JP2012063457A - Image forming apparatus, control method for image forming apparatus, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent paper from being left in a certain location of a conveyance path in a case where power failure occurs during the operation of an image forming apparatus that conveys paper and prints on it.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 includes: a printing means 3 for printing an image on paper P; and a conveying means 5 for conveying paper P from a paper feeding part to a paper ejection part via the printing means 3. The apparatus 1 moves the printing means 3 and conveying means 5 by use of power supplied from a power source. In a case of power failure in which the supply of power from the power source is stopped, power is supplied to the conveying means 5 from an uninterruptible power source device, thereby paper P conveyed up to now is further conveyed to the paper ejection part. The state of a printing process in a case where power failure occurs is stored in a storage means. When the supply of power from the power source is resumed after the restoration of power supply, a restoration process accompanying the resumption of the power supply is performed based on the information stored in the storage means.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that operates by power supplied from a power source and prints an image on a sheet, a control method for the image forming apparatus, a program, and a recording medium.

  Conventionally, when a power failure occurs while transporting and printing multiple sheets of paper in an image forming device that transports the paper in the machine and prints the image on the paper, then ejects the printed paper out of the device. In addition, a printing apparatus that performs a print stop process using an internal battery is known (see Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional printing apparatus, in the event of a power failure, the paper that has not reached the transfer drum is stopped and not conveyed to the next unit, and the paper that has reached the transfer drum is printed after continuing the printing process to complete printing. Paper is discharged to the paper output stacker. The printing stop process for a plurality of sheets being conveyed can be performed by conveying or stopping each sheet for each unit in a large-sized printing apparatus having a separate sheet feeding, transfer, and fixing unit.

  However, in a small and medium-sized printing apparatus in which each unit is laid out integrally, the paper cannot be transported or stopped for each unit, and all the papers are stopped when the transport is stopped. Therefore, in this printing apparatus, a paper jam occurs in the device due to a power failure, and it is necessary to remove the paper from the device before returning from the power failure and restarting printing. On the other hand, even in a large printing apparatus, the paper stopped in front of the transfer drum remains in the middle of the transport path, and therefore needs to be removed from the apparatus when the printing apparatus is returned. Also, when returning to the printing device, in addition to the paper removal operation, various operations and return processing are performed before resuming printing, such as checking the number of sheets that have been successfully printed or the number of sheets that are insufficient, and reprinting. , There is a problem that it has to be done with time and effort.

  The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems. The purpose of the present invention is to prevent a sheet from remaining in the middle of conveyance when a power failure occurs during operation of an image forming apparatus that conveys and prints the sheet. Is to prevent. In addition, it is to grasp the status of the printing process at the time of the power failure, to facilitate the restoration processing of the image forming apparatus when the power is restored from the power failure, and to reduce the work and labor required for the power failure.

The present invention includes a printing unit that prints an image on a sheet, and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet from the paper feeding unit to the paper discharging unit, and operates the printing unit and the conveying unit with electric power supplied from a power source. An uninterruptible power supply that supplies power to the transport means and transports the paper being transported to the paper discharge unit in the event of a power failure when the power supply from the power supply has stopped. Image forming apparatus, comprising: storage means for storing the status of printing processing at the time; and control means for controlling return processing when power supply from the power source is resumed from a power failure based on the storage information of the storage means Device.
In addition, the present invention includes a printing unit that prints an image on a sheet, and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet from the paper feeding unit to the paper discharging unit, and the printing unit and the conveying unit using power supplied from a power source. Is a method for controlling an image forming apparatus that operates the printer, and in the event of a power failure when the power supply from the power supply is stopped, the uninterruptible power supply supplies power to the transport means to transport the paper being transported to the paper discharge section. The process and the process of storing the print processing status when a power failure occurs in the storage means, and when the power supply from the power source is resumed after the power failure is resumed, the power supply is resumed based on the storage information of the storage means And a process of performing a return process associated with the image forming apparatus.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method of the image forming apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, when a power failure occurs during operation of an image forming apparatus that conveys and prints a sheet, it is possible to prevent the sheet from remaining in the middle of the conveyance. In addition, it is possible to grasp the status of the printing process at the time of the power failure and easily perform the restoration processing of the image forming apparatus when the power is restored from the power failure, thereby reducing the work and labor required for the power failure.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration and a power supply system related to control of the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus at the time of a power failure. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus at the time of a power failure. It is a figure which shows the example of the log information memorize | stored at the time of a power failure. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a return process of the image forming apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a return process of the image forming apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a return process of the image forming apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus at the time of a power failure. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image forming apparatus that supplies power to a printing unit when a power failure occurs.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus control method according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is a printing apparatus, a copier, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine having both functions, for example, which prints an image on a sheet, and conveys the sheet. Conveying means. The image forming apparatus operates the printing unit and the conveyance unit with electric power supplied from a power source, conveys the sheet by the conveyance unit, and prints an image on the sheet conveyed by the printing unit. At that time, the image forming apparatus conveys one sheet and prints an image on the sheet, or continuously conveys a plurality of sheets and prints images on each sheet in order.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2, an image reading unit 100 and a paper feed unit 300 that are attached to the upper and lower sides of the apparatus main body 2, and a paper discharge unit 200 that is provided on a side surface of the apparatus main body 2. It has. The image reading unit 100 uses an automatic document feeder (ADF: Auto Document Feeder) that includes a paper feed roller 102, a conveyance belt 103, and a paper discharge roller 104 to cause a document on the paper feed tray 101 to be placed on the contact glass 10. The paper is conveyed and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 105. The image reading unit 100 exposes an original moving on the contact glass 10 with an exposure lamp 11 to optically scan the original, and reads a CCD or the like via the first to third mirrors 12 to 14 and the lens 15. The image of the original is read by the sensor 16.

  The paper supply unit 300 includes a plurality of paper supply trays 310, 320, and 330 that are paper P supply units. The paper feed unit 300 feeds the paper P in the paper feed trays 310, 320, and 330 one by one by the feed devices 311, 321, and 331, and the paper P is fed by the transport unit 340 including a plurality of transport rollers and the like. Transport to the main body 2. The apparatus main body 2 is configured such that the sheet P fed from the sheet feeding unit 300 or the sheet P sent out by the feeding device 51 from the main body sheet feeding tray 50 which is an internal sheet feeding unit is fed to the photosensitive drum by the transport unit 60. Convey up to 30.

  In the apparatus main body 2, the photosensitive drum 30 is rotated and the outer peripheral surface thereof is uniformly charged by the charger 31, and then an image is written on the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 30 by the writing unit 20. The writing unit 20 generates laser light as exposure light, irradiates the photosensitive drum 30 with the laser light via the fθ lens 21 and the mirror 22, exposes the photosensitive drum 30, and applies the photosensitive drum 30 to the photosensitive drum 30. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image to be printed is formed. Next, the developing unit 32 develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 30 with toner of a predetermined color (for example, black), and forms a toner image on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 30. In synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the paper P detected by the paper sensor 52 is supplied by the registration roller 53, and the toner image is transferred to the paper P passing between the conveyance (transfer) belt 54 and the photosensitive drum 30. Thereafter, unnecessary toner on the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 30 is removed by the cleaning device 33, and the photosensitive drum 30 is neutralized by a neutralization device (not shown). The paper P passes through a pair of fixing rollers 55 as a fixing unit and is pressed and heated to fix the toner image.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes the above-described printing unit 3 for printing an image on the paper P by the photosensitive drum 30, the developing unit 32, the writing unit 20, the fixing roller 55, and the like. To do. By this printing means 3, an image is printed on one sheet P, or images are sequentially printed on a plurality of sheets P to form an image on the sheet P. When printing on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P printed on one side is conveyed to the duplex printing tray 40 via the duplex printing path 41 by the switching claw 57 and is conveyed to the conveyance unit 60 by the refeed roller 42. The paper is fed again and printed on the other side of the paper P.

  The paper P for which printing has been completed is transported to the paper discharge unit 200 by the transport roller 56. The paper discharge unit 200 includes a plurality of paper discharge trays 201 to 204 that are paper P discharge sections. The switching claws 205 to 207 are used to switch the transport path of the paper P and select the paper P discharge destination. For example, the paper P is detected by a paper sensor 208 and discharged to a lowermost paper discharge tray 204 by a paper discharge roller 209.

  The image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with conveyance units 60 and 340, a conveyance belt 54, conveyance rollers, a switching claw, a paper sensor, a motor, and the like along the conveyance path of the paper P, and thereby the paper P The transport mechanism 4 is configured. Further, the transport mechanism 5 for the paper P described above is configured by the transport mechanism 4 and a control unit, a paper transport control unit, and the like of the paper feed unit 300 and the paper discharge unit 200 described later for controlling the transport mechanism 4. The transport unit 5 controls the transport mechanism 4 to transport the paper P from a predetermined paper feed unit (paper feed trays 310, 320, 330, 50) to a predetermined paper discharge unit (paper discharge trays 201 to 204). It is a means for transporting the paper P fed from the paper feed unit along a transport path in the apparatus. Further, the transport unit 5 transports the paper P to the printing unit 3 to print an image on the paper P. Thus, the transport unit 5 transports the paper P from the paper feed unit to the paper discharge unit through the printing unit 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to control of the image forming apparatus 1 and a power supply system.
As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 divides the power supply path from the power source 70 into two systems, a first power supply path 71 and a second power supply path 72, and the second power supply path 72 has no path. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 73 is connected to supply power to the second power supply path 72 via the uninterruptible power supply 73.

  The first power supply path 71 is connected to each configuration or unit of the image forming apparatus 1 that is not directly related to the conveyance of the paper P, such as the printing unit 3, and a control unit that controls each connected configuration or unit. Also connect. For example, in the first power supply path 71, the image processing controller 81 that controls image processing by the image forming apparatus 1 to generate a written image, etc., the power supply to the heater of the fixing roller 55 and the fixing that controls the temperature. A temperature control unit 82, a writing control unit 83 that controls writing of an image on the photosensitive drum 30 by the writing unit 20, and a transfer control unit 84 that controls image formation and image transfer onto the photosensitive drum 30. Is connected. The first power supply path 71 is connected to the operation unit 85 of the image forming apparatus 1 in addition to the control units 81 to 84 constituting the printing control unit of the printing unit 3.

  The second power supply path 72 is connected to the components and units of the image forming apparatus 1 related to the conveyance of the paper P, such as the conveyance mechanism 4, and also includes a control unit that controls the components and units connected to the second power supply path 72. Connecting. For example, the second power supply path 72 includes a paper feed unit control unit 91 and a paper discharge unit control unit 92 that control the paper feed unit 300 and the paper discharge unit 200, and a paper transport that controls the transport of the paper P in the device. A controller 93 and a plurality of paper sensors (hereinafter referred to as paper sensors 94) for detecting the position of the conveyed paper P are connected. That is, the second power supply path 72 is connected to the transport mechanism 4 and the transport means 5 including the control units 91 to 93 constituting the transport control means and the paper sensor 94. The second power supply path 72 includes a main controller 6 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1, a nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) 7 that is a storage unit thereof, an image reading unit 100, and an image reading that controls the main controller 6. A control unit 95 is connected.

  The image forming apparatus 1 supplies power from the power source 70 to each control unit and configuration connected to the first and second power supply paths 71 and 72, and to the printing unit 3 and the conveyance unit 5. The printing unit 3 and the conveyance unit 5 are operated by the supplied power, and printing and conveyance of the paper P are executed, respectively, and the printing unit 3 prints an image on the paper P conveyed by the conveyance unit 5 to perform printing. The subsequent paper P is discharged to the paper discharge unit. In addition, here, the image forming system such as the printing unit 3 and the conveyance unit 4 including the conveyance mechanism 4 and the control units 91 to 93 necessary for conveyance of the paper P are mutually connected by different power supply paths 71 and 72. Separate and supply power. At the time of a power failure in which the supply of power from the power supply 70 is stopped, the power supply to each unit and configuration on the first power supply path 71 side and the printing unit 3 is stopped. On the other hand, in the second power supply path 72, the power stored from the uninterruptible power supply 73 is automatically supplied when a power failure occurs, and the power is supplied to each unit and configuration during the power failure.

  When a power failure occurs during the printing operation, the image forming apparatus 1 stops the printing process without supplying power to the printing unit 3, and in that state supplies power to the transport unit 5 to transport the paper P. To do. That is, the uninterruptible power supply 73 is a means for supplying power to the transport means 5 and continuing the transport of the paper P in the event of a power failure when the power supply from the power source 70 is stopped. The paper P is conveyed to the paper discharge unit without being printed (or interrupted by printing) and discharged outside the apparatus. Further, when the uninterruptible power supply 73 detects the occurrence of a power failure, it supplies power to the main controller 6 and outputs a power failure detection notification to the main controller 6 to notify the switching of the power source.

  When the main controller 6 receives the power failure detection notification, the main controller 6 does not perform service man call or normal error detection or the like even if each of the units and the configuration in which power supply is stopped becomes unresponsive. The conveyance process of the paper P is continued. Also, the main controller 6 discriminates between the paper P for which the printing operation has been normally completed in the device and the paper P for which an image cannot be guaranteed during printing (or before printing) when a power failure occurs. The number of sheets of paper P that has been completely printed, paper P that has not been printed, and paper P that is discharged in each state is ascertained. At the same time, the main controller 6 grasps and discriminates the contents of the print request at the time of the power failure, the state of the print processing being executed, etc., and stores the status of the print processing when the power failure comprising these pieces of information occurs. It memorize | stores in the non-volatile memory 7 which is a means. At that time, the non-volatile memory 7 stores, for example, the contents of the print request, the print status, the number of conveyed paper sheets P, the power failure detection information and the print interruption information, the paper sheet P for which printing has been normally completed, The number of sheets, print job information, paper P (interruption location) where printing is interrupted, and the like are stored as log information.

  The main controller 6 controls the return processing when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed from the power failure based on the information (stored information) stored in the nonvolatile memory 7 when the power failure occurs or during the power failure. . That is, the main controller 6 is a control unit for return processing, and controls each part of the image forming apparatus 1 to execute various return processing from the set power failure. For this reason, the main controller 6 has each means for controlling the return processing of the image forming apparatus 1 described below as function realizing means.

  The second power supply path 72 is also connected to a host I / F 96 for connecting to a host computer that is a printing request source, and supplies power to the host I / F 96 in the event of a power failure. When a power failure occurs, the main controller 6 notifies the host computer of a power supply abnormality of the image forming apparatus 1 or interruption of printing via the host I / F 96. Further, the main controller 6 determines the presence or absence of the paper P in the transport path, the position of the paper P, the number of sheets, and the like based on the detection result of the paper sensor 94 provided in each part of the apparatus. When the power is restored from the power failure, the power is automatically switched from the power supply by the uninterruptible power supply 73 to the power supply by the power supply 70, and power is supplied from the power supply 70 to the both power supply paths 71 and 72, so that the image forming apparatus 1 is operated. .

Next, processes and operations of the image forming apparatus 1 when a power failure occurs, a recovery process from the power failure, and a control method of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 1 during a power failure.
As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 switches the power supply during a power failure when the supply of power from the power supply 70 is stopped (S101), and supplies power to each unit connected from the uninterruptible power supply 73. Further, when the main controller 6 receives the power failure detection notification output from the uninterruptible power supply 73 (S102), it is determined by the main controller 6 or the like whether or not there is paper P in the transport path in the device ( S103). When there is no paper P (S103, NO), the process at the time of power failure is terminated, and when there is paper P (S103, YES), power is supplied from the uninterruptible power supply 73 to the transport means 5 and the paper being transported. P is conveyed to the paper discharge unit. At the time of a power failure, power supply to the printing unit 3 and the printing process are stopped, and the paper P is transported and discharged to the paper discharge unit without printing an image on the paper P.

  At this time, the main controller 6 stores in the nonvolatile memory 7 whether or not double-sided printing is designated for the paper P to be discharged when a paper discharge request for the paper P is made (S104, YES). A determination is made based on the print information (S105). When printing on the paper P is not double-sided printing (S105, NO), it is determined whether or not the paper P has passed the fixing roller 55 at the time of a power failure (S106). When it has passed (S106, YES), since the printing operation on the paper P has been completed, when the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge unit, it is counted as the number of normally printed sheets that have been normally printed (S108). . Since the sheet P is passing through the fixing roller 55 in the range from the paper feeding unit to the fixing roller 55 and has not passed the fixing roller 55 (NO in S106), the image on the sheet P cannot be guaranteed. The number of abnormal prints that have not been printed at the time of paper discharge is counted (S109).

  When double-sided printing is designated for the paper P (S105, YES), it is determined whether or not double-sided printing has been completed (S107), and both sides have not been printed, or only one side has been printed. Sometimes (S107, NO), the number of abnormal printing is counted (S109). When double-sided printing has been completed (S107, YES), it is determined whether or not the paper P has passed the fixing roller 55 at the time of a power failure (S106). Since the printing is completed, the number of normal prints is counted when the paper P is discharged (S108). When the paper P has not passed through the fixing roller 55 (S106, NO), since printing on the surface being printed is not completed, the number of abnormal printing is counted (S109).

  The main controller 6 stores in the nonvolatile memory 7 log information including the normal printing number, the abnormal printing number, and each preset information (S110). When there are a plurality of sheets P in the transport path in the apparatus, the image forming apparatus 1 repeats the above procedure for each sheet P (S103, YES), and discharges all the sheets P in the transport path. (S103, NO), the process at the time of power failure is terminated.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 1 during a power failure.
As shown in the figure, when the power source is switched during a power failure (S201) and the power failure detection notification is received from the uninterruptible power supply 73 (S202), the image forming apparatus 1 uses the abnormal termination of printing due to the power failure as log information. It memorize | stores in the non-volatile memory 7 (S203). Thereby, the occurrence of a power failure or interruption of printing is stored in the nonvolatile memory 7.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 acquires information on a print job that is being executed until a power failure occurs and information on the progress of printing at the time of a power failure, and stores these pieces of information as log information in the nonvolatile memory 7. To remember. In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 stores the status of the printing process when a power failure occurs in the nonvolatile memory 7 that is a storage unit, and checks the status of the printing process and the device after the recovery from the power failure. .

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of log information stored in the nonvolatile memory 7 at the time of a power failure.
As illustrated, the nonvolatile memory 7 stores a job ID that is identification information of each print request (print job), a print request from the user, and a print status of the print being executed. The print request includes a document name, the number of pages of the print document designated by the user, the number of print copies, and print settings such as print color, paper type, double-sided or single-sided printing. The print status includes information on the progress of interrupted printing or requested printing, such as a printing state at the time of a power failure, an interrupted page where printing is interrupted, and the number of unfinished prints.

  For example, from the log information with the job ID “00001”, 7 copies of a 10-page document and a total of 70 pages are specified for printing. However, printing is interrupted due to a power failure, and printing is interrupted on the sixth page. It can be seen that 32 pages of the page are incomplete, and printing has been normally completed after passing through the fixing roller 55 up to 38 pages. Further, from the log information with job IDs “00002” and “00003”, it can be seen that printing of each print request is before the start when a power failure occurs. When the image forming apparatus 1 recovers from the power failure and resumes the power supply from the power source 70, the image forming apparatus 1 recovers with the restart of the power supply based on the storage information on the status of the printing process stored in the nonvolatile memory 7. Process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the restoration process of the image forming apparatus 1.
As shown in the figure, when the image forming apparatus 1 recovers from a power failure and the power supply 70 is turned on (S301), the log information at the previous end is read from the nonvolatile memory 7 and the content is confirmed (S302). ). As a result, when a power failure is not detected during the previous printing (S303, NO), the image forming apparatus 1 is activated and started up in a normal procedure (hereinafter referred to as normal startup) (S304). On the other hand, the interruption is stored in the printing state of the log information (see FIG. 5), and when the power failure is detected during the previous printing (S303, YES), that is, when the power is restored from the power failure, the details of the device A self-diagnosis or a cleaning operation for the conveyance path of the paper P is executed.

  At the time of executing the detailed self-diagnosis (S305), the operation and function of each unit and the connected peripheral option unit are diagnosed, and the image forming apparatus 1 is self-diagnosed as to whether normal printing is possible. Make sure 1 is not damaged by a power outage. Further, the power supply to the printing unit 3 is stopped at the time of a power failure. For example, the transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 30 to the paper P is interrupted, or the toner image is generated by stopping the power supply to the heater of the fixing roller 55. There is a risk of fixing failure. Due to the stop of the operation not related to the conveyance of the paper P, there is a possibility that the conveyance path of the paper P becomes dirty due to scattering of toner. Therefore, when there is a cleaning mechanism in each unit such as the printing unit 3 or the conveyance path of the paper P (S306, YES), the image forming apparatus 1 executes cleaning (S307). Subsequently, a new sheet P is transported, and test printing that also serves as cleaning of the transport path is executed (S308), thereby reducing dirt adhering to the transport path. Also, when there is no cleaning mechanism (S306, NO), test printing is executed (S308), and the return process is terminated. At that time, for example, the maximum width paper P is automatically selected as the cleaning paper P.

  As described above, in this image forming apparatus 1, the main controller 6 that is the control means for the return processing determines whether or not normal printing is possible when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed as the function realization means. A means for diagnosing or a means for cleaning the transport path of the paper P of the transport means 5; As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 diagnoses the printing unit 3 and the conveyance unit 5 at the time of return processing, and performs self-diagnosis as to whether normal printing is possible, or sets the conveyance path of the paper P of the conveyance unit 5. Clean it.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the event of a power failure, power is supplied from the uninterruptible power supply 73 to the transport unit 5 to transport the paper P being transported to the paper discharge unit. It can be prevented from remaining in the position. As a result, the paper P is not clogged in the equipment at the time of the power failure, and it is not necessary to remove the paper P from the conveyance path. Therefore, the operation and maintenance performed by the user when returning from the power failure is simplified, and printing is facilitated. You can resume. In addition, since the status of the printing process when a power failure occurs is stored in the nonvolatile memory 7, it is possible to accurately grasp the status of the printing process when the power failure occurs. Further, since the return process when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed is controlled based on the stored information in the nonvolatile memory 7, the return process can be performed without taking time and effort and the status of the printing process. Depending on the case, it can be implemented appropriately. Therefore, the restoration process of the image forming apparatus 1 when the power is restored from the power failure can be easily performed, and the work and labor required for the power failure can be reduced.

  The image forming apparatus 1 supplies power to the transport unit 5 necessary for transporting the paper P at the time of a power failure, but does not supply power to the printing unit 3 that is not related to transport of the paper P. Stop their operation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the power consumed by the uninterruptible power supply 73 during a power failure and to keep the power consumption of the uninterruptible power supply 73 low. Furthermore, when power supply from the power supply 70 is resumed, it is possible to confirm whether printing can be resumed normally by self-diagnosis whether normal printing is possible. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a printing mistake or a failure of the image forming apparatus 1. Further, when cleaning the transport path of the paper P of the transport means 5, it is possible to prevent dirt in the apparatus due to the occurrence of a power failure from adhering to the paper P, so that the printing quality can be maintained high.

Next, another example of processing performed by the image forming apparatus 1 at the time of a power failure or when returning from a power failure will be described in order.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the return process of the image forming apparatus 1.
In this restoration processing, as shown in the figure, when the image forming apparatus 1 is restored from a power failure and the power supply 70 is turned on (S401), the log information at the previous end is read from the nonvolatile memory 7 and the contents thereof are read out. Is confirmed (S402). As a result, when no power failure is detected during the previous printing (S403, NO), normal startup is performed (S404). On the other hand, when a power failure is detected during the previous printing (S403, YES), it is confirmed whether there is a print job that interrupted printing at the time of the power failure (S405), and when there is no interrupted print job (S405, NO), normal startup is performed (S404).

  If printing is not completed due to interruption of printing at the time of a power failure and there is an interrupted print job (S405, YES), the completion status of the interrupted print job (printing) is confirmed from the status of the log information print processing. (S406). If the print data has been received and stored in a storage device such as a hard disk and the print data is spooled (S407, YES), the print data is acquired and printing is resumed (S410). If the print data is not spooled (S407, NO), the host computer (here, host PC (personal computer)) is requested to resend the print data of the interrupted print (S408). When the print data cannot be retransmitted (S409, NO), the printing is canceled and normal startup is performed (S404). When the print data can be retransmitted (S409, YES), printing is performed based on the retransmitted print data. Is resumed (S410).

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by the main controller 6 and acquires print data of printing suspended due to a power failure from the storage device or the host computer when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed. The main controller 6 restarts printing by causing the transport unit 5 to transport the paper P and the printing unit 3 to print on the paper P based on the acquired print data. At this time, if the interrupted printing is printing on a plurality of sheets of paper P, the interrupted printing is resumed from the continuation of the paper P for which printing has been completed, Continue printing. Accordingly, the main controller 6 constitutes a print data acquisition unit and a print resumption unit.

  In the example of the log information described above (see FIG. 5), the printing with the job ID “00001” is the sixth page of the interrupted page and the number of unfinished pages is 32. It can be confirmed that the printing has been normally completed to the eye. When the main controller 6 recovers from a power failure and resumes printing, it transmits the information of “Meeting A” to the host computer and requests retransmission of the print data. Subsequently, the print data up to the fifth page from the acquired print data is discarded without executing printing, and printing is resumed from the fourth copy of the sixth page, that is, the 39th sheet among all 70 pages. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 does not complete copying or reading when the image reading unit 100 is used in a copy operation of a document or a scanner accumulation operation for accumulating print data of a read document in the event of a power failure. The original is returned, and a message for continuing or resuming the copying or reading operation is displayed on the operation panel of the operation unit 85.

  Here, when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed, the print data of the print suspended due to the power failure is acquired, and the suspended print is resumed from the continuation of the printed paper. It can be resumed early and without any hassle. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time (downtime) during which the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped, and to reduce the burden at the time of resuming printing, thereby smoothly resuming printing.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another return processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 1.
In this restoration process, as shown in the figure, after the image forming apparatus 1 is restored from a power failure and the power supply 70 is turned on (S501), when there is no request to resume the print job that interrupted printing (S502, NO), Startup is performed (S503). On the other hand, when there is a request to resume printing (S502, YES), the host computer is requested to resend the interrupted print data, and the interrupted print data is received again (S504) to obtain the print data. To do. Subsequently, reprinting is performed with the interrupted print data. However, when a paper discharge destination other than the paper discharge destination (paper discharge unit) specified in the print job can be selected as the paper discharge destination, the paper P is discharged. Switch the paper tip and resume printing.

  Specifically, when there is a paper discharge destination different from the designated paper discharge destination (S505, YES), the paper discharge destination of paper P is changed from the paper discharge destination from which paper P was discharged during a power failure to another discharge destination. Switching to the paper destination (S506), the user is notified of the switching of the paper discharge destination (S507). Next, printing is resumed based on the acquired print data (S508). At this time, since the interrupted printing may include the defective printing paper P, here, the interrupted printing is re-executed in units of print jobs without restarting from the interrupted position, and printing on the first paper P is performed. And restart printing from the first page. Further, the paper discharge destination is switched, and the paper P for which printing has been resumed is separated from the paper P for which printing has been interrupted and discharged to another paper discharge unit.

  On the other hand, when there is no other paper discharge destination (S505, NO), the paper discharge destination specified in the print job is set as the paper discharge unit (S509), and a determination tag for determining the start of reprinting is output. (S510) The interrupted printing is resumed from the first printing on the paper P (S508). The discrimination tag discriminates the start position of the resumed printing when there is no plurality of delivery destinations and the paper P for which printing has been resumed must be delivered to the same delivery destination as the paper P for which printing has been interrupted. It is a discrimination sheet for this purpose. As the discrimination paper, for example, a colored paper P fed from another paper feeding unit, a paper P that can be easily discriminated by printing a pattern different from other printing, and a paper P having a size larger than the designated paper P Can be adopted. As a result, it is easy to determine the printing restart location. However, when the paper discharge position of the paper P to the paper discharge portion can be offset to the left and right, the paper P discharge position may be changed before and after the recovery from the power failure so that the printing restart location can be determined. The change of the paper position and the discrimination tag may be used in combination.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by the main controller 6 constituting the print data acquiring unit and the print resuming unit in the same manner as described above, and is interrupted due to a power failure when the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed. Get print data for printing. When the interrupted printing is printing on a plurality of sheets P, the interrupted printing is restarted from the printing on the first sheet P based on the acquired print data. For this reason, the interrupted printing can be resumed early and without any trouble, so that the downtime of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced, and the printing can be resumed smoothly by reducing the burden at the time of resuming printing. In addition, since printing is resumed from printing on the first paper P, it is possible to guarantee printing results on a plurality of papers P, and it is possible to reliably acquire correctly printed paper P without including defective paper P.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of paper discharge units on which the transport unit 5 transports the paper P. The main controller 6 serving as a control unit for the above-described return processing is performed by the transport unit 5 after the printing is resumed. P is transported to a paper discharge unit different from the paper discharge unit that transported the paper P before printing is interrupted. In other words, the paper discharge unit that transports the paper P after the printing is resumed by the transport unit 5 is switched from the paper discharge unit that transported the paper P before the interruption of printing to another paper discharge unit. Thus, mixing of the paper P can be prevented. As a result, there is no need to separate the paper P before and after resuming printing, and the user's effort can be reduced.

  Note that the print data may be acquired from the spooled storage device without being acquired from the host computer. Further, a paper sensor may be provided in the paper discharge unit, and the paper discharge destination of the paper P may be changed when it is detected that the paper P is in the designated paper discharge unit before resuming printing.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 1 during a power failure.
In the process at the time of a power failure, as shown in the figure, when the power source is switched at the time of a power failure (S601) and a power failure detection notification is received from the uninterruptible power supply 73 (S602), the image forming apparatus 1 It is determined whether or not there is paper P in the transport path (S603). As a result, when there is no sheet P (S603, NO), the process at the time of power failure is terminated. On the other hand, when there is paper P in the device (S603, YES), and when a paper discharge request is made (S604, YES), whether double-sided printing is designated for the paper P to be discharged or not. Is discriminated (S605).

  When printing on the paper P is not double-sided printing (S605, NO), it is determined whether or not the paper P has passed the fixing roller 55 at the time of power failure (S606). When it has passed (S606, YES), since printing on the paper P is completed, the paper P is switched to the designated paper discharge destination (S607), and the paper P is discharged. The number of normal prints that have been normally printed at the time of paper discharge is counted (S608). If double-sided printing has been designated for the paper P (S605, YES) and double-sided printing has been completed (S609, YES), it is determined whether or not the paper P has passed the fixing roller 55 during a power failure. (S606). When it has passed (S606, YES), since both sides of the printing have been completed, the paper P is discharged to the designated discharge destination (S607), and the number of normal prints is counted at the time of discharge (S608). .

  In addition, when the paper P to be printed on both sides is not printed on both sides, or printing on only one side is completed (S609, NO), the paper P to be printed on one or both sides passes through the fixing roller 55 at the time of power failure. If not completed (S606, NO), it is checked whether or not a paper discharge destination different from the designated paper discharge destination can be designated (S610). When another paper discharge destination can be designated (S610, YES), the paper discharge destination of the paper P is switched to a paper discharge destination different from the designated paper discharge destination (S611), and the paper P is discharged. The number of abnormal prints is counted (S612). If another discharge destination cannot be specified (S610, NO), the discharge destination is switched to the specified discharge destination (S607), the paper P is discharged, and the number of normal prints is counted at the time of discharge (S608). ). The normal printing number, the abnormal printing number, and the status of the printing process are stored in the nonvolatile memory 7 as log information (S613). When there are a plurality of sheets P on the transport path in the apparatus, the image forming apparatus 1 repeats the above procedure for each sheet P (S603, YES), and discharges all the sheets P in the transport path. Sometimes (S603, NO), the process at the time of power failure is terminated. However, when another paper discharge destination cannot be designated (S610, NO), since the paper P that has not been printed is included in the paper P that is counted as the normal print number, the normal print number when the paper P is discharged. And the number of abnormally printed sheets are also recorded as log information.

  Here, the paper P on which the toner image is not fixed at the time of a power failure is rubbed with another paper P, or the user touches the printing surface to attach unfixed toner, and the other paper P or the user is There is a possibility of fouling. For this reason, when there are a plurality of paper discharge units, the normally printed paper P that has passed through the fixing roller 55 is discharged to the designated paper discharge destination, and the uncompleted paper P that has not passed through the fixing roller 55. Switches the paper discharge destination and discharges the paper. As a result, the paper P that has been printed and the paper P that has not been printed are separated by switching the paper discharge destination, and the paper P that has been imperfectly printed is separated from the paper P that has been printed normally.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of paper discharge units in which the conveyance unit 5 conveys the paper P. The image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by the main controller 6 to complete printing of the unprinted paper P by the conveyance unit 5 at the time of power failure. The paper P is conveyed to a paper discharge unit different from the paper discharge unit that conveys the paper P. That is, since the transport unit 5 switches the paper discharge unit that transports the unprinted paper P from the paper discharge unit that transports the printed paper P to another paper discharge unit, the paper is discharged separately. The paper P can be prevented from mixing. As a result, it is possible to prevent the normal paper P from being stained, and it is not necessary to remove the unprinted paper P such as defective printed matter from the discharged paper P to separate the paper P. Can be reduced. In addition, since the unprinted paper P is not mixed into the printed paper P and only the normally printed paper P can be acquired, reprinting from there continues makes it easy to start reprinting. Accordingly, the number of sheets P to be discarded and the time required for reprinting can be shortened.

  When the power supply from the power source 70 is resumed, the main controller 6 controls the print processing status when the power failure occurs, or the printing restart processing procedure is printed on the paper P and discharged. The paper may be discharged. At that time, for example, the content of log information at the time of printing interruption, the paper P to be restarted, the state at the time of power failure, or the subsequent processing procedure is printed on the paper P, and this paper P is printed before the power failure. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge portion of the paper P for which normal printing has been completed. Also, on the paper P, information indicating the printing status at the time of a power failure, such as “number of completed printings”, “number of defective printings”, “name of the print job that has been interrupted”, or “unnecessary printing ×× sheets” It is also possible to print the return processing procedure displayed on the operation panel, such as “Restart printing”. The paper P on which each information is printed may be a discrimination tag (discrimination paper) for discriminating reprinting as described above, or may be a new paper P.

  In this way, even if the operation panel does not have an information display unit or the display unit is small, the status of the printing process or the processing procedure for resuming printing can be used as necessary information when returning from a power failure. The user can be notified in detail. Accordingly, the user can easily obtain print reference information such as how far the interrupted print process has been normally completed and where the process should be resumed when printing is continued. Further, even if the image forming apparatus 1 is not provided with a display device, the user can be notified of the processing procedure for resuming printing, and when the user recovers from a power failure, the user can print based on the procedure printed on the paper P. Processing for resumption can be easily performed.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in the event of a power failure, the uninterruptible power supply 73 stops the operation and processing without supplying power to the configuration (such as the printing unit 3) that is not related to the conveyance of the paper P. However, at the time of a power failure, power may be supplied to a configuration that is not related to the conveyance of the paper P. For example, when power is supplied to the printing unit 3 and the printing process is continued, the same uninterruptible power supply 73 as that of the conveying unit 5 is connected to the printing unit 3, or the uninterruptible power supply 73 different from the uninterruptible power supply 73 A power failure power supply device is connected to supply power to the printing means 3 in the event of a power failure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 1 ′ that supplies power from the uninterruptible power supply 73 to the printing unit 3 during a power failure.
As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 ′ receives print data from the host PC (S 701), accumulates the print data (S 702), and starts printing on the paper P at the time of print processing. In the meantime, a power failure occurs and the power source is switched (S703), and when a power failure detection notification is received from the uninterruptible power supply 73 (S704), whether or not there is paper P in the transport path in the device, for printing In step S705, it is determined whether the paper feeding operation for the paper P is started. As a result, when there is no paper P in the apparatus and before the paper feeding operation is started (S705, YES), that is, when there is no trouble such as paper jam even if the conveying means 5 is stopped immediately. The progress of the print job, such as how far the print job has been completed, is stored in the nonvolatile memory 7 (S706), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when there is paper P in the device or after the paper feeding operation is started (S705, NO), and during the printing operation, if the paper P is stopped immediately, trouble such as paper jam occurs. Therefore, the printing process is continued until the printing operation being executed is completed. Since the printing operation continues in units of the number of copies, for example, when a power failure is detected in the middle of the third copy in a printing operation that prints five copies of 10 pages, the printing operation is performed to complete printing up to the third copy. continue. In this way, the conveyance and printing of the paper P are continued until the printing operation is completed (S707, NO). When printing is completed (S707, YES), the print data is discarded (S708), and the processing is performed. Exit. In the example described above, after the printing operation is continued until the printing of the third copy is completed, the print data of the fourth and subsequent copies are discarded in step S708.

  The image forming apparatuses 1 and 1 ′ according to the embodiments have been described above. However, the present invention is realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the control method for the image forming apparatuses 1 and 1 ′ described above. You can also. Furthermore, this program can be recorded on any computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or MO.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Apparatus main body, 3 ... Printing means, 4 ... Conveyance mechanism, 5 ... Conveyance means, 6 ... Main controller, 7 ... Nonvolatile memory DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Contact glass, 16 ... Reading sensor, 20 ... Writing unit, 30 ... Photosensitive drum, 31 ... Charger, 32 ... Developing unit, 33 ... Cleaning 40, double-sided printing tray, 50 ... main body sheet feeding tray, 54 ... conveying belt, 55 ... fixing roller, 60 ... conveying unit, 70 ... power supply, 71, 72 ..Power supply path, 73: Uninterruptible power supply, 100 ... Image reading unit, 200 ... Discharge unit, 300 ... Paper feed unit, 310, 320, 330 ... Feed tray 340... Transport unit, P And sheet.

JP 2009-238072 A

Claims (12)

An image forming apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints an image on a sheet; and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet from a paper feeding unit to the paper discharging unit, and operates the printing unit and the conveying unit with power supplied from a power source. Because
An uninterruptible power supply that supplies power to the transport means and transports the paper being transported to the paper discharge unit in the event of a power failure when the power supply from the power supply is stopped.
Storage means for storing the status of printing processing when a power failure occurs;
Based on the storage information of the storage means, the control means for controlling the return processing when the power supply from the power source is resumed from the power failure,
An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs self-diagnosis on whether normal printing is possible when power supply from a power supply is resumed; or a unit that cleans a sheet conveyance path of a conveyance unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The control means acquires the print data of the print interrupted due to the power failure when the power supply from the power supply is resumed, and the acquired print data when the interrupted print is a print on a plurality of sheets. And resuming the interrupted printing from the continuation of the paper on which printing has been completed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The control means acquires the print data of the print interrupted due to the power failure when the power supply from the power supply is resumed, and the acquired print data when the interrupted print is a print on a plurality of sheets. And a means for resuming the interrupted printing from the printing on the first sheet based on the above. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
The transport means includes a plurality of paper discharge units that transport the paper,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to cause the transport unit to transport the paper after resuming printing to a paper discharge unit different from the paper discharge unit that transported the paper before printing was interrupted. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A plurality of paper discharge units for conveying paper by a conveying means;
Means for transporting unprinted paper to a paper discharge section different from the paper discharge section for transporting printed paper by means of transport during a power failure;
An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An image having a means for the control means to print the status of the printing process when a power failure occurs when the power supply from the power supply is resumed, or the printing restart processing procedure to be printed on a sheet and discharged to a sheet discharge unit. Forming equipment. An image forming apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints an image on a sheet; and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet from a paper feeding unit to the paper discharging unit, and operates the printing unit and the conveying unit with power supplied from a power source. Control method,
In the event of a power failure when the power supply from the power supply is stopped, the power is supplied from the uninterruptible power supply to the transport means, and the paper being transported is transported to the paper discharge unit,
Storing the status of the printing process when a power failure occurs in the storage means;
When the power supply from the power source is resumed after recovering from the power failure, a process of performing a return process accompanying the restart of the power supply based on the storage information of the storage means;
A method for controlling an image forming apparatus. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 8.
A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, wherein the step of performing the return processing includes a step of self-diagnosis whether normal printing is possible or a step of cleaning a paper conveyance path of a conveyance unit. In the control method of the image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9,
The step of performing the return processing is a step of acquiring print data of printing interrupted due to a power failure, and when the interrupted printing is printing on a plurality of sheets, the interrupted printing is performed based on the acquired print data. And a step of resuming printing from the continuation of the paper on which printing has been completed or from printing on the first paper.   A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 8.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 11 is recorded.

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