JPH06100879B2 - Method of storing composite image information - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus suitable for image composition.

Conventionally, when synthesizing and recording original image information and digital image information from an external device such as a magnetic tape, a word processor, an office computer, and a facsimile, recording is performed between the external device and the external device in order to align the leading ends of recording lines and synchronize. Signal exchange requires fine control of external equipment.

That is, normally, in a copying apparatus, when the document image information obtained by scanning the document and the digital image information generated by the external device are combined and recorded, the document scanning is performed in synchronization with the input of the digital image information from the external device. Alternatively, it is necessary to receive digital image information from an external device in synchronism with document scanning.

In the former case, the document scanning may start before the document is set by the operator. In order to prevent such a problem, signal exchange such as status exchange between the external device and the copying apparatus is required.

In the latter case, the external device must monitor the original scanning start timing with high accuracy, which causes a problem of imposing a large load on the external device.

Further, a method of providing storage means for storing digital image information from an external device and reading the digital image information from the storage means in synchronization with scanning of the original document can be considered. However, providing the storage means only to obtain the composite image is inferior in terms of efficient use of the storage means.

Further, even if the document scanning is started by the operation of the operator in order to prevent the document scanning before the document setting, the operation is performed before the storage of the digital image information in the storage means is completed. In this case, there arises a problem that an incomplete composite image is formed, or the document scanning does not start for a while after the operation, and the operator feels anxiety about failure and feels uncomfortable in operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and includes a scanning unit for scanning a document and a storage unit for storing document image information obtained by the scanning of the scanning unit. In a copying apparatus capable of recording the document image information a plurality of times by scanning the document by the scanning unit once, without providing a dedicated storage unit for synthesizing the document image information and the digital image information from an external device, It is possible to prevent the scanning of the document from being started before the document is set by the operator and to prevent an increase in the load on the external device, and to give the operator a sense of anxiety about failure and a sense of discomfort in operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording method of composite image information that does not exist.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of recording composite image information according to the present invention, wherein a step of scanning an original by the scanning means in response to a scanning start operation by an operator (in the embodiments of the present invention described later, 23 corresponds to step 111 in FIG. 23), a step of storing the document image information obtained by this document scanning in the storage means (corresponding to step 112), and storing the document image information in the storage means. In a state of waiting for a recording start signal from an external device that generates the digital image information (corresponding to step 113), reading the original image information stored in the storage means in response to the input of the recording start signal, Step of obtaining the combined image information in which the read original image information and the digital image information output from the external device are combined (the same step)
116, 120) and a step of recording the composite image information on a recording medium (corresponding to step 121).

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the embodiment apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

The apparatus of this embodiment includes a screen drum (hereinafter referred to as SD) 2-2 for forming a latent image by a light image from an original image, and a multi-stylus 2 in which a large number of pin electrodes are arranged in a line for forming a digital image. -3 is provided, and an insulating drum (hereinafter referred to as ID) 2 having a dielectric layer is provided by these.
A latent image is formed on -1.

SD2-2 is a drum for storing the exposed original image as an electrostatic latent image, and ID2-1 is formed by the electrostatic latent image transferred from SD2-2 and the multi-stylus 2-3. A drum for converting a latent electrostatic image into a visible image and transferring it to a transfer paper. In the following description, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of SD2-2 is the primary latent image, and the SD2−
The electrostatic latent image transferred from No. 2 is called a secondary latent image.

The structure of the screen drum (SD) 2-2 is shown in Figure 2-1 and 2-2.
Shown in Figure and Figure 2-3.

Figure 2-1 is a perspective view of SD2-2, Figure 2-2 is a partially enlarged view of screen 3-1, and Figure 2-3 is screen 3-1.
FIG.

The screen 3-1 has a conductive mesh 3-4 and a photoconductive material CdS3.
It is a sheet-shaped photosensitive plate (screen) in which -5 is sprayed and the insulating material 3-6 is sprayed on it. This screen 3-1 is fixed cylindrically by the drum frame 3-2,
Further, the seam of the screen 3-1 is sealed with a tape 3-3. There are many small holes on the SD surface as shown in Fig. 3-2, and the cross section has a three-layer structure along each line of the net as shown in Fig. 2-3.

The structure of the insulation drum (ID) 2-1 is the screen drum 2
The aluminum cylinder 2-1-1 has a double outer diameter and is uniformly coated with a dielectric material 2-1-2 on the surface of an aluminum cylinder 2-1-1 to form a two-layer structure not including a photosensitive layer. The outer diameter ratio between SD2-2 and ID2-1 is 1: 2. When SD2-2 makes one revolution, ID2-2 becomes 1/2.
Make a rotation.

The image forming process of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

First, rotate SD2-2, A charger 2-4, B charger 2-
6 and the primary exposure lamp 2-5, the positive charge is SD
2-2 Charge the surface uniformly.

FIG. 3 shows the process of uniform charging. For this device, SD
By applying a voltage of +8.5 KV between the 2-2 and the charger to perform corona discharge, a positive charge is uniformly charged on the surface of SD2-2. Here, in order to ensure the surface potential of SD2-2, positive charge is performed once by the A charger 2-4, and then light is irradiated by the exposure lamp 2-5 to increase the injection efficiency of the negative charge. Once again B charger 2-
A positive charge is performed according to 6.

The surface potential of SD2-2 obtained in this process is about + 200V to +3.
It will be 00V. SD2-2 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and C charger 2
When the value of -7 is reached, the negative charge is removed by the C charger 2-7, and at the same time, the image exposure is performed by the reflected light from the document. still,
2-8 is a slit.

In image exposure, a document placed on the document table 2-19 is exposed by a document exposure lamp 2-20 which moves at a predetermined speed in the direction of arrow F in the figure, and the reflected light image is moved integrally with the exposure lamp 2-20. It is received by the first mirror 2-21 and the second mirror 2-22 which moves at a speed half that of the first mirror 2-21, and further passes through the slit 2-8 through the third mirror by the lens 2-23 and SD2- Image to 2. FIG. 4 shows the process of negative charge removal and image exposure of the C charger 2-7 at this time. C charger 2-7
Negative discharge is applied by applying -5.0 to 9.0 KV to the SD2-2 surface at the same time with the reflected light (light image) of the original.

At this time, in the bright area, that is, the white area of the document, the CdS layer 3-5
The resistance value of the negative electric charge of the negative electric charge becomes trapped and becomes easy to move. Furthermore, the application of the negative corona eliminates the positive charge on the surface of SD2-2, so that the negative charge of the CdS layer 3-5 is bound and escapes to the conductive substrate 3-4.

On the other hand, in the dark portion, that is, the portion corresponding to the image of the document, the resistance value of the CdS layer 3-5 is high, and thus the negative charge in the CdS layer 3-5 remains difficult to move. However, by the application of the minus corona, the positive charges on the insulating layer 3-6 are discharged to some extent, but are induced to the conductive substrate 3-4 by the amount of the removed charge to maintain the electrical balance.

At this stage, the surface potential of SD2-2 is zero in both bright and dark areas and there is no potential contrast. That is, in the dark area, electric charges are present, but no electric potential appears.

Next, SD2-2 further rotates, and an electrostatic primary latent image is formed by the whole exposure lamp 2-9. The surface charge state at this time is shown in FIG.

When the surface of the SD2-2 is uniformly illuminated by the lamp 2-9, there is no change because the charge is removed both on the insulating layer 3-6 and in the CdS layer 3-5 in the bright part.

However, in the dark part, the resistance value of the CdS layer 3-5 decreases, and the negative charges that are not bound by the positive charges on the insulating layer become easy to move and are linked with the positive charges in the conductive substrate 3-4 to be neutralized. However, since the positive charge still remains on the insulating layer 3-6, it is transferred to the outside SD2-2
Appears as the surface potential of. That is, this is an electrostatic primary latent image.

Through the above steps, an electrostatic primary latent image corresponding to the original image is formed on SD2-2. In the above steps, image exposure is performed only once at low speed, and a static image of one image is formed on SD2-2.

Next, when SD2-2 rotates further and hits the D charger 2-10, D
Due to the ion current generated by the negative discharge of the charger 2-10, the ID2-
Transfer to 1 at high speed.

On the other hand, ID2-1 rotates according to the rotation of SD2-2 and its surface charge is uniformly positively charged by the G charger 2-11. In this state, SD is charged by the D charger 2-10 as described above.
2-2 The primary latent image on the surface is transferred to form a secondary latent image on the ID 2-1.

The latent image transfer process of FIG. 6 will be described.

Applying a bias voltage of 3.0KV to SD2-2 itself,
Irradiate a minus corona from the inside of SD2-2 to transfer the primary latent image formed on the SD surface to the surface of insulating drum 2-1 separated by 2 mm. That is, the secondary latent image is formed by negatively charging the ID 2-1 via the SD 2-2 on the mesh.

An electric field (direction in which negative ions are accelerated) as shown by the thin line in Fig. 7 is applied to the SD2-2 surface where a positive charge is added (dark area), so the negative ions from the D charger 2-10 have this electric field. Pulled through the hole of the mesh to reach the surface of ID2-1. As a result, the positive charge on the surface of ID2-1 is discharged in a part of the image.

On the other hand, on the SD2-2 surface where there is no positive charge (bright part), the electric field is weaker than the dark part, and more negative ions are absorbed in the conductive substrate 3-4 of the mesh than in the amount passing through the holes of the mesh. . Therefore, the ID surface is hardly affected by corona discharge.

(Actually, the negative part of the SD2-2 surface has a negative charge, so it is applied in the direction opposite to the electric field from the D charger 2-10, and negative ions due to corona discharge can pass through the mesh holes more and more. The transfer of the latent image to the ID2-1 is performed multiple times from the primary latent image formed on the SD2-2 by one irradiation of the document to the SD2-1.
This can be performed until the amount of charge on 2 decays below a predetermined value. Therefore, a plurality of copies can be obtained by exposing the document once.

From the above process, latent image by light image irradiation (secondary electrostatic latent image)
Is formed on ID2-1, when copying only the image by light image irradiation onto plain paper, 2 formed on ID2-1
The next electrostatic latent image is made visible by the developing unit 2-13 using positive polarity toner.

The toner image thus visualized is transferred to the transfer charger 2-14.
Is transferred to the plain paper 2-16 sent from the paper feed table 2-15 at a predetermined timing. This is fixed by heat or pressure by a fixing device 2-17 to form a copy of the original by irradiating a light image on plain paper. After the toner image is transferred, the toner remaining on the surface of ID 2-1 is cleaned by a cleaning unit 2-18. To be removed.

In FIG. 1, a multi-stylus 2-3 is provided between the latent image transfer section from SD2-2 and the developing section 2-13.
In the case of synthesizing the image by synthesizing the secondary latent image by the light image irradiation and the digital image by the multi-stylus 2-3, the following steps are performed after transferring the latent image from SD2-2 to ID2-1. As described above, the surface of ID2-1 is uniformly positively charged by the G charger 2-11, and the primary latent image on SD2-2 is transferred onto the ID2-1 by the D charger 2-10 in SD2-2. At the stage when the latent image is transferred to, the positive charge corresponding to the dark part on the ID2-1, that is, the black part of the document is discharged, and the positive charge of the bright part (white part of the document) remains on the ID2-1.

Next, when the negative drive pulse Vp is applied from the stylus driver 2-12 to the multi-stylus 2-3 at the time when the secondary latent image of the ID 2-1 reaches directly under the multi-stylus 2-3, the multi-stylus 2-3 and the ID2 are applied. A discharge occurs between -1 and -1. That is, the light in the bright portion of the document, that is, the portion having a positive charge is discharged. Therefore, a digital image corresponding to the driving of the multi-stylus 2-3 of the bright portion of the original is combined.

In the above process, the image by the original irradiation and the image by the multi-stylus are combined, but if the process of transferring the latent image from SD2-2 to ID2-1 is omitted, it does not change other conditions such as the charger, It is possible to independently form a latent image with only a digital image on the ID2-1 by the multi-stylus.

Therefore, the recording of information sent from an external device such as a word processor, office computer, facsimile, etc. and the copy operation by scanning the original image can be performed by the same device, and the information from the external device is combined with the original image ( It can also be overlaid and recorded.

Drive pulse Vp for driving the multi-stylus 2-3
Will be described with reference to FIG. ID by G charger 2-11
Assuming that the uniform charging potential of the surface 2-1 is Vs, the positive charge remains on the ID 2-1 and the stylus drive potential Vp.
(Negative) is a stylus drive potential Vp that is preferable for discharging the electric charge on the ID.
It is determined by the following formula using Vg.

However, L and ε in the formula are respectively the insulating layer 2 of ID2-1.
-1-2 is the film thickness and dielectric constant, and G is the distance between the tip of the stylus 2-3 and the ID 2-1. When the air gap voltage Vg exceeds a constant value determined by the Patsien's law, discharge is started, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the ID by the stylus 2-3.

In this device, the surface potential Vs = +40 so that the above conditions are satisfied.
The setting is 0 V, stylus potential = -150 V, and gear gap G = 10 µm. In addition, bias V _B + 100V is added to the stylus potential to prevent discharge of the non-driving pin.

As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the image by the original irradiation and the image by the multi-stylus can be combined or independently formed on the ID drum of the apparatus without changing the conditions.

Next, the structure and operation of the multi-stylus 2-3 and the multi-stylus driver 2-12 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic external view of the multi-stylus.

Recording part of multi-stylus, that is, stylus head 2-
Needle electrodes 2-3-2 are arranged in a line at 3-1 at intervals of 1/16 mm. A total of 4096 needle electrodes cover the short side (256 mm) of B4 size recording paper. The needle electrode is made of polyurethane-coated nickel wire, and the periphery thereof is insulation-molded with epoxy resin. A high withstand voltage transistor is provided in the stylus head 2-3-1 and the number of needle electrodes is set so that each needle electrode is independently driven. Note that 2-3-3 is a control line for controlling the drive of the needle electrode.

The configuration of the driver provided inside the stylus head is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the shift register 10-1, the latch circuit 10-2 and the high voltage MOSFET transistor 10-3 are integrated into dozens of MOSICs 10-4, and the required number of them are built in. In this embodiment, 128 MOS ICs with 32 bits are stored in the stylus head. The operation is as follows.

Serial pixel data is input to the data input terminal DiN in synchronization with the clock signal applied to the clock terminal CK and stored in the shift register 10-1. After the storage, the pixel data in the shift register is latched by the latch signal to the latch terminal LS, and the MOSFET 10-3 is driven by this latch data. The output of the MOSFET 10-3 is pulled up to the aforementioned bias potential V _B (positive) by a resistor, and the stylus drive potential Vp (negative) is applied to the emitter. Keep the terminals ▲ ▼ active when turning off the MOSFET.

Therefore, when the MOSFET 10-3 is on, a negative pulse of the potential Vp is applied to the needle electrode. Then, discharge is performed. In this embodiment, a required number of MOSICs 10-4 shown in FIG. 9, the data output terminals DouT and the data input terminals DiN of which are sequentially connected in series, drive all multi-styli. Terminals DIN, CK, LS, ▲ ▼ are control lines 2
As shown in FIG. 8, it is out of the stylus head and is connected to the multi-stylus driver 2-12 in FIG.

A block circuit diagram of a configuration example of the multi-stylus driver 2-12 is shown in FIG. The X side is the multi-stylus head part and the Y side is the multi-stylus driver part with the broken line in FIG. 10 as the boundary.

11-1 is a buffer memory write controller, 11-2 is an address controller, 11-3 is a buffer memory read controller, 11-
Reference numeral 4 designates a clock oscillator for oscillating a clock for transferring recording data to the multi-stylus head portion, and 11-5 designates a clock oscillator.
Buffer memory capable of storing 2-bit data, 11-7
Is a high voltage MOSI with shift register latch shown in Fig. 9.
It is C.

In this embodiment, 4096 needle electrodes are divided into 8 blocks, that is, blocks 1 to 8 and 512 needle electrodes are connected to each block. MOSIC11-7 is the 10th
The 32-bit MOSIC shown in the figure has 16 output terminals (DOUT) and 16 input terminals (DIN) connected in series by lines 11-14, and the output of each block is 512 bits.

Each block 1-8 has one data input line 11-13, shift clock CKS11-15, data latch line LS11.
-26 and clear line 11-27 are input in parallel respectively.

Data signals DATAiN11-10, clock CKIN11-11, and horizontal sync signal HSYNC11-12 are input to the stylus driver from the outside (for example, an output device such as a large-scale computer), while external data is printed when a data error occurs. Error signals PRERR11-28 are output.

The serial image signal from the outside by DATAIN11-10 is a sequential 512-bit buffer memory 11-5-1 to 11-5-8.
Input to (8 buffer memories). Black CKIN11
Reference numeral -11 is a clock for inputting the image signal to the buffer memory. The horizontal synchronizing signals HSYNC11-12 are signals representing a data valid section of one line, and an image signal is input to the buffer memory in this output section.

Data signal DATAIN11-10 is a continuous serial image signal of 4096 bits, which is synchronized with clock CKIN11-11.
The data is sequentially input to the eight buffer memories 5-1 to 11-5-8. When 512-bit data is written in the buffer memory 11-5-1, the image data written in the buffer memory 11-5-1 is synchronized with the read clock CLK11-21 output from the oscillator OSC11-4. The data lines 11-13-1 sequentially input to the input terminal DIN of the MOSIC 11-7-1. The clock CLK11-21 output from the oscillator 11-4 is input to the MOSIC11-7-1 as the shift clock 11-15-1 through the buffer memory read control unit 11-3. The shift clock 11-15-1 is input to the shift clock 11-15-1. In synchronization with this, the image data is shifted and input to the shift register in the MOSIC (FIG. 9).

The above operation is sequentially performed for each block, and when all the data of one line is input to the shift register of FIG. 9, the FET transistor is turned on / off in the MOSIC by the latch LS11-26.
By turning off, the voltage corresponding to the data is applied to the needle electrode.

Clock CKiN input to the multi-stylus driver
11-11 is input from the outside, and the shift clock CKS11-15-1 input to the shift register of the MOSIC is an internal clock independent of the clock CKIN11-11.Therefore, a latch for instructing the data latch to the shift register.
If new data is input from the outside before the end of 11-26, that is, if the horizontal sync signal HSYNC11-12 is output, the address control unit 11-2 outputs the signal PRER11-28 to the outside and an error occurs. Let me know. In this embodiment, the internal clock CLK11-21 is 4 MHz, and accordingly, 1/4 MHz from the last data of one line is input to the buffer memory 11-5-8 until the data input of the next line is started. 51
When the time of 2 = 128 μS or more has not elapsed, the above-mentioned signal PRER
It is designed to output R11-28 to the outside. Signal PRNTEB1
Reference numeral 1-29 is a signal output from the control unit (described later) of the apparatus of this embodiment, which is a signal for permitting the output of a digital image for one page from an external device. Each signal DATAIN11 except the section in which the signal PRNTEB is output. Data is not sent to the multi-stylus head even if -10, CKIN11-11, and HSYNC11-12 are output from the external device.

The input / output operation of the buffer memory will be described in more detail below with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

First, at the rising edge of the horizontal synchronizing signal HSYNC11-12 (FIG. 11), the address memory controller 11-2 causes the buffer memory write controller 11-1 to function. Further, by applying the write clock WCLK11-17 and the write address ADRW11-18-1 from the buffer memory write controller 11-1 to the buffer memory 11-5-1 via the multiplexer 11-6-1,
The input image data DATAIN11-10 is the buffer memory 11-
It is written in 5-1.

Light clock WCLK11-17-1 is an external clock CKIN11-
11 (Fig. 11) and is output in synchronization with it, and is further selected by the multiplexer 11-6-1 and the chip select 11-
Buffer memory 11- as signal CS of 24-1 (Fig. 11)
It is input to 5-1.

The write address ADRW11-18-1 is updated on the 9-bit line from address 0 to address 511 in synchronization with the write clock WCLK11-17-1. As a result, the 512-bit data (first
1 to 512 in FIG. 1) are written in the buffer memory 11-5-1. The write enable signal WE11-22-1 (FIG. 11) is input to the buffer memory 11-5-1 at the time of writing in synchronization with the chip select signal CS11-24-1 (FIG. 11).

In this way, 1 to 512 of the input data DATAIN (Fig. 11)
The bit is written in the buffer memory 11-5-1 of the block 1 by the write enable signal WE and the chip select signal CS.

The selection of writing of each block to the buffer memory is made by the 2-bit select signal 11-16 output from the address control section 11-2.
(SL and OC) puts multiplexer 11-6 in write mode. Active signal “1” When a signal that is not active is set to “0”, it is selected as shown in the table below.

That is, when writing data to the buffer memory 11-5-1 of the block 1, the address controller 11-2 sends the select signal 11-16-1 to the multiplexer 11-6-1 (SL, O).
Enter as C) = (0,1). This signal causes the multiplexer 11-6-1 to enter the write mode and write clock.
WCLK11-17-1 is a chip select signal CS11-24-1 (first
11), and the write address ADRW11-18-1 is output as the address ADR11-23-1.

When reading data from buffer memory 11-5-1 of block 1, select signal 11-16-1 is set to (SL, OC).
= (1,1). This signal causes the multiplexer 11
-6-1 becomes read mode and read clock RCLK11-
19-1 is a chip select signal CS11-24-1 (Fig. 11)
The read address ADRR11-20-1 is output to the address ADR11-23-1.

The read / write selection of the buffer memory is performed as shown in the table below.

Therefore, for memory write, the chip select signal
Write-enable signal WE is synchronized to CS as a buffer memory
Input to 11-5-1 (Fig. 11,) In case of memory read, only the chip select signal is sent to the buffer memory 11-5.
Enter in -1 (Fig. 11).

As described above, the block 1 buffer memory 11-5-1
When 512 bits of data are written in, the address control unit 1
The select signal (SL, OC) is input to the multiplexer 11-5-2 of the block 2 by 1-2 as described above, and the write operation to the buffer memory 11-5-2 is performed. The write enable signal and the chip select signal CS shown in FIG. 11 are transferred from the multiplexer 11-5-2 to the buffer memory 11- of the block 2.
The data from 513th bit to 1024th bit of the data input to 5-2 are written in the buffer memory 11-5-2 related to block 2.

On the other hand, after the write operation of the buffer memory 11-5-1 of the block 1 (FIG. 11) is completed, the multiplexer 11-6-1 of the block 1 is set to the read mode by the address controller 11-2. That is, the select signal 11-16-1 is (SL, OC) = (1,1). The buffer memory read controller 11-3 is a write clock WCLK11-17-1 (Fig. 11).
Address controller 11-2 depending on the 512th bit of
Read start signal 11-26 from the multiplexer
The read clock RCLK11-19-1 and the read address ADRR11-20-1 are output to 11-6-1. At this time, the read clock RCLK11-19-1 is the chip select signal CS11-24-
1, and the read address ADRR11-20-1 is selectively output as the address ADR11-23-1 to the buffer memory 11-5-1 by the multiplexer 11-6-1.
At this time, the read address ADRR11-20-1 is updated from address 0 to address 511 in synchronization with the read clock RCLK11-19-1 and the data in the buffer memory 11-5-1 is read.

As shown in, and in Fig. 11, the data in the memory is read at the rising edge of the read clock CS, and the MOSIC11-7 is read at the falling edge of the signal shift clock CKS synchronized with the read clock CS.
Data is sequentially input to the shift register within -1.

As shown in FIG. 11, data is sequentially read from the written buffer memory, and by performing the above-described operations from block 1 to block 8, 4096-bit data (for one line) is transferred to MOSIC 11-7-1. It is stored in 11-7-8.

Block 8 data 512th bit (Fig. 11) is MOSIC11.
When stored in -7-8, the latch LS11-26 eleventh signal is applied to MOSIC11-7 and the data is sent to the multi-stylus 1
It is output to 1-8-1 to 11-8-8. Clear from the latch for a certain period of time ▲ ▼ 11-27 (Fig. 11) is set to not active and the multi-stylus is discharged for this time.

The horizontal sync HSYNC11-12 of the next line must rise after the output of the latch LS11-26. In the case of before the latch, in order to prevent data collision in the buffer memory,
The print error PRER11-28 is output as described above.

When the internal clock CLK11-21 is 4 MHz, if the time from the falling edge of the horizontal synchronizing signal HSYNC11-12 to the rising edge of the next horizontal synchronizing signal HSYNC is 1/4 MHz × 512 = 128 μS or more,
Any clock frequency can be selected from the outside.

In this way, image recording is achieved without providing a detailed control program or interface for recording operation on the external device side.

The ID drum (FIG. 1 2-1) of the apparatus of this embodiment rotates at a constant rotation, and a latent image is formed on the surface of the ID drum by the multi-stylus 2-3. Therefore, by changing the external clock frequency, FIG. , (B), the image can be magnified and recorded in one direction.

That is, when the stylus is driven with original data as shown in FIG. 12A, if the clock speed is slowed, the data is expanded and copied in the sub-scanning direction S as shown in FIG. When the speed is increased, it is compressed and copied as shown in (c). Further, by changing the sampling interval of the data shown in FIG. 11-10, that is, the sampling frequency of the data transmission to the recording unit from the outside, the normal enlargement and reduction including the main scanning direction M are possible.

As described above, variable-magnification recording of an image can be performed only by controlling the clock frequency and the sampling period from an external device without modifying the recorded image itself.

FIG. 13 shows a control unit 14-1 and a device driving unit 14- of the device of this embodiment.
2-14-7, multi-stylus part 14-18, and external device
FIG. 14 is a connection diagram with 14-10. The control unit 14-1 is mainly composed of a CPU 14-14 composed of a microprocessor, a read-only memory ROM 14-11, and a random access memory R.
It consists of an AM14-12, an interrupt controller 14-13, an IO port controller 14-16, and a timer controller 14-15, each of which is connected to the CPU 14-14 by an address / data bus 14-17. The address / data bus 14-17 has 16 bits, and the upper 8 bits are the upper 8 bits of the memory address or I / O.
8 bit address for O, while lower 8 bits are CPU14
In the first clock cycle of −14, it is the lower 8 bits of memory address or I / O address.
It becomes a bidirectional 8-bit data bus in the second clock cycle. CPU14-14 uses Intel 8085A,
For details, refer to Intel's manual.

The ROM 14-11 is a read-only memory that stores a control program, and the RAM 14-12 is a work memory for the CPU 14-14. A 10 mS clock is input from the timer controller 14-15 to the interrupt terminal RST7.5 of the CPU 14-14, and the control program counts the time. Interrupt controller
The clock DRMCLK corresponding to the rotation angle of the SD drum 2-2 and the ID drum 2-1 is input to 14-13.
One rotation of 360 clocks, one rotation of ID drum generates 720 clocks. A print start signal PRNTST is input to the interrupt controller 14-13 from an external digital image output device such as a large-sized computer, and a plain paper for image recording, for example, is fed to the recording unit in response to this signal. .

The I / O port controller 14-16 is an optical system drive unit 14-2 for scanning the document of the apparatus, an SD drum / ID drum drive unit 14-
3. High voltage control unit 14-4 for charger, each position sensor 14
-5, paper feed, conveyance, fixing unit 14-6 and operation / display unit 14-
7 and controls the driving and detection of each part. The I / O port controller 14-16 is also connected to the external device 14-10.

QUTY is a port for inputting the desired number of copies from the external device 14-10 together with the print start signal, and is 12 bits, and 1 to 4095 can be specified at a time. External device 14
-10 is necessary only for the first print start, and after that PRNTEB
Multiple copies can be made by simply outputting the data in synchronization with the signal. QUTY is set to input 0 when all are open, and at this time, one copy operation is performed. A user who does not need to print a large number of sheets using the signal QUTY may output the print start signal every time.

BUSY is a signal that informs the external device 14-10 that a document is being copied by light image irradiation, but it does not become a visitor when the image by light image irradiation and the digital image from the external device 14-10 are combined.

NREADY is a signal that informs the external device 14-10 of an abnormal condition of the device, and it becomes active when the device is inoperable due to no paper, paper jam, weight, etc.

PRNTEB is a signal that allows the external device 14-10 to output an image of one page after a certain time has elapsed from the print start PSNST signal when printing a digital image input from the external device 14-10. Can output a digital image to the multi-stylus unit 14-18. Also signal PR
NTEB is the SD drum 2-2 explained in Fig. 1 when the image by light image irradiation and the digital image from the external device 14-10 are combined.
Is a signal output after a certain time has elapsed after the start of the transfer of the latent image from the ID drum 2-1, and this time is the D charger 2-10 in FIG.
Clock DRMCLK at the time corresponding to the rotation angle of the ID drum 2-1 from the latent image transfer part to the multi-stylus 2-3.
Obtained by counting by CPU14-14. Also the signal PRN
The TEB is connected to the address controller 12-2 shown in FIG.

As described above, the signal PRNTEB is the time for permitting the digital data for one page of the image to be output to the multi-stylus 2-3, so that the image recording can be performed by applying this signal as shown in FIG. 14-1.

For example, when the data DAT in the external device is less than one page or when part of the data for two pages is output (Fig. 14-1 (a)), the first horizontal synchronization signal HSYNC from the external device is used. The time to output is calculated from the desired coordinate values and the speed of rotation of the ID drum and controlled within the PRNTEB period, and as shown in Fig. 14-1 (b), a special position is set at the recording section at a free position on the recording paper. Data DAT in the external device can be recorded without control.

Also, by combining with the original image by the screen drum SD2-2, the image recording applied as shown in FIG. 14-2 can be performed. That is, by placing a data output format FOM on the document table 2-19 of the apparatus and controlling the signal time of the first horizontal synchronization HYSNC when outputting the data DAT from the external device, as shown in FIG. 14-2 (b). It is possible to record the data from the outside at a predetermined position of the format.

It can also be applied as shown in Figure 14-3. That is, when data 1DAT1 and data 2DAT2 are continuous in the external device as shown in FIG. 14-3 (a), the first horizontal synchronization signal HSYNC1 that outputs data 1DAT1 is displayed during the PRNTEB period as shown in FIG. , The horizontal sync signal HSYNC2 is not generated for a certain period of time, and the data is not output.
If 2DAT2 is transferred, a plurality of data groups can be divided and output at arbitrary positions as shown in FIG.

Thus, when recording image information from an external device, the recording unit outputs a signal indicating the output permission period to the external device, and the external device freely outputs image information during the output period of the signal. It is a thing. Therefore, when trimming or synthesizing images, complicated control is not required,
This can be achieved only by controlling the information output time from the external device.

Moreover, since the number of recordings from the external device is displayed, the progress of the recording can be easily recognized. Further, once the one-part recording operation is started, the subsequent recording operation can be executed at the timing unique to the recording section without the need for the external device to frequently operate.

The multi-stylus portion 14-18 in FIG. 3 is the portion shown in FIG. 10, and as described above, the external device 14-10 is connected to the DATAIN, CKIN,
Each signal of HSYNC is input, and at the time of error, the signal PRER is output from the multi-stylus unit 14-18 to the external device 14-10. Multi-stylus part 14-18
Data is transferred from the external device 14-10. In addition, from the multi-stylus driver 14-8 to the multi-stylus head
DATA, CKS, LS, and ▲ ▼ signals are output to 14-9.
These are also the same as the signals described in FIG. 10, and are signals for sending image data to the multi-stylus head 14-9.

FIG. 15 shows the display / operation unit 14-7. (A) is a display part,
(B) is an operation unit, which is managed by the CPU 14-14 shown in FIG.

16-1 is a serviceman call display, which lights up when a failure occurs that requires calling a serviceman. 16-2 is a paper feed inspection display, which lights when copy paper is jammed in this machine. 16-3 is a developer replenishment display, which lights up when the developer (toner) in the developing device (Fig. 2-13) becomes insufficient, but recording operation is possible. 16-4 shows the supply of this device. Lights when there is no recording paper in the paper section (Fig. 2-15). 16-5 is a weight display, and when a heat fixing device is used,
Turns on when the surface temperature of the fixing roller (Fig. 2-17) when the power switch is turned on is below the specified value. When the display other than the developer replenishment display 16-3 is turned on, the recording operation is prohibited.

Reference numeral 16-6 denotes a document replaceable display, which lights up when the irradiation of the document by the optical system is completed. As described with reference to FIG. 1, this apparatus forms a latent image on the SD drum (FIG. 1-2-2) with one irradiation of the document, and thereafter, SD (FIG. 1-2-2) and ID (first Since the latent image transfer according to FIG. 2-1) can be performed a plurality of times without further irradiation of the original, when the lamp 16-6 is turned on, the original cover can be opened and the original can be exchanged even during the continuous copying operation. .

16-7 is a copy setting number display, which can display up to 999 sheets of 3 digits. The following display operation is performed.

(A) When the desired number of copies is set by the ten keys 16-9 of the operation unit (b) 16-17, the designated number of copies is displayed.

(B) Print start signal (PRNT
ST) output, when the number of recordings is specified by the signal QUTY,
Displays the number of recorded external device settings.

(C) Print start signal (PRNT
At the time of ST) output, when the number of recorded sheets of 999 or more is set by the signal QUTY, the recording operation of 999 sheets is performed first, and after that, if the remaining number is 999 or less, the remaining number of recorded sheets is displayed. , The recording of the designated number of sheets is continuously completed.

Thus, when the desired number of copies exceeds the displayable number,
A predetermined value is displayed to show its state, and the recording operation can be continuously performed.

(D) When a recording request interrupt occurs from the external device 14-10 during copying of only the original image (described later) External device 14-
The number of sheets specified by the signal QUTY is displayed from 10, and after the recording of that number is completed, the set number of sheets for the previous copy is displayed.

(E) During printing of information from the external device 14-10, when this is interrupted (described later) to perform document copying by this apparatus, the number of copies set by the ten keys after interruption is displayed.

16-8 is a copy count display, and a display 16-7
When the recording operation based on the set number of sheets displayed on the screen is started, the counted number of sheets is displayed for each sheet feeding and incremented by one for each recording operation until the set number of sheets is displayed on the set number display 16-7.

Reference numeral 16-9 is a ten-key pad and a clear key, which are used to set the number of copies, and when the clear key (c) is pressed, the copy set number display 16-7 and the copy count display 16-8
Are displayed as "001" and "000", respectively. The ten-key pad and clear key 16-9 are also used for inputting coordinates for setting the area when only a part of the original placed on the original table 2-19 is copied (described later).

16-10 is a copy start button and is pressed when copying is started.

16-11 is a copy stop button that stops all copy operations. When this button 16-11 is pressed, the apparatus is stopped after the copy operation of one cycle being executed at the time of pressing is completed.

Similarly, when the information from the external device is being recorded, the PRNTEB signal in FIG. 14 for permitting the information output of the external device is not issued after the one-cycle recording operation at the time of pressing is completed.
In this case, 5 if the power switch (not shown) cannot be turned off.
After a few minutes, copy from the external device is restarted. Therefore, the information from the remaining external devices can be surely recorded.

Reference numerals 16-12 and 16-13 are display portions for displaying the coordinates indicating the input area when copying only a part of the original at the time of copying the original of this apparatus.

Figure 16-1 shows an example of a partial copy of a document. Reference numeral 17-1 is a document table (Fig. 2-19), and an optical system (Fig. 2-20, 2).
-21, 2-22) One side of the scanning (moving) direction is provided with a scale in mm units from 0 to 364 as shown in the figure. 17-2 is the placed original. When only the shaded portion of the original 17-2 is extracted and copied as shown in FIG. 7B, only the section corresponding to the shaded portion is charged by the D charge shown in FIG. By driving the unit 2-10
Performs latent image transfer to ID2-1. As an example, the starting point of the shaded area in FIG. 16-1 (a) is 100 on the scale of the document table 17-1, and this is designated as ORD1. Also, the end point of the shaded area is 200
And the length from ORD1 to the end of the shaded area is 200-100 =
If the value is 100 and is ORD2, the operation of the operation unit shown in FIG.

The 16-14 key is for inputting the above-mentioned coordinate ORD1. When this key is pressed, the lamp inside the key lights up and at the same time the display 16-12 blinks- (underbar). In this state, you can use the numeric keypad to enter numerical values.
When inputting "100" by -9, display 16-12 blinks 100. Then press the enter key 16-16 to display
For 16-12, the static display is performed and the numerical value 100 is C as ORD1.
Input to PU14-14, key ORD1, 16-14 goes out.
To cancel the coordinate input, press the ORD1 and 16-14 keys again without pressing the enter key 16-16 to clear the numerical values and turn off ORD1 16-14. Key ORD2 as well
For 16-15, operate in the same way and coordinate ORD1, O indicating the area
Enter RD2. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the document placement area and the SD drum 2-2 area, and the input coordinate information is converted into time information corresponding to the rotation angle and rotation amount of the SD drum 2-2. , D charger 2-10 according to this time information
By controlling the on / off of the
The latent image on the SD drum 2-2 will be transferred to the ID drum 2-1.

By utilizing this, it can be applied as shown in Fig. 16-2. (A) is the original ORG, and only the shaded portion is extracted and copied as described above. (B) is a data format FOM in the external device 14-10. The data format FOM (b) is combined with the image of only the shaded area of the original ORG (a), and (c).
It is easy to combine and record like.

FIGS. 15-16, 16-17, 16-18, and 16-19 are switches for selecting the operation mode of the device, and each has an internal lamp so that the selected one is turned on.

Further, when these are pressed once, the lamp in the switch is turned on by selection, and when they are pressed again, the lamp is turned off by non-selection. The apparatus of this embodiment has the following modes. In the following description, a copy using document irradiation will be referred to as an analog copy, a copy using a multi-stylus output from an external device will be referred to as a digital copy, and a combination of the two will be referred to as an overlay.

(1) Normal mode (D switch 16-17, A switch 16-1
8, When neither OL switch 16-19OL is selected) Analog copy and digital copy can be executed independently. When analog copy is started, the digital copy interrupt during the copy is accepted.

That is, if an interrupt occurs during analog copy,
1) The latent image transfer process by the D charger in Fig. 2-10 is prohibited, digital copying is performed with a multi-stylus, and after the digital copying is completed, the latent image transfer that was being executed is restarted and the remaining analog copy is performed. continue.

At this time, the D key 16-17 in FIG. 15 blinks to inform that the digital copy by the interrupt is being performed.

Also, during interruption, the set number display 16-7 displays the number of copies from the external device 14-10, and the copy count display 16-8.
Is newly increased from 1 to the set number.

After the completion of digital copying, the set number of analog copies before interruption is returned to the display unit 16-7, and the copy count display unit 16-8 also starts to increase from the state before interruption in response to the restart of copying.

Further, when the digital copy is executed first in the normal mode, the number of sheets can be set and the optical scanning can be performed without interrupting the digital copy to form the latent image on the SD drum 2-2. First, by pressing the clear key 16-9, the display units 16-7 and 16-8 display "001" and "000" respectively. Then, when the desired number of analog copies is set with the ten keys, the display unit 16-7 displays. Displays the set number. Further, by pressing the copy key 16-10, the original is optically scanned and a primary latent image is formed on the SD2-2. During this period, digital copying continues.

After the primary latent image is formed on SD2-2, the set number of digital copies and the copy count are returned to the indicators 16-7 and 16-8. After the digital copy is completed, the primary latent image has already been formed on SD2-2, so the desired analog copy is ID2.
It begins with the latent image transfer process to -1. At this time, the previously input analog copy number setting is displayed on the display 16-7, and the copy count 16-8 also starts incrementing from 1.

Even if the clear key 16-9 is pressed during digital copying, if the start button 16-10 is not pressed within a certain period of time, the digital copy set number of sheets and the number of sheets are returned to the indicators 16-7, 16-8. To be done.

(2) Analog copy mode (when key A16-18 is selected) In this mode, digital copying from the external device 14-10 is prohibited and the signal BUSY shown in FIG. 13 is output to the external device 14-10.

If the digital copy has already been performed in the normal mode, the digital copy is interrupted. But the key A1
When 6-18 is operated again, the prohibited state is released and the digital copy is restarted.

In this way, when the analog copy is interrupted in the digital copy, the interrupt is erroneous, or when the interrupt is not needed, it is convenient to return to the digital copy before the interruption within a predetermined time. Key A16-1
When the analog copy mode is set in 8, analog copy can be performed. The number of sheets is set as described in (1). If it is not done within a certain time, the digital copy before the prohibition will be restarted.

If overlay mode OL key 16-19 is pressed and composite copy in overlay mode has already been executed,
Only the digital copy output is prohibited for the time when the analog copy mode is selected by the key A16-18 and the mode becomes the analog copy only mode.After the key A16-18 is released, the original overlay mode is restored and the composite recording is restarted. .

(3) Digital copy mode (when the key D16-17 is selected) In this mode, analog copy cannot be performed unless the D key 16-17 is operated again to cancel the selection. When released, the normal mode (1) is set. At this time, the machine waits for the print start signal PRNTST from the external device and feeds the paper by inputting the print start signal.After that, when recording the set number of remaining sheets, the paper is fed at regular intervals according to the timing of the machine itself. In addition, the print enable signal PRNEB is output to perform digital copy.

When the overlay mode OL key 16-19 is pressed and the composite copy has already been executed, SD is performed only while the digital copy mode is selected by the D key 16-17.
The transfer of the latent image from 2-2 to ID2-1 is prohibited, and only the digital copy mode is set, and the D key 16-17 returns to the original overlay mode after being released, and is composited.

(4) Overlay mode (when key OL16-19 is selected) In this mode, analog copy and digital copy are combined and output.

Original scanning is performed by the copy start button 16-10,
A latent image is formed on the SD drum 2-2. In this state, wait for the print start signal PRNST (Fig. 13) from the external device 14-10, feed paper at the same time as the print start signal, and send the number signal QUTY (Fig. 13) from the external device 14-10 and the operation section ( The one with the larger set number according to FIG. 15 (b) is displayed on the set number display 16-7, and the above-mentioned image composition starts.
First, the D charger 2-10 is driven to transfer the latent image from the SD drum 2-2 to the ID drum 2-1, and after a certain period of time, the print permission signal PRNTEB is output to the external device 14-10.
The image from the multi-stylus 2-3 is combined with the next latent image. After that, the paper is fed at the recording timing of the apparatus and the composite recording is continued.

Although the above four modes are available in the device, in the normal mode (1) or the digital copy mode (2), when an abnormality such as a jam occurs during the recording operation by the information from the external output,
After releasing the abnormal condition, the digital copy is automatically executed again. Therefore, ensure recording based on information from external devices.

In addition, the user can select the priority mode in consideration of the installation conditions and the usage status, and the device is effectively used.

Also, it is possible to record an image of a different source by interrupting the recording operation being executed.

Fig. 17 shows the display / operation part 14-7 and the IO port controller 14
The connection diagram of -16 is shown. The numbers given to the respective members are the same as those described above.

IO port controller 14-16 ports a to g and L, 1
To 17 output ports, I ₁ ~I ₄ is an input port. In order to reduce the number of ports, the indicators 18-3 and 18-1 carry out dynamic lighting, and the switch 18-2 carries out dynamic scanning. That is, the indicators 16-7, 16-8, 16-12 and
The 16-segment 7-segment LED sequentially turns on ports 1 to 12, and the data corresponding to the numerical value to be displayed on the turned-on 7-segment LED is output from the ports a to g to illuminate the dynamics. Further, the display 18-1 displays on / off states of the ports 1 to 11 when the port L is turned on. Further, the operating state of the switch 18-2 is detected by sequentially turning on the output ports 13 to 17 and checking the input levels to the input ports I _{1 to} I ₄ at that time.

Each mode of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 18 to 24.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the procedure of determining the operation mode of the set device. In step 1, the dynamic key scan is performed as described above, and a process corresponding to the content of the key input in step 2, for example, when the ten key 16-9 is pressed to set the number of copies, the number display 16 −
Processing such as displaying the input numerical value in 7 is performed. If the input key is the mode key 16-17, 16-18, 16-19, the mode is determined in step 3.

As described above, the present apparatus has four modes, and depending on the mode determination in step 3, jump to each routine. If a copy start command in each mode or a print start command from an external device is issued in step 4, the mode is jumped to each mode. If not, go back to Step 1 Kieskyan.

That is, the processing of each mode after the mode determination is as follows. When a copy start in the normal mode or a print start from an external device occurs, the normal mode copy operation starts. In analog mode,
When the copy start key 16-10 is pressed within a fixed time after the analog mode is judged, analog copy is started. If copy start is not pressed within a certain period of time, it times out and the normal mode is returned to. At step 1, the key scan is performed again. Further, in the digital mode, it is in a wait state until a print start signal is input from the outside. In the overlay mode, similarly to the analog mode, if the copy start key 16-10 is not pressed within a fixed time, the normal mode is reached by time-out, and if it is pressed, the overlay copy is started.

Hereinafter, each mode will be described in more detail.

1) Normal mode FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure in the normal mode, which is a flow chart when the copy start key 16-10 is pressed by the operation unit 14-7 and an analog copy start command is issued. At this time, the number of copies has already been set in step 1 of the KEYSKEYAN FIG. 18, the number of copies is displayed on the copy set number display 16-7, and the copy count display 16-8 is zero. First step 11
Then, the original is scanned by optical irradiation. At step 12, a latent image of the original is formed on the SD drum 2-2. If there is no print request PRTST from the external device 14-10 in step 13, the process proceeds to step 14 and below to perform analog copy. Step
At 14, the latent image is transferred from the SD drum 2-2 to the ID drum 2-1 and the retention state is entered. 16-1 and 16-2
As described in the figure, when the latent image transfer section is set by the operation unit, only that section is set. Subsequently, paper is fed at step 15, and at the same time the copy count is increased at step 16.
In step 17, transfer, fixing, cleaning, etc. are performed on the fed plain paper. However, if it is determined in step 18 that the set number of copies have not been completed, step 13 is performed while performing the processing in step 17. Then, the above-mentioned copying operation is repeated until the set number of copies is reached, and after that, the process returns to the key scan of step 1 again.

Also, during analog copy, a print request is sent from an external device.
When PRTST (print start) is interrupted, the interrupted digital copy is prioritized. If this print request is judged at step 13, after the completion of the latent image transfer of the analog copy being executed, the latent image transfer is prohibited at step 19, and at step 20, the print number QUTY is received from the external device at the same time as the print start PRNTST and the set number is set. The value is displayed on the display 16-8. At step 21, the D switch 16-17 of the operation unit is blinked to notify that the digital copy is interrupted from the external device 14-10. Then, the paper is fed in step 22, the copy count is incremented by 1 in step 23, and then in step 24, the surface of the ID drum 2-1 on which the latent image is to be formed by the multi-stylus 2-4 is the multi-stylus 2
Wait until it reaches -4. During this period, the surface of the ID drum is uniformly charged by the G charger 2-2-11. Print enable (PRNTEB.
Image) is generated for one page. In this section, an external device forms a latent image of a digital image with a multi-stylus. At step 26, as described above, the copying operation is performed and steps 22 to 27 are repeated until the set number of sheets is completed. When copying is completed, the set number of digital copies and the copy count interrupted in step 28 are returned to the original analog copy at the time of interruption, and at the same time, the D switch 16-
Stop blinking 17

In this way, original copy can be resumed immediately even if interrupted, unless the image stored in the SD drum 2-2 is erased. Therefore, priority is given to recording information from an external device for convenience. Is.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing the processing when the print start signal is input from the external device and the digital copy is started in the normal mode. At step 31, the number of prints QUTY (Fig. 13) sent at the same time as the print start signal PRNTST from the external device is displayed on the set number display 16-7, and the copy count of the copy count display 16-8 is set to 0.
And At the same time, the paper is fed at step 32. Step
At 34, analog copy request (that is, press the clear key and set the number with the numeric keypad 16-9 as described above,
The copy start key 16-10 is pressed. ) If not, continue digital copy. After waiting for a certain period of time to adjust the recording timing in step 35 (while
The surface of the ID drum is uniformly charged. ) In step 36, a print enable (PRNEB) is generated for one page section and a latent image is formed by the multi-stylus during this period. In step 37, copy processing such as latent image transfer is performed on plain paper,
The operations of steps 32 to 38 are repeated until the number of copies has been set.

If the above-mentioned analog copy request is received during this period,
At this time, as described above, the desired copy number newly input by the ten key 16-9 is set as the analog copy number in the set number display 16-7, and the copy count display 16-7 is set. It is 0 display. The original is scanned by optical irradiation in step 46, and the SD drum 2 is scanned in step 47.
-2 form a latent image. After the latent image formation is completed, the set number of copies and the copy count are returned to the count of the currently executed digital copy in step 48. During this time, the digital copy continues uninterrupted and the operations of steps 32 to 38 are performed.

Step the end of recording of the set number by digital copy
If it is judged in step 38, if analog copy scanning has been previously performed and the latent image has already been registered in the SD drum 2-2, the processing proceeds to step 40, and if not, step 1
Return to Keiskiyan S. In step 40, the display of the set number of analog copies that has already been set is displayed on the set number display 16-
8 and set the copy count of the copy number display 16-7 to 0. At step 41, the latent image transfer is started, and at the same time as the paper feeding, at step 43, the copy count is incremented by one. If the latent image transfer section is set as described above, only that section is transferred and transferred. In step 44, a copying operation such as a latent image transfer is performed on plain paper, and the operations of steps 41 to 45 are repeated until the set number of sheets is completed. After the desired analog copy is completed, the process returns to the key scan S in step 1.

Thus, in this mode, when the digital copy interrupts during the analog copy, the digital copy is prioritized and the analog copy before the interruption is automatically restarted after the end of the digital copy. At this time, the original scanning may be omitted and only the latent image transfer from the SD drum 2-2 to the ID drum 2-1 may be performed. Also, during the digital copy, the document scan relating to the analog copy to be executed next is performed, and the document image is stored in advance on the SD drum 2-2.
Immediately after the completion of digital copying, analog copying without scanning the original is started. Therefore, it is convenient to reduce the time required for paperwork.

2) Analog copy mode FIG. 21 is a processing flow chart when the copy start key 16-10 is pressed in the analog copy mode selected state.

The analog copy mode can be selected in either the normal mode state, the state in which the digital copy is already executed in the normal mode, or the case in which the composite copy is already executed in the overlay mode.

2-1) When copying is not performed in the normal mode state At this time, the BUSY signal is output to the external device at steps 53 and 52, and digital copying is prohibited. In step 54, the original is scanned by optical irradiation and in step 55
A latent image is formed on the SD drum 2-2. When a section is set, the latent image transfer is performed only in that section. Step 56
At ~ 59, retention copying is performed by transferring a latent image from the SD drum 2-2 to the ID drum 2-1. At step 57, at the same time as sheet feeding, at step 58, the copy count is incremented by one. In step 59, the latent image is transferred to plain paper, copying operations such as fixing cleaning are continued, and steps 56-
Repeat 59. After the copy in the desired analog mode is completed, the process returns to the key scan S of step 1.

2-2) In the normal mode, when the digital copy based on the information from the external device is already in progress At this time, the jump is performed to the step 61 via the step 51. In step 61, the signal BUSY is output to the external device and digital copying is interrupted. After that, print enable is not output until BUSY is released.

At step 62, the desired number of analog copies have already been displayed and the copy count indicator 16-8 is set to 0.
Is. At step 63, analog copying is executed until the set number of sheets is completed by the copy operation at steps 54 to 60 described above. After the analog copy is completed, the signal BU is output at step 64.
SY is released and the mode is returned to the normal mode at step 66. Thereafter, in step 67, the set number and copy count of the digital copy interrupted are restored, and thereafter, the digital copy sequence (described later, step 85 to FIG. 22).
90 routine) until the set number of sheets is completed. After that, return to Kieskyan (S) in Step 1.

2-3) When the composite copy has already been executed in the overlay mode At this time, the program jumps to Step 68 via Steps 51 and 52. In step 68, the signal BUSY is output to the external device, and in step 69 the mode is changed to analog mode. After that, until the analog mode is released, the print enable signal (PRNTEB) for permitting printing using the stylus is not issued, and only the copy operation of only optical irradiation is performed. In step 70, copying according to the mode, that is, in the case of the analog mode, the operations of the above steps 56 to 59 are performed.
23 Execute the routines shown in FIGS. In step 71, it is determined whether or not the analog copy release by the operation unit 14-7 is performed, and if it is released, the overlay mode is returned to in step 72, and the copy operation according to the mode is executed in step 70 described above. If not released, the step 72 is jumped and the copy operation in the analog copy mode is executed until the set number of sheets is completed. Step 1 after the end
Return to Keiskiyan S.

3) Digital copy mode Fig. 22 shows the flow chart when the digital copy mode is pressed.

In this case, when the copy is not executed, it waits for the output from the external device, and when the overlay copy is already performed, the analog copy by the latent image transfer from the SD drum 2-2 is prohibited, and the digital copy is performed. Until the mode is released, only digital copy using a multi-stylus will be made.

3-1) When copying is not executed Waiting for a certain period of time until a print start signal from an external device is generated in step 82 via step 81. If the print start interrupt from the operation unit 14-7 does not occur during this time, a time-out occurs at Step 82 and the Step 82
At 96, the mode is returned to the normal mode, and then the keyskiyan (S) at step 1 is returned.

When a print start interrupt is generated in step 82, the number of copies is displayed on the set number display 16-7 and the copy count display 16-8 according to the copy set number signal QUTY from the external device via step 83 and step 84. Is set to 0. Subsequently, the paper is fed at step 85, and the copy count is incremented by 1 at step 86. At step 87, the ID drum 2-1 is waited for a predetermined time until it rotates to a predetermined position. During this time, the ID drum 2-1 is positively and uniformly charged by the G charger (FIG. 2-11 in FIG. 1). Next, in step 88, the print enable (print permission PRNTEB) is output to the external device in the image section of one page, and a latent image is formed on the ID drum 2-1 from the multi-stylus 2-3 during this period. The image is transferred to the fed paper in step 89, and while performing copy operations such as fixing cleaning, step 85-
After executing the process of 89 and copying the set number of sheets, the process returns to the key scan S of step 1.

3-2) When synthetic copy has already been executed in overlay mode When execution of overlay mode is determined in step 81,
Jump to step 91. SD drum 2 in step 91
The transfer of the latent image from -2 is prohibited and the digital copy mode is set. Thereafter, the recording operation of only the digital image output from the external device is executed until the digital copy mode is released. Copy according to the mode in step 92, that is,
If the digital copy mode is not released, only the digital image is output by the above-mentioned routines 85 to 90, and if it is released, the copy operation described later by the overlay mode described later (steps 116 to 122 in FIG. 23). ) Is executed to output a composite copy. In step 93, it is determined whether or not the digital copy mode is released for each copy operation. If the digital copy mode is released, in step 94 the overlay copy mode is restored, and the recording operation in the overlay mode is repeated until the set number of sheets is completed. If the digital copy mode is not released in step 93, step 94 is jumped and the recording operation of steps 92 to 95 is repeated as described above. After it is determined in step 95 that the set number of sheets have been recorded, the process returns to the key scan S in step 1.

4) Figure 23 shows the flow when the copy start key is pressed in overlay mode. When the operation comes to step 101 in FIG. 23, the overlay mode has already been selected by the operation section, and the number of copies has been set. Step 11
In 1, first, document scanning is performed by optical irradiation. At step 112, a latent image corresponding to the original image is formed on the SD drum 2-2. In step 113, the external device waits until the print start signal PRNTST (interrupt) is generated. When the print start signal PRNTST is issued, step 114
The number of copies already set by the operation unit in
Compare the set number of copies QUTY sent from the external device and select the larger one to display the copy number setting. Also, the step
At 115, the display of the copy count indicator 16-8 is set to 0.
Then, at step 116, the SD drum 2-2 to the ID drum 2-
The latent image transfer is started at 1 and the paper is fed at the same timing at step 117, and at the same time the copy count is incremented by 1 at step 118. If the section is defined as shown in Fig. 16-2, the latent image transfer is performed only for that part. The latent image on the ID drum 2-1 to which the latent image is transferred at step 116 is waited for a certain period of time at step 119 until the latent image is directly under the multi-stylus 2-3. SD even when the latent image transfer area is defined
ID drum 2-1 corresponding to the tip of the latent image on the drum 2-2
Wait until the upper latent image part is located just below the multi-stylus 2-3. In step 120, an image section print enable PRNTEB signal for one page is generated to an external device, and a latent image by the multi-stylus 2-3 is formed on the ID drum 2-1 by the latent image transfer from the SD drum 2-2 during this period. Is combined with the latent image. In step 121, the recording operation in steps 116 to 122 is performed until the copy number of sheets is set, while the processes such as transfer to paper and fixing are performed. After the end, return to Keeskiyan S in Step 1.

In this way, in step 114, the number of copies set by the operation unit is compared with the number of copies input from the external device, and the copy corresponding to the larger number is performed, so even if the set number of copies is smaller than the number of copies from the external device. , Synthetic copies for the number of sheets output from the external device can be obtained. If there is no number input from the external device, that is, the signal of Fig. 13
Even when QUTY is open, the user can arbitrarily set the number of sheets using the operation unit 14-7.

In the device of this embodiment, the stop key (Fig.
-11) When is pressed, or when an abnormality such as a jam occurs, stop the device operation. However, the control unit in FIG. 13 does not stop. That is, when the stop key 16-11 is pressed, the copying operation is stopped even during copying, and the normal mode is entered and the operation is paused until a new key is input. In addition, in the case of an abnormality, after the abnormality is cleared, the normal mode is similarly entered and the sleep state is entered. However, this pause control differs only when digital copying is being performed based on image information from an external device.

The control will be described with reference to FIG. Step 97 is in normal mode when digital copying is being performed (20th
(Fig.) Alternatively, it means the copy state when digital copy is being performed in the digital copy mode (Fig. 22). That is, this is the state of steps 85 to 90 in FIG.

At this time, the input of the stop key 16-11 is judged at step 98, and if the stop key is pressed, step 101
Start Keskiyan. Note that analog copying is possible in this state. In the actual control program, it is the key ski routine shown in Fig. 18.
Figure 24 shows the flow chart. When the copy key 16-16 in FIG. 16 is first pressed during a fixed time in steps 102 and 103, the process returns to step 97 and waits for data output from the external device. Since the print enable signal is not output in the idle state, the external output device is also in the wait state during this period. Time out at step 103 (after 5 minutes with this device)
If so, the process proceeds to step 104, and the normal mode is returned to the key scan S of step 1. If it is determined in step 99 that an abnormality has occurred, step 105 is jumped to. Step 105 waits until the abnormal state is cleared. If the abnormal state is released, the process proceeds to step 106 and waits for a certain time (1 minute for the apparatus of this embodiment) after the abnormal state is released. During this period, the key scan routine shown in FIG. 18 is executed. If any key input from the operation section shown in FIG. 17 (b) is made during this time, the routine proceeds from step 107 to step 108, and the normal mode is set. Return to Keiskiyan S. On the other hand, if there is no key input within a certain time, step
Return to 97 and resume digital copying. Also at this time, the external device is kept in the wait state as described above.

The four modes of the apparatus have been described above, but in this control program, the key scan routine shown in FIG. 18 is always executed during the wait of each mode, so that parallel processing is possible.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the document scanning is performed by the scanning means in response to the scanning start operation by the operator, it is possible to prevent the document scanning from being started before the operator sets the document. Since the original image information obtained by the original scanning is stored in the storage means provided so as to be able to record a plurality of original image information by one scanning of the scanning means in the case of performing a multi-copy, the composite image is stored. Since it is not necessary to provide a dedicated storage means only for obtaining the document, the original document scanning can be immediately started in response to the operation disclosure scanning by the operator, so that the operator does not feel anxious about the malfunction or the operation is uncomfortable. If the external device does not give the original image information, it waits for the recording start signal from the external device in response to this recording start signal, and the recording operation for the composite image information is performed. This has the excellent effect of reducing the load on external devices without the need to monitor the timing of manuscript operations with high precision.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal configuration example of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied,
2-1, 2-2 and 2-3 are diagrams showing the structure of the screen drum SD, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the charged state of the screen drum SD, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the image exposure process. FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a surface charge state, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a latent image transfer process, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a driving pulse of the multi-stylus and an interval, and FIG. 8 is an outline of the multi-stylus. Fig. 9 is an external view of the stylus head, Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the structure of the multi-stylus driver, Fig. 11 is a timing chart showing the input / output operation of the buffer memory, and Fig. 12 is an image change diagram. Double recording explanatory diagram, FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment, FIGS. 14-1, 14-2 and 14-3 are explanatory diagrams of image trimming and composite recording, FIG. 15 is an external view of the display / operation unit, FIGS. 16-1 and 16-2. Is an explanatory view of a partial extraction copy of an original, FIG. 17 is a connection diagram of a display / operation unit and an IO port controller, and FIGS. 18 to 24 are operation control flow charts of the apparatus of this embodiment. 1 is an insulating drum (I
D), 2-2 is a screen drum (SD), 2-3 is a multi-stylus, 10-4 is a MOSIC, 14-13 is an interrupt controller, 14-14 is a CPU, 14-8 is a multi-stylus driver, 14- Reference numeral 10 is an external device, 16-7 is a copy setting number display, and 16-8 is a copy count display.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-56-52785 (JP, A) JP-A-56-94376 (JP, A) JP-A-57-62470 (JP, A) JP-A-57-50083 (JP , A) JP-A-56-2079 (JP, A) JP-A-52-63020 (JP, A) JP-A-55-52079 (JP, A) Actual development-Sho 55-48135 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A scanning means for scanning an original, and a storage means for storing original image information obtained by the scanning of the scanning means.
A method of recording composite image information obtained by combining the document image information and the digital image information generated by an external device in a copying apparatus capable of recording the document image information a plurality of times by scanning the document once. In response to a scanning start operation, a step of scanning a document by the scanning means, a step of storing the document image information obtained by the document scanning in the storage means, and a step of storing the document image information in the storage means Waiting for a recording start signal from an external device that generates digital image information, reading the original image information stored in the storage means in response to the input of the recording start signal, and reading the original image information and the external device. Obtaining the composite image information in which the output digital image information is composited, and recording the composite image information in a recording medium. And a step of recording the combined image information.