JP2007199113A - Image forming apparatus, image forming method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately perform image formation in accordance with a recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: A memory 700 stores an image forming control condition in accordance with the sort of the recording medium in advance. Meanwhile, an RFID tag reading part 273 acquires data indicating the sort of the recording medium from the RFID tag embedded in the recording medium on which an image is formed. A printer control part 001 reads out the image forming control condition corresponding to the data indicating the acquired sort from the memory 700 and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image forming control condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program, and particularly to various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein as required. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image, an image forming method applied to the image forming apparatus, and a program for causing a computer to execute the image forming method.

  In general, an image forming apparatus uses an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method in which a toner image formed on a latent image carrier is transferred to a recording medium charged with a transfer electric field in advance to obtain an image. There is an image forming apparatus. In addition, there is an ink jet recording type image forming apparatus that directly forms an image on a recording medium.

  In any type of image forming apparatus, in order to perform image formation without variations on a recording medium at all times, it is necessary to appropriately set image forming conditions in accordance with the type and thickness of the recording medium.

  Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the image forming conditions are manually set each time according to the type and thickness of the recording medium, or the type and thickness of the recording medium are detected using a sensor, For example, image forming conditions have been set according to the detected values.

In recent years, an ID element (RFID: Radio Frequency Identification) technology for holding individual information electronically and transmitting information in a non-contact manner by electromagnetic induction has been developed, and has begun to be applied for object identification management. For example, a document management system has been proposed in which an RFID tag capable of transmitting document identification information by wireless communication is embedded in a paper product, and document management is performed based on the paper product (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-120475 A

  However, in the image forming apparatus in which the image forming conditions are set according to the detection value of the sensor as in the conventional former image forming apparatus, the sensor cannot detect the type and thickness of the recording medium with high accuracy. There was a problem. Therefore, with this conventional image forming apparatus, it is difficult to form an image having no variation on the recording medium with high accuracy.

  Further, in the document management system in which the RFID tag is embedded in the paper product and the document management is performed based on the paper product like the conventional latter document management system, the storage capacity of the RFID tag is too small. Become. That is, since it is important that the RFID tag is small, the storage capacity has to be small. At present, the storage capacity is about 128 bits. Therefore, it has been impossible to store all profiles of the recording medium in the RFID tag. In addition, it is impossible to store various setting values according to the recording medium in the RFID tag.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program that can perform image formation according to a recording medium with high accuracy. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, for various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request. In the image forming apparatus that forms an image, the type of the recording medium is determined from a storage unit that stores image forming control conditions according to the type of the recording medium and a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which the image is to be formed. Data acquisition means for acquiring data to be displayed, reading means for reading out image formation control conditions corresponding to data indicating the type acquired by the data acquisition means from the storage means, and image formation read by the reading means There is provided an image forming apparatus comprising a control means for controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus based on a control condition.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, an image for forming an image on various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request. In the forming apparatus, from an external device that stores image formation control conditions according to the type of the recording medium via a network, and a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed Data acquisition means for acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium, and reading means for reading out image formation control conditions corresponding to the data indicating the type acquired by the data acquisition means from the external device via the connection means And an image forming control condition read by the reading means, and a control means for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus. Forming apparatus is provided.

  According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the image forming control condition according to the type of the recording medium is provided, and the data stored therein can be transmitted wirelessly upon request. In an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on various recording media in which a data transmitter is embedded, the data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed A data acquisition step for acquiring data indicating the type, a read step for reading out the image forming control condition corresponding to the data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the storage unit, and the data read in the read step And a control step for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on an image forming control condition. It is.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided connection means for connecting via an network to an external device that stores image formation control conditions corresponding to the type of recording medium, and requests data stored therein. In an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on various recording media embedded with a data transmitter that can be transmitted wirelessly according to the recording medium, the recording medium on which the image is to be formed A data acquisition step for acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from an embedded data transmitter, and an image corresponding to the data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the external device via the connection means A reading step for reading out the formation control condition, and an operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image formation control condition read out in the reading step. Image forming method characterized by having a Gosuru control step is provided.

  Furthermore, a program for causing a computer to execute the image forming method is provided.

  According to the present invention, the storage means for acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from the data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed, and storing the image forming control conditions according to the type of the recording medium The image forming control condition corresponding to the data indicating the acquired type is read out. The operation of the image forming apparatus is controlled based on the read image formation control conditions.

  Further, data indicating the type of the recording medium is acquired from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed, and an external device that stores the image formation control conditions according to the type of the recording medium is connected via a network. The image forming control condition corresponding to the acquired data indicating the type is read out from the external device through the connection means for connecting. The operation of the image forming apparatus is controlled based on the read image formation control conditions.

  As a result, image formation according to the type of recording medium can be performed with high accuracy.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will _be described _{with reference to} FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. This image forming apparatus is a digital color copying machine.

  The upper part in the figure shows the configuration of the color reader unit.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes an image sensor (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”), and 211 denotes a substrate on which the CCD 101 is mounted. Reference numeral 200 denotes a control board that controls the entire image forming apparatus, and reference numeral 213 denotes an external interface (I / F) that communicates with other devices.

  Reference numeral 201 denotes a platen glass (platen), and 202 denotes a document feeder (DF) (a mirror pressure plate may be attached instead of the document feeder 202). Reference numerals 203 and 204 denote light sources (halogen lamps or fluorescent lamps) that illuminate the original, and 205 and 206 denote reflectors that condense light from the light sources 203 and 204 onto the original. Reference numerals 207 to 209 denote mirrors, and 210 denotes a lens that collects reflected light or projection light from the original on the CCD 101. A carriage 214 accommodates the light sources 203 and 204, the reflectors 205 and 206, and the mirror 207, and a carriage 215 accommodates the mirrors 208 and 209. The carriage 214 is moved at a speed V, and the carriage 215 is moved at a speed V / 2 and mechanically moved in the vertical direction (sub-scanning direction) with respect to the electrical scanning direction (main scanning direction) of the CCD 101. Are scanned.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the control board 200 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control board 200 includes a digital image processing unit 212, an external I / F 213, a printer control I / F 253, a system control unit 301, a memory 303 in the system control unit 301, and an operation unit 302. Yes. The system control unit 301 has an interface (I / F) for transmitting / receiving control information to / from the digital image processing unit 212, the external I / F 213, and the printer control I / F 253. The operation unit 302 is constituted by a liquid crystal device with a touch panel, through which the operator inputs processing execution contents, and information on processing, warnings, and the like are notified to the operator.

  The external I / F 213 is an interface for exchanging image information, code information, and the like with an external apparatus of the image forming apparatus, and this is specifically shown with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between the external I / F 213 and an external device of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the external devices are, for example, a facsimile device 401, a LAN interface device 402, an external mass storage device 403, and the like. A facsimile apparatus 401, a LAN interface apparatus 402, an external mass storage apparatus 403, and the like can be connected to the image forming apparatus via an external I / F 213 and a connector. Transmission / reception procedure control of image information and code information between the external I / F 213 and each external device is performed by mutual communication between each external device and the system control unit 301 of the control board 200.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the digital image processing unit 212 shown in FIG.

  First, in FIG. 1, a document on the platen glass 201 reflects light from the light sources 203 and 204, and the reflected light is guided to the CCD 101 and converted into an electrical signal. In the case of a color sensor, the CCD 101 may be an RGB color filter placed on a 1-line CCD in the order of RGB, or a 3-line CCD, with an R filter, a G filter, and a B filter for each CCD. They may be arranged in a row. Further, the filter may be on-chip, or the filter may be configured separately from the CCD.

  The electrical signal (analog image signal) output from the CCD 101 is input to the digital image processing unit 212 of the control board 200, and as shown in FIG. & S / H & A / D part 102 is input. Clamp & Amp. In the & S / H & A / D unit 102, the electric signal (analog image signal) is sampled and held (S / H), and the dark level of the analog image signal is clamped to the reference potential. Further, the signal is amplified to a predetermined amount, A / D converted, and converted into, for example, an RGB 8-bit digital signal (the order of processing does not necessarily match the order of description in the name).

  Subsequently, the RGB digital signal is sent to the shading unit 103 and subjected to shading correction and black correction. The corrected RGB digital signal is further sent to the stitching & MTF correction & document detection unit 104. In the connection & MTF correction & document detection unit 104, when the CCD 101 is a three-line CCD, since the reading position between the lines is different in the connection process, the delay amount for each line is adjusted according to the reading speed, and the three-line reading is performed. The signal timing is corrected so that the positions are the same. MTF correction is an MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) index that evaluates lens performance based on the reading speed and magnification. To know the imaging performance of the lens, how accurately the contrast of the subject is reproduced. Since it changes as a spatial frequency characteristic), the change is corrected. In the original detection, the original size is recognized by scanning the original on the original platen glass 201.

  The digital signal whose reading position timing has been corrected in this way is sent to the input masking unit 105 where the spectral characteristics of the CCD 101 and the spectral characteristics of the light sources 203 and 204 and the reflectors 205 and 206 are corrected. The output of the input masking unit 105 is input to a selector 106 that can be switched to an external I / F signal. The signal output from the selector 106 is input to the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 and the background removal unit 115.

  The signal input to the background removal unit 115 is subjected to background removal, and then input to the black character determination unit 116 to determine whether or not the signal represents a black character in the document. A black character signal is output from the black character determination unit 116.

  In the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107, in the color space compression, it is determined whether or not the read image signal is within a range that can be reproduced by the printer. Correct the signal so that it is within the range that can be reproduced by the printer. Then, background removal processing is performed, and in the LOG conversion, conversion from RGB signals to CMY signals is performed. Then, the timing of the output signal of the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 is adjusted by the delay unit 108 in order to correct the timing with the signal generated by the black character determination unit 116.

  The output signal from the delay unit 108 and the output signal from the black character determination unit 116 are subjected to removal of moire by the moire removal unit 109 and subjected to scaling processing by the next scaling processing unit 110 in the main scanning direction.

  In the next UCR & masking & black character reflection unit 111, the output signal from the scaling processing unit 110 is converted into a CMYK signal by UCR processing, and is corrected to a signal suitable for the output of the printer by masking processing. Then, with the black character reflection, the determination signal generated by the black character determination unit 116 is fed back to the CMYK signal.

  The signal processed by the UCR & masking & black character reflection unit 111 is sent to the γ correction unit 112, where the density is adjusted using a designated gamma table. Thereafter, the filter unit 113 performs smoothing processing or edge processing.

  The correction value of the γ correction unit 112 is configured to be variable by setting from the system control unit 301, and the density adjustment value can be set for each color of CMYK, and each density can be varied.

  Next, returning to FIG. 1, the configuration of the printer unit will be described. The printer unit is a full-color printer, which is shown in the lower part of FIG.

  A photosensitive drum (hereinafter simply referred to as “photosensitive member”) 225 as an image carrier is provided so as to be rotated in the direction of arrow A by an image forming system motor (not shown). Around the photoconductor 225, a primary charger 221, an exposure device 218, a black development unit 219, a color development unit 223, a primary transfer roller 220, a cleaner device 222, a charge removal device 290, and a potential sensor 291 are arranged.

  The black developing unit 219 is a developing device for monochrome development, and develops the latent image on the photoreceptor 225 with K toner. The color developing unit 223 includes three developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C for full color development. The developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C develop the latent images on the photoreceptor 225 with Y, M, and C toners, respectively. When developing the toner of each color, the color developing unit 223 is rotated in the direction of arrow R by a developing device motor (not shown), and the position is adjusted so that the developing device of the corresponding color contacts the photoconductor 225.

  The toner images of the respective colors developed on the photosensitive member 225 are sequentially transferred to a belt 226 as an intermediate transfer member by the transfer charger 220, and the four color toner images are superimposed. The belt 226 is stretched around rollers 227, 228, and 229. Among these, the roller 227 functions as a driving roller that is coupled to the image forming system motor 023 (FIG. 5) and drives the belt 226. The roller 228 functions as a tension roller for adjusting the tension of the belt 226, and the roller 229 functions as a backup roller for the transfer roller 231 as a secondary transfer device.

  The transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 250 is a drive unit for bonding or releasing the transfer roller 231 to or from the belt 226. A belt cleaner 232 is provided at a position facing the roller 227 across the belt 226. The belt cleaner attaching / detaching unit 268 is a drive unit for attaching or detaching the belt cleaner 232 to / from the belt 226. When the belt cleaner 232 is bonded to the belt 226 by the belt cleaner attaching / detaching unit 268, residual toner on the belt 226 is cleaned.

  The recording media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 283 are fed to the nip portion (contact portion between the transfer roller 231 and the belt 226) by the registration roller 255 and the paper feed roller pair 235, 236, and 237. A motor (not shown) is fed as a drive source. The transfer roller 231 is in contact with the belt 226 by driving the transfer roller detaching unit 250 to adhere the transfer roller 231 to the belt 226.

  The toner image formed on the belt 226 is transferred onto the recording medium at this nip portion, thermally fixed by the fixing device 234, and discharged outside the device by a fixing drive motor (not shown).

  Each of the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 283 includes detection sensors 243, 244, and 245 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium. The cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 283 have paper feed sensors 247, 248, and 249 for detecting a pickup failure of the recording medium, respectively.

  In the printer unit configured as described above, image formation is executed as follows.

  First, the recording medium conveyance operation in the paper feeding unit will be described.

  The recording media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 283 are respectively conveyed onto the paper feed path by the pickup rollers 238, 239, and 254. When the recording medium on the paper feeding path is conveyed to the registration roller 255 by the pair of paper feeding rollers 235, 236, and 237, the registration sensor 256 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. When the registration sensor 256 detects the passage of the recording medium, in this embodiment, the conveyance operation is temporarily interrupted after a predetermined time has elapsed. As a result, the recording medium hits the registration roller 255 that has stopped rotating, and the conveyance is stopped. At that time, the posture adjustment is performed so that the end portion in the traveling direction of the recording medium is perpendicular to the conveyance path, and the skew is generated when the conveyance direction of the recording medium is deviated from the conveyance path. The paper feed path conveyance direction is corrected. This process is usually referred to as “sheet feeding registration”. Paper registration is essential to minimize the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the recording medium. After the paper feeding registration is taken, the registration roller 255 is activated to supply the recording medium to the transfer roller 231.

  Next, a procedure for forming an image on the recording medium supplied to the transfer roller 231 will be described.

  First, a voltage is applied to the charging device 221 to negatively charge the surface of the photoconductor 225 uniformly at a predetermined charging potential. Subsequently, exposure is performed on the charged photoconductor 225 by an exposure device 218 including a laser scanner, and a latent image having a predetermined exposure portion potential is formed. The exposure device 218 forms a latent image corresponding to the image on the photoconductor 225 by turning on and off the laser beam based on the image signal.

  A developing bias set in advance for each color is applied to the developing rollers of the black developing device 219 and the color developing device 223, and the latent image is developed with toner when passing through the position of the developing roller to form a toner image. Visualized. The toner image is transferred to the belt 226 by the primary transfer roller 220, further transferred to the recording medium conveyed from the paper feeding unit by the transfer roller 231, and then to the fixing device 234 via the fixing conveyance belt 230. Be transported.

  The fixing device 234 first charges the recording medium with pre-fixing chargers 251 and 252 and further fixes the toner image by the fixing roller pair 233 in order to compensate for the toner adsorption force and prevent image disturbance. Thereafter, the conveyance path is switched to the discharge path 258 side by the discharge flapper 257, and the recording medium is sent to the finisher unit 280. Note that a recording medium that does not require a post-processing step in the finisher unit 280 is transported as it is and discharged to the discharge tray 242. On the other hand, a predetermined number of recording media that require post-processing, for example, stapling, are stacked in the finisher unit 280, aligned by the alignment unit 281, stapled by the staple unit 282, and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 242. The

  In full-color printing, toners of four colors are superimposed on the belt 226 and then transferred to a recording medium.

  The toner remaining on the photoreceptor 225 is removed and collected by the cleaner device 222.

  Finally, the photosensitive member 225 is uniformly discharged to near 0 volts by the discharging device 290 to prepare for the next image forming cycle.

  The image forming timing in the printer unit is controlled with a predetermined position on the belt 226 as a reference.

  The belt 226 is wound around rollers including a driving roller 227, a tension roller 228, and a backup roller 229, and a predetermined tension is applied by the tension roller 228.

  Between the driving roller 227 and the roller 228, a reflective sensor 224 for detecting the reference position is disposed. The reflective sensor 224 detects a marking such as a reflective tape provided on the inner peripheral surface of the belt 226 and outputs an I-top signal.

  The outer peripheral length of the photoreceptor 225 and the peripheral length of the belt 226 have an integer ratio represented by 1: n (n is an integer). With this setting, the photosensitive member 225 rotates an integer number of times while the belt 226 makes one revolution, and returns to the same state as the belt 226 one revolution before. As a result, when the four color toners are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 226 (the belt 226 rotates four times), it is possible to avoid color misregistration due to rotation unevenness of the photosensitive member 225.

  In the intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus as described above, after an I-top signal is detected, exposure is started by an exposure device 218 including a laser scanner after a predetermined time has elapsed. In addition, as described above, the photosensitive member 225 rotates an integer number of times during one rotation of the belt 226 and returns to the same state as before the first rotation of the belt 226. Therefore, a toner image is always formed at the same position on the belt 226. Is done. Although the toner image size also changes depending on the paper size, there is a range on the belt 226 where the toner image is never placed.

  In the case of an image for a short paper size, the belt 226 has a belt length capable of forming toner images for two images. Accordingly, it is possible to form two color images, in particular, by superimposing four colors only by rotating the belt 226 four times, and productivity is improved.

  Subsequently, an operation when an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium will be described in detail.

  When an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium, image formation on the surface of the recording medium is first performed. Since the image forming operation on the surface has been described in detail above, description thereof is omitted here.

  In the case of image formation only on the front surface, after image formation, the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing device 234, and then the conveyance path is switched to the discharge path 258 side by the discharge flapper 257, and the recording medium remains as it is. The paper is discharged. However, when image formation on the back surface is subsequently performed, the conveyance path is switched to the back surface path 259 side by the paper discharge flapper 257, and the recording medium is once conveyed into the double-side reversing path 261 by the rotation driving of the reversing roller 260. The Thereafter, the recording medium is conveyed into the duplex reversing path 261 by the width of the recording medium in the feeding direction. Then, by the reverse rotation driving of the reversing roller 260 and the driving of the double-sided path conveying roller 262, the recording medium is conveyed to the double-sided path 263 with the image surface on which the image is formed facing upward.

  Subsequently, when the recording medium is conveyed on the double-sided path 263 toward the refeed roller 264, the refeed sensor 265 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. When the re-feed sensor 265 detects the passage of the recording medium, in the present embodiment, the transport operation is temporarily interrupted after a predetermined time has elapsed. As a result, the recording medium hits the stopped re-feed roller 264 and the conveyance is temporarily stopped. As a result, the posture adjustment is performed so that the end portion of the recording medium in the traveling direction is perpendicular to the conveyance path, and a skew occurs in which the conveyance direction of the recording medium deviates from the conveyance path in the refeed path. In this case, the refeed path conveyance direction correction is performed. This process is usually referred to as “re-feed registration”. This refeed registration is indispensable for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the back surface of the recording medium.

  After the re-feeding registration, the re-feeding roller 264 is activated, so that the recording medium in a state where the front and back sides are reversed is conveyed again onto the paper feeding path. Since the subsequent image forming operation is the same as the above-described front surface image forming operation, description thereof is omitted here.

  The recording medium on which the image is formed on both the front and back sides is switched as it is by the discharge flapper 257 to the discharge path 258 side and is discharged to the discharge tray 242 as it is.

  With the operation as described above, in this embodiment, the operator can automatically form an image on both sides of the recording medium without inverting the front and back of the recording medium.

  Next, an ID element (Radio Frequency Identification, hereinafter referred to as “RFID”) will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit that controls the operation of the printer unit of the image forming apparatus.

  This control unit includes a printer control unit 001, a drive circuit unit 002, a high-voltage power supply 003, an environment sensor 701, and motors 020 to 024, and also includes each component of the printer unit shown in FIG. Further, an RFID tag reading unit 273 that reads data of the RFID tag and a memory 700 that stores a control setting value for each paper type of the recording medium are included.

  The printer control unit 001 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a control program executed by the CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that the CPU uses for calculation, and the like. Each process described below performed by the printer control unit 001 is realized by the CPU executing the above control program.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an RFID tag embedded in a recording medium. (A) shows the recording medium 620 and the RFID tag 601, and (B) is an enlarged view of the RFID tag 601.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, antennas 610 and 611 are connected to the RFID tag 601.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the RFID tag reading unit 273 is mounted on each of the cassette deck storing the recording medium, the cassettes 240 and 241, and the manual paper feeding unit 283, and reads the data of the RFID tag on the recording medium. That is, for example, a recording medium is stored in the cassettes 240 and 241, and a detection signal that the storage door is closed is sent to the printer control unit 001 from a storage open / close detection sensor (not shown) in the cassettes 240 and 241. Thereby, the RFID tag reading unit 273 starts processing to read data from the RFID tag. Even if no detection signal is sent from the storage open / close detection sensor, the RFID tag reader 273 constantly monitors the RFID tag, so that information on the recording medium can be obtained as data.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the RFID tag 601.

  The RFID tag 601 has a memory 602 formed of an EEPROM or the like that does not lose data even when the power is turned off. The memory 602 has a storage capacity of 128 bits, and the memory 602 stores data indicating the paper type of the recording medium in which the RFID tag 601 is embedded.

  A coil 605 corresponding to the antenna 610 receives the electromagnetic wave (data communication modulation wave) sent from the RFID tag reading unit 273 and sends it to the modem unit 604. The modem unit 604 demodulates the received signal, extracts a command, and sends the command to the memory control unit 603. When the sent command is a read command, the memory control unit 603 reads the data stored in the memory 602 and sends it to the modem unit 604. The modem unit 604 modulates the transmitted data and outputs the modulated data from the coil 605 to the RFID tag reading unit 273 as an electromagnetic wave.

  On the other hand, a coil 607 corresponding to the antenna 611 generates an induced electromotive force based on an electromagnetic wave (power transmission wave) sent from the RFID tag reading unit 273, and sends this to the power supply circuit 606. Based on this induced electromotive force, the modem unit 604, the memory control unit 603, and the memory 602 operate.

  The RFID tag 601 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7 integrated in a one-chip IC.

  Next, a process of reading data from the memory 602 of the RFID tag 601 according to a read command sent from the RFID tag reading unit 273 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a read command sent from the RFID tag reading unit 273 and data read from the memory 602 of the RFID tag 601 by the read command.

  First, when a power transmission wave is transmitted from a read circuit of the RFID tag reading unit 273 (described later with reference to FIG. 10), the coil 607 in FIG. 7 receives this power transmission wave and generates an induced electromotive force from the power supply circuit 606. Is generated. This induced electromotive force is supplied as a power source to the modem unit 604, the memory control unit 603, and the memory 602. Thereby, the modem unit 604 demodulates the radio wave received by the coil 605, extracts the serial data DI (FIG. 8A) including the command, and sends it to the memory control unit 603. The memory control unit 603 monitors the serial data DI sent from the modem unit 604 and detects a transition from bit 0 (low level bit) to bit 1 (high level bit). When a transition from bit 0 to bit 1 in the serial data DI is detected, the bit 1 indicates a start bit, and two bits following the start bit are a command. Each bit in the serial data DI has a predetermined period f as shown in FIG. 8B, and this period f depends on the circuit configuration of the read circuit and the RFID tag 601. Instead of this, a synchronous clock generator for generating a clock that oscillates at the period f may be provided, and the serial data DI may be synchronized with this clock.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the value of 2 bits following the start bit and the control content.

  That is, if the value of 2 bits following the start bit is 1 or 0, the command is a read command. In this case, data is read from the memory 602. If it is 0 or 1, the command is a write command. In this case, data is written to the memory 602.

  In FIG. 8A, since the value of 2 bits following the start bit is 1 and 0, it can be seen that the command is a read command.

  The memory control unit 603 to which the read command is sent controls the memory 602 to the read mode, reads the data (D0 to D127) stored in the memory 602 as serial data DO (FIG. 8B), and the modulation / demodulation unit Send to 604. The modulation / demodulation unit 604 modulates the serial data DO and sends the modulated data from the coil 605 to the RFID tag reading unit 273 as a radio wave.

  Next, a read circuit mounted on the RFID tag reading unit 273 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a read circuit mounted on the RFID tag reading unit 273.

  In FIG. 10, an R / W coil (reader and / or writer coil) 1401 is an electromagnetic wave composed of a power transmission wave and a data communication modulated wave with the coils 605 and 607 formed on the RFID tag 601 shown in FIG. Send and receive. The lead circuit may be provided with a power transmission wave antenna and a data communication modulation wave antenna separately.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a frequency spectrum of an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the R / W coil 1401 in the read circuit of the RFID tag reading unit 273.

  11, reference numeral 1501 denotes a power transmission wave having a frequency of 27.02 MHz, which is received by the RFID tag 601 by the coil 607 in FIG. 7 and serves as a power source for driving the RFID tag 601.

  Reference numeral 1502 denotes a data communication modulation wave having a frequency of 27.02 MHz as a center frequency, which is received by the RFID tag 601 by the coil 605 in FIG. 7 and sends a command to the RFID tag 601. The data communication modulated wave 1502 is also used for data sent from the RFID tag 601 to the RFID tag reading unit 273.

  In FIG. 10, a carrier signal generation circuit 1402 generates a carrier signal having a frequency of 27.02 MHz. On the other hand, the encoding circuit 1043 encodes command data sent from a data processing unit (not shown) to be transmitted to the RFID tag 601. The modulator 1404 superimposes the command data encoded by the encoding circuit 1043 on the carrier signal having the frequency of 27.02 MHz generated by the carrier signal generation circuit 1402 by ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation. The transmission amplifier 1405 amplifies the modulated signal output from the modulator 1404.

  The modulated signal amplified by the transmission amplifier 1405 is sent to the matching circuit (feed circuit) 1408 via the inductance coupling unit 1406. The matching circuit (feed circuit) 1408 includes a capacitor 1407 and an R / W coil 1401 in addition to the inductance coupling portion 1406. The capacitor 1407 is for preventing reflection by performing impedance matching. The R / W coil 1401 generates an electromagnetic wave composed of a data communication modulation wave and a power transmission wave based on the modulation signal obtained via the inductance coupling unit 1406.

  Further, the R / W coil 1401 receives electromagnetic waves generated from the coil 605 of the RFID tag 601. This received signal is sent to the filter 1409 via the inductance coupling unit 1406, where noise components are removed. The reception signal from which the noise component has been removed is amplified by reception amplifier 1410 and sent to demodulator 1411. The demodulator 1411 demodulates the received signal using the carrier signal having a frequency of 27.02 MHz generated by the carrier signal generation circuit 1402. The next decoding circuit 1412 decodes the signal demodulated by the demodulator 1411 and outputs it to the data processing unit as received data.

  As described above, in the read circuit, command data sent from a data processing unit (not shown) is ASK modulated and transmitted from the R / W coil 1401, and the ASK modulated data received by the R / W coil 1401 is demodulated. Received data is sent to the data processor.

  Incidentally, data indicating the paper type of the corresponding storage medium is stored in the memory 602 of the RFID tag 601 embedded in the recording medium. That is, for example, 0 is stored in the memory 602 as data if the paper type of the corresponding storage medium is plain paper, and 1 is stored in the case of thick paper. Therefore, the RFID tag reading unit 273 reads such data from the RFID tag 601 embedded in the recording medium, and the printer control unit 001 refers to the memory 700 to acquire a control setting value corresponding to the data, The image forming apparatus is controlled based on the control setting value. This will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, the RFID tag reading unit 273 reads data indicating the paper type of the storage medium from the memory 602 of the RFID tag 601 and sends this data to the printer control unit 001.

  On the other hand, the environmental sensor 701 measures temperature, humidity, etc., and sends the measured value to the printer control unit 001. That is, the characteristics of the recording medium depend on the surrounding environmental conditions. In particular, it greatly depends on the absolute water content contained in the recording medium. Therefore, the printer control unit 001 estimates the absolute water content contained in the recording medium based on the measurement value sent from the environment sensor 701, and divides it into, for example, three stages of large, medium and small. Then, large = 2, medium = 1, and small = 0.

  The printer control unit 001 creates a read address based on the data indicating the paper type of the storage medium and the data indicating the absolute water content included in the recording medium. For example, if the data indicating the paper type of the storage medium is 0 and the data indicating the absolute water content contained in the recording medium is 2, the read address is set to 02. If the data indicating the paper type of the storage medium is 1 and the data indicating the absolute water content contained in the recording medium is 1, the read address is 11. Then, the printer control unit 001 refers to the memory 700 and acquires a control setting value corresponding to the read address.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a part of the correspondence relationship between the read address and the control setting value (storage information) in the memory 700. In FIG. 12, only the memory areas of read addresses 020 to 02D (hexadecimal number) are shown as an example, and the memory areas of other addresses are omitted. In FIG. 12, only the control setting value and the corresponding recording medium thickness information are shown as examples stored in the memory area, but in addition to this, the corresponding recording medium size information and paper type information are shown. Color information, manufacturing date, manufacturer information, and the like.

  When the read address created based on the paper type data and the absolute water content data of the storage medium is, for example, 02, the printer control unit 001 stores each area of the read address having 02 at the head in the memory 700. Get information. In the example of FIG. 12, the control setting values stored in the read addresses 020 to 02D in the memory 700 are acquired.

  The printer control unit 001 sets the conveyance speed setting value read from the area of the read address 020 as the optimum conveyance speed of the recording medium at the time of image formation. That is, the developer motor 020, the paper feed drive motor 021, the fixing drive motor 022, the image forming system motor 023, the duplex conveying motor 024, and the polygon motor (not shown) in the exposure device 218 are connected via the drive circuit unit 002. Speed control is performed and the recording medium is conveyed at an optimum speed.

  In addition, the printer control unit 001 sets the high voltage power supply 003 according to each high voltage set value read from the area of the read addresses 021 to 02A. As a result, an optimum image quality corresponding to the paper type of the recording medium and environmental conditions can be obtained.

  The printer control unit 001 sets the fixing heater temperature in the fixing device 234 connected to the drive circuit unit 002 according to the fixing heater temperature setting value read from the area of the read address 02B. Thereby, the optimal image quality according to the paper type of the recording medium and the environmental conditions can be obtained.

  Further, the printer control unit 001 selects a gamma table to be used in the γ correction unit 112 in FIG. 4 according to the gamma table No read from the area of the read address 02C. Thereby, an image having a color and density most suitable for the background color of the recording medium is formed on the recording medium.

  Further, the printer control unit 001 controls execution / non-execution of the image forming operation accompanied by the stapling process according to the thickness read from the area of the read address 02D. That is, when an image formation accompanied by a stapling process is designated by the user via the operation unit 302, the printer control unit 001 sets the target of stapling process based on the thickness read from the area of the read address 02D. The total thickness of the stacked recording medium is calculated. Then, the total thickness is compared with the maximum total stack thickness of the recording media that can be stapled by the staple unit 282. As a result, if the total thickness of the stacked recording medium that is the target of the staple processing to be performed exceeds the maximum total stack thickness that can be stapled, the operation is started without starting the image forming processing to be performed. An alarm is displayed on the display unit 302. On the other hand, if the total thickness of the stacked recording medium that is the target of the staple processing to be performed does not exceed the maximum total stack thickness that can be stapled, the printer control unit 001 starts the image forming processing to be performed from now. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform image formation according to the recording medium with high accuracy.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the control unit (FIG. 5) that controls the operation of the printer unit of the image forming apparatus includes the memory 700, and the memory 700 stores control setting values for each paper type of the recording medium. . Alternatively, the image forming apparatus may be connected to a server via a network, and the control setting value for each paper type of the recording medium may be stored in the server. In this case, the printer control unit 001 creates a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) according to the data read by the RFID tag reading unit 273, and accesses a corresponding server in the network based on the URL. Accordingly, the printer control unit 001 can receive the control setting value corresponding to each recording medium, and can control the image formation based on the received control setting value as in the above-described embodiment. It is possible to form a highly accurate image according to the above.

  An object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and store the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus. It is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored on the medium.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, and a DVD. An optical disc such as RW or DVD + RW, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) or the like running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. Includes a case where part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the expanded function is based on the instruction of the program code. This includes a case where a CPU or the like provided on the expansion board or the expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Further, by executing the program code read out by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code is actually Needless to say, the present invention also includes a case in which the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by performing part or all of the processing and the processing.

  In this case, the program is supplied by downloading directly from a storage medium storing the program or from another computer or database (not shown) connected to the Internet, a commercial network, a local area network, or the like.

1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the control board shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a connection relationship between the external I / F illustrated in FIG. 2 and an external device of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a digital image processing unit shown in FIG. 2. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit that controls the operation of a printer unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows the RFID tag embedded in the recording medium. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a RFID tag. 4 is a timing chart showing a read command sent from the RFID tag reading unit and data read from the memory of the RFID tag by the read command. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the value for 2 bits following a start bit, and control content. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the read circuit mounted in a RFID tag reading part. It is a figure which shows the frequency spectrum of the electromagnetic waves sent out from the R / W coil in the read circuit of a RFID tag reading part. It is a figure which shows a part of correspondence with the read address and control setting value (storage information) in memory.

Explanation of symbols

001 Printer control unit (reading means, control means)
002 Drive circuit unit 003 High voltage power source 020-024 Motor 218 Exposure device 234 Fixing device 273 RFID tag reading unit (data acquisition means)
601 RFID tag (data transmitter)
620 recording medium 700 memory (storage means)
701 Environmental sensor

Claims (20)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request,
Storage means for storing image formation control conditions according to the type of recording medium;
Data acquisition means for acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
Reading means for reading out image formation control conditions corresponding to data indicating the type acquired by the data acquisition means from the storage means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: control means for controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus based on an image formation control condition read by the reading means.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image formation control condition is a speed at which the recording medium is conveyed during image formation.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image formation control condition is an image processing condition of image data that is a basis of image formation on the recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes: a latent image forming unit for forming a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing unit for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member; and the developer formed on the photosensitive member. A transfer unit for transferring the image to the recording medium; and a fixing unit for fixing the image transferred to the recording medium;
The image formation control condition is a control condition set for at least one of the latent image forming unit, the developing unit, the transfer unit, and the fixing unit according to the type of the recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The storage means stores at least one information of recording medium size information, recording medium thickness information, recording medium paper type information, recording medium color information, recording medium manufacturing date, and recording medium manufacturer information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is stored. The storage means stores recording medium thickness information;
When the post-processing is performed by stacking a plurality of recording media in the image forming apparatus, the control unit is configured to stack the recording media in the post-processing based on the recording medium thickness information read by the reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an alarm is notified if the stacking thickness exceeds a predetermined value.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores at least one piece of information among a paper conveyance speed setting value, a high pressure setting value, a gamma table number, and a fixing heater temperature adjustment setting value. The image forming apparatus further includes a wetness degree detection unit that detects the wetness degree of the recording medium,
The storage means stores image formation control conditions according to the type and wetness of the recording medium,
The reading unit reads data indicating the type acquired by the data acquiring unit and an image formation control condition corresponding to the wetness level detected by the wetness level detection unit from the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request,
A connection means for connecting to an external device that stores image formation control conditions according to the type of the recording medium via a network;
Data acquisition means for acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
Reading means for reading out the image forming control conditions corresponding to the data indicating the type acquired by the data acquisition means from the external device via the connection means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: control means for controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus based on an image formation control condition read by the reading means.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image formation control condition is a speed at which the recording medium is conveyed during image formation.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image formation control condition is an image processing condition of image data that is a basis of image formation on the recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes: a latent image forming unit for forming a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing unit for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member; and the developer formed on the photosensitive member. A transfer unit for transferring the image to the recording medium; and a fixing unit for fixing the image transferred to the recording medium;
The image formation control condition is a control condition set for at least one of the latent image forming unit, the developing unit, the transfer unit, and the fixing unit according to the type of the recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.   The external device includes at least one information of recording medium size information, recording medium thickness information, recording medium paper type information, recording medium color information, recording medium manufacturing date, and recording medium manufacturer information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image forming apparatus is stored. The external device stores recording medium thickness information,
When the post-processing is performed by stacking a plurality of recording media in the image forming apparatus, the control unit is configured to stack the recording media in the post-processing based on the recording medium thickness information read by the reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an alarm is notified if the stacking thickness exceeds a predetermined value.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the external device stores at least one piece of information among a paper conveyance speed setting value, a high pressure setting value, a gamma table number, and a fixing heater temperature adjustment setting value. The image forming apparatus further includes a wetness degree detection unit that detects the wetness degree of the recording medium,
The external device stores image formation control conditions according to the type and wetness of the recording medium,
The reading unit reads data indicating a type acquired by the data acquisition unit and an image formation control condition corresponding to the wetness level detected by the wetness level detection unit from the external device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9. A storage means for storing image formation control conditions according to the type of recording medium is provided, and various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request In an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus that performs image formation on an image forming apparatus,
A data acquisition step of acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
A reading step of reading out an image formation control condition corresponding to data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the storage unit;
And a control step of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image formation control condition read in the reading step. Data that includes a connection means for connecting to an external device that stores image formation control conditions according to the type of recording medium via a network, and that is capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request In an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on various recording media in which a transmitter is embedded,
A data acquisition step of acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
A reading step of reading out an image forming control condition corresponding to data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the external device via the connection unit;
And a control step of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image formation control condition read out by the reading step. A storage means for storing image formation control conditions according to the type of recording medium is provided, and various recording media embedded with a data transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request In a program for causing a computer to execute an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus that performs image formation,
A data acquisition step of acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
A reading step of reading out an image formation control condition corresponding to data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the storage unit;
And a control step of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image formation control condition read in the reading step. Data that includes a connection means for connecting to an external device that stores image formation control conditions according to the type of recording medium via a network, and that is capable of wirelessly transmitting data stored therein upon request In a program for causing a computer to execute an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on various recording media in which a transmitter is embedded,
A data acquisition step of acquiring data indicating the type of the recording medium from a data transmitter embedded in the recording medium on which image formation is to be performed;
A reading step of reading out an image forming control condition corresponding to data indicating the type acquired in the data acquisition step from the external device via the connection unit;
And a control step for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the image formation control condition read by the reading step.

Images