JP2007072204A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of printing characters and symbols on a manuscript paper sheet, using a single image forming system. <P>SOLUTION: As shown in Fig.1, the image forming system including a photoreceptor 4 is arranged on the manuscript paper sheet transport path, and printing on the manuscript paper sheet is carried out by the image forming system, The details related to the printing on the manuscript paper sheet is decided by entering commands through a control panel 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  In recent years, in the field of image forming apparatuses, there has been proposed an image forming apparatus having a mechanism for adding characters and symbols to original paper to be printed (image forming).

Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose an image forming apparatus in which an automatic document feeder (ADF) is provided with printing means for printing predetermined characters and symbols on a document.
JP-A-4-1991162 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-080643

  However, in the proposed image forming apparatus, a printing apparatus (image forming system) for printing characters on original paper must be provided separately in the automatic original supply apparatus, which increases the cost. . In this printing apparatus, simple character enumeration is possible, but it is not possible to input complex graphics, for example.

  Further, in these image forming apparatuses, printing on a document is performed in the process of copying the document. Therefore, the printing and printing process on the document and the copying process of the document contents on the recording paper cannot be executed as separate processes, and it is not possible to perform only the printing and printing process on the document sheet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of printing characters and symbols on original paper with a single image forming system.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus for performing a printing process by performing an image forming process by an electrophotographic process in an image forming system including an image carrier, and an original on which an original sheet is conveyed The image forming system is disposed opposite to a paper transport path and a recording paper transport path through which the recording paper is transported, and the image forming system performs a printing process on the original paper and the recording paper. do.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the image forming system further includes a type selection unit that selects a type of print content to be printed on the original paper.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the image forming system further includes a print content conversion unit that converts a print content to be printed on the original paper into a predetermined format.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the predetermined format is a code format or an encryption format.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the image forming system further includes a position selecting unit that selects a print position of print content to be printed on the original paper. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image forming system further includes a direction selecting unit that selects a print direction of print contents to be printed on the original paper. It is characterized by that.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the image forming system further includes a size selection unit that selects a size of print content to be printed on the original paper. It is characterized by.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the image forming system further comprises registration means for registering print contents to be formed on the original paper. To do.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the printing process on the original paper is performed as an individual job different from the copying process on the recording paper. It is characterized by that.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the original paper transport path and the recording paper transport path of the image forming apparatus are more than the image forming system. The first discharge tray that discharges the original paper, the second discharge tray that discharges the recording paper, and the first discharge of the original paper. A path selection means for guiding the recording paper to the tray and guiding the recording paper to the second paper discharge tray is provided at a point after the image forming system.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, an image forming system is provided opposite to the original paper transport path through which the original paper is transported and the recording paper transport path through which the recording paper is transported. Therefore, it is possible to perform a printing process on an original sheet by an electrophotographic printing process without providing a plurality of image forming systems.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments. First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

<Image forming apparatus>
First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CIS 2, an optical scanning device 3, a photoconductor 4, a charging device 5, a developing device 6, a transfer device 7, a cleaning device 8, a fixing device 9, and a transport. A roller 10, a registration roller 11, a paper discharge roller 12, a document tray 13, a paper discharge tray 14, and a paper feed tray 15 are included.

  In FIG. 1, an arrow A indicates a transport path along which the original paper is transported. On this transport path, along the transport direction, a transport roller 10, CIS2, registration roller 11, photoconductor 4 (transfer device 7), fixing device 9, and paper discharge roller 12 are disposed. Is the document tray 13 and the end point of the path is the paper discharge tray 14. A transport roller 10, a registration roller 11, a photosensitive member 4 (transfer device 7), a fixing device 9, and a paper discharge roller 12 are disposed along the transport direction on the transport path through which the recording paper is transported. The starting point of the path is the paper feed tray 15, and the end point of the path is the paper discharge tray 14.

  A contact image sensor (CIS) 2 is a contact-type image sensor, which irradiates light on a conveyed original and detects the intensity of reflected light (transmitted light) to read original paper (original contents). .

  The optical scanning device 3 irradiates the surface of the photoconductor 4 with laser light based on image data (original content read by the CIS 2) or additional data. The additional data will be described in detail later.

  The photoconductor 4 is a drum-shaped image carrier provided on the conveyance path, and rotates (rotates) in a certain direction. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 rotates clockwise. In the vicinity of the photosensitive member 4, a charging device 5, a developing device 6, a transfer device 7, and a cleaning device 8 are arranged along the rotation direction to form a so-called image forming system. .

  The optical scanning device 3 irradiates the surface of the photoreceptor 4 with laser light between the charging device 5 and the developing device 6.

  The charging device 5 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 4. By irradiating the charged photoconductor 4 with laser light, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 4.

  The developing device 6 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 4 with toner (developer) and forms a toner image on the photoconductor 4.

  The transfer device 7 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 4 to the recording paper or document paper that is being conveyed.

  The cleaning device 8 removes and collects toner remaining on the photoreceptor 4 after the transfer.

  The fixing device 9 is a device provided on the conveyance path. The fixing device 9 includes high-temperature rollers that are pressed against each other. The toner image transferred onto the recording paper (original paper) by the transfer device 7 is heated on the paper medium. Let it settle.

  The conveyance roller 10 is a roller provided on the conveyance path, and conveys recording paper or original paper one by one by being driven to rotate.

  The registration roller 11 is a roller provided on the conveyance path, and sends out recording paper (original paper) in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction.

  The paper discharge roller 12 is a roller provided on the conveyance path, and discharges recording paper (original paper) to the paper discharge tray 14 by being driven to rotate.

  The document tray 13 is a tray for setting document sheets, and corresponds to the starting point of the document sheet conveyance path. The paper discharge tray 14 is a tray for discharging original paper or recording paper, and corresponds to the end point of the transport path.

  The paper feed tray 15 is a tray for setting recording paper, and corresponds to the starting point of the recording paper conveyance path. Note that recording paper is set for each paper size in the paper feed tray 15, and it is possible to transport recording paper of a corresponding size according to the print settings.

<Control panel>
Next, the control panel 20 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control panel 20 includes a liquid crystal display 21, a numeric keypad 22, a clear / stop key 23, a start key 24, a reset key 25, and an initial setting key 26.

  The liquid crystal display 21 displays a message or an image indicating a print mode display, a driving state of the image forming apparatus 1, or an abnormal state. In addition, a screen for setting a print mode, a scaling process, a recording paper size, and the number of prints is displayed.

  The liquid crystal display 21 employs a touch panel system, and the user can select contents by directly touching the screen display of the liquid crystal display 21.

  The numeric keypad 22 is a key for inputting numbers. The numeric keypad 22 also supports character input, and the contents of additional data described later can be set.

  The clear / stop key 23 is a key for stopping (stopping) the operation of the currently executed printing process and erasing (clearing) the input settings. The start key 24 is a key for confirming and determining the execution of the set printing process and the input information.

  The reset key 25 is a key for resetting the changed print setting and returning to the initial setting. The initial setting key 26 is a key for arbitrarily customizing the initial setting of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The control panel 20 is an input unit that accepts key inputs such as print execution, print mode, and change of print settings from the user, and is a display unit that displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1 to the user. It is provided at a position where the user can easily perform key input and can be easily recognized, for example, on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1.

<Circuit configuration>
Next, a circuit configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 30, a reading control unit 31, an image processing unit 32, a writing control unit 33, an additional data control unit 34, a memory unit 35, a control panel control unit 36, Drive control unit 37.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 30 is a central processing unit, and controls and controls the entire image forming apparatus 1.

  The reading control unit 31 controls document reading processing of the image forming apparatus 1. Specifically, the CIS 2 is controlled to read the original paper.

  The image data processing unit 32 performs various types of image processing on the data read by the reading processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “image data”). Specifically, scanner image correction such as shading correction, γ correction, and smoothing processing, and correction processing such as scaling and MTF correction are performed. Then, the processed image data is stored in the memory unit 35.

  The writing control unit 33 controls writing processing of the image forming apparatus 1. Specifically, the optical scanning device 3 is controlled based on the image data stored in the memory unit 35 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 4. Further, in the additional data printing mode described later, additional data is acquired from the additional data control unit 34, and the optical scanning device 3 is controlled based on the additional data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 4. To do.

  The additional data control unit 34 controls additional data in an additional data printing mode to be described later. Specifically, control of the content of additional data, print position / print size, and numerical value change control of additional data whose numerical values such as date and number of pages fluctuate are performed.

  The memory unit 35 includes a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an NVRAM (Nonvolatile RAM), and stores and accumulates initial settings, print modes, image data, additional data, and the like.

  The control panel control unit 36 controls the control panel 20. Specifically, display control of the liquid crystal display 21 and detection of key input are performed.

  The drive control unit 37 controls various drive units of the image forming apparatus 1. Specifically, drive control of the photoconductor 4, the charging device, the transport roller 10, the registration roller 11, and the like is performed.

<Image formation processing / normal mode>
Next, normal mode image forming processing of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

  When the print mode is set to the normal mode, the original paper is placed on the original tray 13, and the start key 24, which is a print execution key, is pressed, the conveyance roller 10 conveys the original paper one by one to the conveyance path. The CIS 2 on the transport path reads the document paper that has been transported. The image data processing unit 32 performs image processing on the read document content (image data) and stores it in the memory unit 35. Note that the original sheet read by the CIS 2 is discharged to the discharge tray 14 as it is. The above processing is performed for all the original sheets placed on the original tray 13.

  When the document reading process is completed, the writing control unit 33 controls the optical scanning device 4 based on the image data stored in the memory unit 35 and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 4 charged by the charging device 5. . The electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing device 6.

  In addition, a recording sheet having a size selected in the print setting is conveyed from the sheet feeding tray 15 by the conveying roller 10. The recording paper is conveyed by the registration roller 11 in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the transfer device 7, the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 4 is transferred onto the transported recording paper, and in the fixing device 9, the toner image is heat-fixed on the recording paper. The paper is discharged to the tray 14. The image forming process is completed by performing the above process for all image data.

<Image formation processing / data addition mode>
Next, an image forming process in the data addition mode of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The data addition mode is a mode in which additional data is printed on a document sheet.

  The additional data referred to here includes, for example, the number of pages, the printing date and time, the material name, the name of the print executor, the identifier of the image forming apparatus that executed the printing process, a mark indicating that the material is confidential, a barcode, etc. It is a symbol.

  First, the print mode is switched to the data addition mode, and the size of the original paper, the type of additional data to be printed on the original paper, the print position of the additional data, the print size, and the print orientation are set. Specifically, the setting is performed by selecting the display contents displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 of the control panel 20.

  FIG. 4 is a selection screen for selecting the type of additional data displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. Here, there are six types of choices: “date”, “number of pages”, “user input”, “printer ID”, “standard symbol”, “registered data”, and multiple selections are possible. ing.

  “Date” is the date and time at the time of printing, “Number of pages” is the number of pages of the original paper, “Printer ID” is the identifier of the image forming apparatus 1, and “Standard symbol” is “Printed” or “Cannot be taken out” Standard marks such as are printed as additional data. These additional data are stored and accumulated in the memory unit 35 as registered additional data. Note that additional data whose numerical values such as date and number of pages fluctuate are dealt with by performing count control and change control in the additional data control unit 34.

  “User input” prints a character string desired by the user as additional data. For example, a material name or a print executor name is input. The character string is input from the numeric keypad 22 of the control panel 20.

  “Registered data” prints image data registered in advance by the user as additional data. The registration of the image data for the additional data is performed, for example, in the additional data registration mode, by reading the original paper on which the image to be registered is printed on the original tray 13 with the CIS 2, processing the image, and storing it in the memory unit 35. Do by accumulating.

  The image data for additional data may be registered in the image forming apparatus 1 via a recording medium such as a CD. Further, data registration may be performed from an external terminal connected to the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 5 is a screen for selecting a print location of the additional data displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, and the user selects one desired print location from the standard print locations displayed. “User setting” is for the user to arbitrarily set the print position.

  Further, after setting the print location, the size of the print size and the print direction of the additional data are set. The setting of the print size and the print orientation is also performed by selecting on the liquid crystal display 21.

  Note that the type of additional data, the print position, the print size, and the print orientation selected here are stored in the memory unit 35.

  Next, when a document sheet on which additional data is to be printed is placed on the document tray 13 and the start key 24, which is a print execution key, is pressed, the write control unit 33 displays the type of additional data stored in the memory unit 35, The optical scanning device 4 is controlled based on the printing position and the printing direction, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 4 charged by the charging device 5. Then, the developing device 6 develops the electrostatic latent image as a toner image.

  When the start key 24 is pressed, the original sheets on the original tray 13 are conveyed one by one from the paper supply tray 15 by the conveying roller 10. Then, in CIS2, the contents of the conveyed original paper are read. The image data processing unit 32 performs image processing on the read document content (image data) and stores it in the memory unit 35.

  At this time, the image processed image data is not stored in the memory unit 35 as it is, but is stored in a state including additional data. For example, when “date” is selected as additional data, image data obtained by adding “date”, which is additional data, to image data obtained by subjecting the document content read by CIS 2 to image processing is stored.

  After passing through the CIS 2, the original sheet is conveyed by the registration roller 11 in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the transfer device 7, the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 4 is transferred onto the conveyed original paper, and in the fixing device 9, the toner image is heat-fixed on the original paper, and is discharged by the paper discharge roller 12. The paper is discharged to the paper tray 14.

  In the case of additional data such as the number of pages that needs to be counted up, the additional data control unit 34 updates the value of the additional data stored in the memory 35 every time an electrostatic latent image is formed. It is possible to print additional data that has been uploaded.

<Additional print mode>
Thus, the printing process in the data addition mode is completed. When the content of the original paper on which the additional data is printed is further copied onto the recording paper, the additional print mode is executed.

  This additional print mode is executed when the user sets the size of the recording paper and the number of copies and inputs the execution of the additional print mode during or after the data addition mode.

  In the additional printing mode, after confirming the completion of the document reading process and the additional data printing process in the data adding mode, the writing control unit 33 controls the optical scanning device 4 based on the image data stored in the memory unit 35, An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 4 charged by the charging device 5. The electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing device 6.

  Here, since the image data stored in the memory unit 35 is in a state where the additional data is added, an electrostatic latent image and a toner image of the same image data as the original paper on which the additional data is printed are formed. Is done.

  Further, the recording paper of the selected size is conveyed from the paper feed tray 15 by the conveyance roller 10. The recording paper is conveyed by the registration roller 11 in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the transfer device 7, the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 4 is transferred onto the transported recording paper, and in the fixing device 9, the toner image is heat-fixed on the recording paper. The paper is discharged to the tray 14. The image forming process is completed by performing the above process for all image data.

<Effect of the first embodiment>
As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, an image forming system including a photoconductor is provided on the document sheet conveyance path, so that an electrophotographic printing process can be performed without providing a plurality of image forming systems. The additional data can be printed on the original paper. Also, only the process of printing the additional data on the original paper can be performed independently. In addition, since the print content, print position, and print direction of the additional data can be set on a user basis, it is possible to contribute to the convenience of the user.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment except that a paper discharge tray 14A for discharging original paper and 14B for discharging recording paper are provided as paper discharge trays. Yes. Further, a branch claw 16 for branching the recording paper discharge direction is provided behind the fixing device 9 in the conveyance path.

  The branch claw 16 serving as the path selection means faces in the horizontal direction during document reading processing and additional data printing, whereby the document sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 14A. On the other hand, at the time of copying to recording paper, the branch claw 16 is directed downward, whereby the recording paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 14B.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
By separating the paper discharge tray from which the original paper is discharged and the discharge tray from which the recording paper is discharged in this way, the original paper and the recording paper are not confused, which can contribute to the user. It becomes.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a data conversion unit 38 that converts additional data into a predetermined format in the additional data control unit 34 in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

  Here, the predetermined format is, for example, a format such as a bar code or QR code, or a cipher format in which an indefinite number of symbols are enumerated.

<Effect of the third embodiment>
By configuring in this way, it becomes impossible to understand the contents of additional data added to the manuscript paper even if another person visually recognizes it, so that the confidentiality of information can be improved. Further, for example, since it is possible to attach a barcode to a document and perform document management with the barcode, it is possible to contribute to user convenience.

<Additional notes>
The above-described embodiment is merely an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the description of the above embodiment, the description is made with reference to an image forming apparatus provided with one photoconductor. However, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, and four photoconductors are provided. The present invention can also be applied to a tandem type image forming apparatus having

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a control panel. 1 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the selection screen of the kind of additional data. It is a figure which shows the selection screen of the printing location of additional data. It is a figure which shows the image forming apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the image forming apparatus of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming apparatus 2 CIS
4 Photosensitive body 20 Control panel 21 Liquid crystal display 34 Additional data control unit

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus that performs a printing process by performing an image forming process in an electrophotographic process in an image forming system including an image carrier,
The image forming system is disposed so as to face the original paper conveyance path through which the original paper is conveyed and the recording paper conveyance path through which the recording paper is conveyed,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming system performs a printing process on the original paper and the recording paper.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a type selecting unit that selects a type of print content to be printed on the original paper by the image forming system.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a print content conversion unit that converts the print content to be printed on the original paper by the image forming system into a predetermined format.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined format is a code format or an encryption format.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position selection unit configured to select a print position of a print content to be printed on the original paper by the image forming system.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a direction selecting unit that selects a printing direction of print contents to be printed on the original paper by the image forming system.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a size selection unit that selects a size of a print content to be printed on the original paper.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit configured to register print contents to be formed on the original paper by the image forming system. 9.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing process on the original paper is performed as an individual job different from the copying process on the recording paper. The original paper transport path and the recording paper transport path of the image forming apparatus merge at a point before the image forming system,
A first paper discharge tray for discharging the original paper;
A second paper discharge tray for discharging the recording paper;
A path selection means for guiding the original paper to the first paper discharge tray and guiding the recording paper to the second paper discharge tray is disposed at a point after the image forming system. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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