one line or a plurality of lines. Next, the row for which the comparison target data is created is divided into the smallest portions that can be identified in the row direction based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181. In the selected row, 0 or 1 is distributed to each portion divided in the row direction, and comparison target data is created. Here, 0 or 1 is sorted based on the height of the dot density. Specifically, in order to create comparison target data, the CPU 110 discriminates between a portion having a high dot density and forming a dark color and a portion having a low dot density and forming a light color based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181. do. The CPU 110 distributes 0 to any of these determined and 1 to the other. In this way, the CPU 110 creates the comparison target data. It may be arbitrarily set how much dot density is used as a discrimination criterion to discriminate between high and low dot densities. The CPU 110 stores in the RAM 114 the created comparison target data and the data indicating which line among the total number of lines in the image formed on the printed printing paper 3 the comparison target data. In FIG. 6, 1 is assigned to a portion determined to form a dark color with a high dot density, and 0 is assigned to a portion determined to form a light color with a low dot density. Further, the Lth line and the Nth line are selected as the target for creating the comparison target data. In this case, the comparison target data in the Lth row and the Nth row are created. Further, the created comparison target data and the data indicating that the comparison target data was created based on the Lth line and the Nth line in the total number of lines in the image formed on the printed printing paper 3. Is stored in the RAM 114.

A procedure for creating comparison reference data corresponding to the created comparison target data and storing it in the RAM 114 will be described. First, the image data of the last page included in the last executed print job is divided in the column direction according to the total number of rows of the image formed on the printed printing paper 3. Each part of the image data of the last page included in this last executed print job divided in the column direction is used as a row. The CPU 110 selects a row corresponding to the comparison target data and makes it a target for creating comparison reference data. Next, the row for which the comparison reference data is created is divided in the row direction in the same manner as the comparison target data. 0 or 1 is assigned to each part divided in the row direction, and comparison reference data is created. Here, 0 or 1 is sorted based on the setting of high and low dot densities. Specifically, in order to create comparison reference data, the CPU 110 has a setting portion and a dot density that form a dark color with high dot density in the image data of the last page included in the last executed print job. Distinguish from the setting part that forms a low and light color. How much dot density setting is used as a discrimination standard to discriminate between high and low dot density settings corresponds to the dot density discrimination standard set when the comparison target data is created. In the case of setting the dot density, the information corresponding to the dot density shall be preset by the user or the designer. The CPU 110 distributes 0 to any of these determined and 1 to the other. In this way, the CPU 110 creates comparison reference data corresponding to the comparison target data stored in the RAM 114. The CPU 110 stores the created comparison reference data in the RAM 114. In FIG. 6, 1 is assigned to a portion determined to form a dark color with a high dot density, and 0 is assigned to a portion determined to form a light color with a low dot density. Further, comparison reference data corresponding to the Lth line and the Nth line of the image formed on the printed printing paper 3 are created.

Judgment based on the comparison result between the comparison target data and the comparison reference data will be described. The CPU 110 compares the comparison target data stored in the RAM 114 with the corresponding comparison reference data, and derives the ratio of matching portions in these data. Here, in the CPU 110, when the matching portion is 80% or more in the comparison between the comparison target data stored in the RAM 114 and the corresponding comparison reference data, the image indicated by the comparison target data and the image indicated by the comparison reference data are shown. Is determined to be the same. At the time of comparison, it may be arbitrarily set whether the comparison target data and the comparison reference data are substantially the same when the matching portions are at least the ratio.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 executes a plurality of print jobs. The CPU 110 is based on the comparison target data based on the high / low dot density of the image formed on the printed printing paper 3 and the setting of the high / low dot density in the image data of the last page included in the last executed print job. Compare with the comparison reference data. When the images shown by these data are the same, the sender of the last executed print job is notified that the printed print paper 3 has been forgotten. This makes it possible to prevent the image forming apparatus 1 from forgetting to remove the printed printing paper 3 by the print job executed last.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 creates comparison target data based on the high and low dot densities in the formed image and comparison reference data based on the setting of high and low dot densities in the image data. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 has a comparison target data based on a drawing portion and a character portion in the formed image, a setting portion for forming drawing in the image data, and a setting portion for forming characters. Create comparison criteria data based on.

<Comparison method between comparison target data and comparison reference data>
Hereinafter, a method of comparing the comparison target data and the comparison reference data in the printing paper 3 forget-to-take prevention process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows an example of an image and comparison reference data formed on the printed printing paper 3 in the present embodiment.

In FIG. 7, the RAM 114 included in the image forming apparatus 1 targets the comparison target data created for the entire image formed on the printed printing paper 3 and the entire last page included in the last executed print job. It is assumed that the created comparison reference data can be stored.

The method of creating the comparison target data will be described. Here, 0 is assigned to the drawing portion of the image formed on the printed printing paper 3, and 1 is assigned to the character portion. Other than this, the comparison target data is created by the same method as in the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, all the lines of the image formed on the printing paper 3 are selected in order to create the comparison target data. In this case, comparison target data is created for the entire image formed on the printed printing paper 3. However, the line selected for creating the comparison target data may be only a part of the lines of the image formed on the printing paper 3. The created comparison target data is stored in the RAM 114.

The method of creating the comparison reference data will be described. Here, 0 is assigned to the setting portion that forms the drawing on the last page included in the last executed print job, and 1 is assigned to the setting portion that forms the character. Other than this, the comparison reference data is created by the same method as in the second embodiment. The created comparison reference data is stored in the RAM 114.

Here, the comparison target data created in this way and the comparison reference data are compared. The determination based on the comparison result between the comparison target data and the comparison reference data is performed in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 creates comparison target data based on the drawing portion and the character portion in the entire image formed on the printed printing paper 3. In addition, comparison reference data is created based on the setting part that forms drawing and the setting part that forms characters in the entire image data of the last page included in the last executed print job. When the images shown by these data are the same, the sender of the last executed print job is notified that the printed print paper 3 has been forgotten. This makes it possible to prevent the image forming apparatus 1 from forgetting to remove the printed printing paper 3 by the print job executed last.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the first to third embodiments, the angle of the operation unit 116 is not changed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed. When the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed, the amount of light incident on the light receiving unit 1181 changes, and the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 changes. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed, the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the brightness of the light emitting unit 1180.

When the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed and the amount of light incident on the light receiving unit 1181 is reduced, the light receiving unit 1181 may not be energized. In this case, in the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed, the CPU 110 detects the presence or absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15 and creates comparison target data based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181. I can't. Therefore, when the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed, it may be necessary to adjust the brightness of the light emitting unit 1180.

<Brightness adjustment process in the light emitting part when the angle of the operation part is changed>
Hereinafter, the luminance adjustment process in the light emitting unit 1180 when the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the brightness adjustment process in the light emitting unit 1180 when the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed. The flowchart of FIG. 8 starts when the angle of the operation unit is changed.

In S801, the CPU 110 determines whether the angle of the operation unit 116 has been changed. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines that the angle of the operation unit 116 has been changed when the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 is changed. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S802. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, it waits until the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed.

In S802, the CPU 110 determines whether the light receiving unit 1181 is energized. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines whether or not energization is generated in the light receiving unit 1181 based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181. If the determination result in this step is true, the luminance adjustment process in the light emitting unit 1180 when the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process proceeds to S803. The paper ejection receiver 15 may be formed with a portion having a high light reflectance or a portion having a low light reflectance by molding or the like. Further, the paper ejection receiver 15 may have a sticker on which a reference pattern is printed.

In S803, the CPU 110 determines whether the emission luminance of the light emitting unit 1180 is the maximum value. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines that the emission luminance of the light emitting unit 1180 is not the maximum value when the maximum current in the setting does not flow through the light emitting element of the light emitting unit 1180. On the other hand, when the maximum current in the setting is flowing through the light emitting element of the light emitting unit 1180, the CPU 110 determines that the light emitting brightness of the light emitting unit 1180 is the maximum value. If the determination result of this step is true, the process proceeds to S805. On the other hand, if the determination result of this step is false, the process proceeds to S804.

In S804, the CPU 110 sets the emission luminance of the light emitting unit 1180 to be higher than the current value. Specifically, the CPU 110 sets the value of the current flowing through the light emitting element of the light emitting unit 1180 to be higher than the current value within a range that does not become higher than the maximum current in the setting, and returns to S802.

In S805, the CPU 110 notifies the user to lower the angle of the operation unit 116. Specifically, the CPU 110 displays a wording or the like to lower the angle of the operation unit 116 on the operation screen 1160. After that, it returns to S801.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the brightness of the light emitting unit 1180 when the angle of the operating unit 116 is changed. As a result, even if the angle of the operation unit 116 is changed, the amount of light required to generate energization is incident on the light receiving unit 1181. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 detects the presence / absence of the printed printing paper 3 in the paper ejection receiver 15 and compares the data based on the energization result in the light receiving unit 1181 in the process of preventing the printed printing paper 3 from being forgotten to be removed. Can be created.

[Other embodiments]
In the first to fourth embodiments, the recording medium is assumed to be a paper medium, but the recording medium is not limited thereto. For example, the recording medium may be cloth, leather, plastic film, or the like.

The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1 Image forming apparatus 110 CPU
116 Operation unit 117 I / F controller 15 Paper ejection receiver 1160 Operation screen 1180 Light emitting unit 1181 Light receiving unit 3 Printing paper

Claims (10)

An operation unit having a light emitting element, a light receiving element, and an operation screen that displays information and accepts user operations.
A paper ejector that receives printed printing paper based on a print job,
It is an image forming apparatus having
A first detection means for detecting the printed printing paper in the paper ejection receiver based on the result of energization due to light incident on the light receiving element.
When the first detection means detects the printed printing paper, the notification means for notifying the sender of the print job that the printed printing paper has been forgotten is used.
An image forming apparatus characterized by having. Further having a first creating means for creating the first data based on the energization result caused by the light reflected by the printed printing paper in the paper ejection receiver incident on the light receiving element.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first data is image data of a binary image. Further having a second creation means for creating the second data corresponding to the first data,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second data is image data of a binary image created based on the image data of the last page included in the print job. Further, it has a first determination means for determining whether or not the portion of the first data and the second data that match is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio.
The third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when the determination result by the first determination means is true, the notification means notifies the sender of the print job that the printed printing paper has been forgotten. The image forming apparatus according to the description. The first creating means creates the first data based on the high and low dot densities in the image formed on the printed printing paper.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second creating means creates the second data corresponding to the first data. The first creating means creates the first data based on the drawing portion and the character portion in the image formed on the printed printing paper.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second creating means creates the second data corresponding to the first data. A second detection means for detecting a change in the energization result in the light receiving element due to a change in the angle of the operation unit, and a second detection means.
A second determination means for determining whether or not energization is generated in the light receiving element,
A third determination means for determining whether the brightness of the light emitting element is the maximum value,
A changing means for changing the current value of the brightness of the light emitting element, and
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising. When the determination result by the second determination means is false and the determination result by the third determination means is false, the brightness of the light emitting element is set to a value higher than the current value.
The claim is characterized in that when the determination result by the second determination means is false and the determination result by the third determination means is true, it is displayed on the operation screen that the angle of the operation unit is lowered. 7. The image forming apparatus according to 7. An operation unit having a light emitting element, a light receiving element, and an operation screen that displays information and accepts user operations.
A paper ejector that receives printed printing paper based on a print job,
It is a control method of an image forming apparatus having
The first detection step of detecting the printed printing paper in the paper ejection receiver based on the energization result due to the light incident on the light receiving element.
When the first detection step detects the printed printing paper, a notification step for notifying the sender of the print job that the printed printing paper has been forgotten is provided.
A control method characterized by having. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 9.

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