JP2004088347A - Digital copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital copying machine in which setting mistakes or the like can be reduced by having a means capable of setting a margin on the right and left of a original, and at the same time, a margin is added to the upper and lower part of the original having the length below the minimum carrying length. <P>SOLUTION: The read-out image of the original is transferred to transfer paper by rotating it by 90° or 270° by copy operations. A margin amount desired to obtain by a user in the main scanning direction (the horizontal direction) of the original becomes the margin to be obtained in the sub-scanning direction (the vertical direction) of the transfer paper by transferring the read-out image by rotating it. Accordingly, the margin amount to be obtained can be realized by a method of changing the cutting-off length of roll paper. Since the sub-scanning length of the transfer paper becomes the total of the main scanning length of the original and the margin length laterally set on the original, the sum of the main scanning length of the original and the lateral margin amount of the original is automatically calculated, and the transfer paper can be cut in a paper length which satisfies the margin amount desired by the user (a step 14). As a result, the method is realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital copying machine capable of performing combined control of image rotation control and margin control.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital copying machines, which have rapidly become widespread, are capable of performing not only a faithful copying of a document but also various processes on a document image. Specifically, "upper and lower margins for a document" are set, and "image rotation control" has been used as a method of obtaining an image more in line with a user's desire. JP-A-8-65443 and JP-A-8-251324 disclose techniques for shortening the processing time by image rotation.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional digital copying machine, the margin can be added only to the upper and lower sides of the original, and the control of adding the left and right margins to the original has not been performed.
Also, in the case of digital copiers with only upper and lower margins and rotation control, which are currently widespread, for example, in a document conveying type copier, margins are added above and below the minimum conveying length for a document whose one piece is shorter than the minimum conveying length. Therefore, it is impossible to output the image. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the only way to add a margin is to bring the position of the margin above and below the document. For this reason, it is not possible to add a margin to a document that is shorter than the minimum transport length.
Further, since the original image cannot be handled in the normal orientation, an erroneous operation such as a mistake in margin setting is likely to occur.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital copying machine in which margins can be set on the left and right sides of a document to reduce setting errors and the like and to add margins above and below a document shorter than the minimum transport length. It is to be.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the invention, reading means for reading a document image, storage means for storing the document image read by the reading means, image processing means for rotating the document image stored in the storage means, Document length recognition means for automatically or manually recognizing a main scanning length and a sub-scanning length of a document image read by the reading means, and a plurality of roll paper feed stages capable of accommodating one or a plurality of roll papers for image formation A paper feed stage selecting means for automatically or manually selecting which paper feed roll to form an image from the roll paper of the roll paper feed stage; and a main scanning direction or a sub-scanning direction regardless of the document placement direction. The above object is achieved by providing a margin setting unit that receives setting of an arbitrary margin amount in any one of the scanning directions.
[0005]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the margin setting unit sets the margins on the right and left sides of the document, and the automatic paper stage selection unit selects the automatic paper stage selection. In this case, a search unit is provided for searching for a roll paper feed stage having a width that matches the sub-scanning length of the document. When the search unit finds a matching roll paper, the roll paper is automatically set in that paper feed stage. The roll paper is selected, and the image processing unit rotates the image by 90 degrees or 270 degrees to change the cut length of the roll paper.
[0006]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, when a matching roll paper is not searched for by the search means, a display indicating that a copy operation is impossible with the current setting or the current roll paper width is displayed. Means are provided.
[0007]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the margin setting unit sets the margins on the right and left sides of the document, and the manual sheet stage selection unit selects the manual sheet stage selection. In this case, the image processing means rotates the image 90 degrees or 270 degrees left or right or center aligned with respect to the roll paper set in the selected paper feed stage, and changes the cut length of the roll paper. It is characterized by making it.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the digital copying machine.
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital copying machine includes a reading control unit 100 as a reading unit for reading a document, an image processing unit 300 as a storage unit for storing read document information, and an operation as an operating unit for performing key input. And a writing control unit 500 for copying stored information onto transfer paper. A plurality of roll paper feed stages are also provided.
[0009]
The reading control unit 100 includes a sensor 101, an image amplification circuit 102, an A / D (analog / digital) conversion circuit 103, a shading correction circuit 104, an image processing circuit 105, a synchronization control circuit 106, a reading control circuit 107, and a scanner driving device 108. It has.
The image processing unit 300 includes an image memory unit 301, a system control device 302 that controls execution of a series of processes, and a drive control circuit 303.
The write control unit 500 includes an LED write control circuit 502, an LPH (LED array printer head) 503, and a printer driving device 505.
The operation unit 400 includes an operation control circuit 401 and an operation panel 402.
[0010]
Next, the configuration of the reading control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, when an operator inserts a document from the insertion slot, the document is transported between the close contact sensor 2 and the white roller 3 according to the rotation of the roller 1. The document being conveyed is illuminated by the LED attached to the contact sensor 2 and the reflected light is imaged on the contact sensor 2 to read the document image information.
The original image formed on the sensor 101 in FIG. 1 is converted into an electric signal, and the analog signal is amplified by the image amplifier circuit 102. The A / D conversion circuit 103 converts the analog image signal amplified by the image amplification circuit 102 into a multi-level digital image signal for each pixel. The converted digital image signal is output in synchronization with the clock output from the synchronization control circuit 106, and the shading correction circuit 104 corrects distortion due to uneven light amount, stain on the contact glass, uneven sensitivity of the sensor, and the like. The corrected digital image information is converted into digital recording image information by the image processing circuit 105 and then written into the image memory unit 301.
[0011]
Next, the configurations of a system control device 302 and a write control unit 500 that control a series of processes for forming an image signal written in the image memory unit 301 on transfer paper will be described.
The system control device 302 has a function of performing overall control, and transfers image data in the read control circuit 107, the synchronization control circuit 106, the image memory unit 301, and the LED write control circuit 502, and transports a document and a transfer sheet. Is controlled smoothly.
The write control unit 500 converts the image signal transferred from the image memory unit 301 by the synchronizing signal clock to the LED write control circuit 502 in units of one pixel, and the LPH 503 converts and outputs the infrared light.
[0012]
Next, a process until an image is formed on a recording sheet will be described with reference to FIG. The charging device 4 is a so-called scorotron charger with a grid for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum 5 to -1200V. The light emitting element array unit 6 arranges LEDs in an array, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 5 via an SLA (Selfoc lens array). The light emitting element array unit 6 corresponds to the LPH 503 in FIG. When the photoconductor drum 5 is irradiated with LED light based on digital image information, the charge on the photoconductor surface flows to the ground of the photoconductor drum 5 and disappears due to a photoconductive phenomenon.
Here, the LED is not emitted in a portion where the document density is low, and the LED is emitted in a portion where the document density is high. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the density of the image is formed on the portion of the photosensitive drum 5 where the laser beam is not irradiated. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 7. Since the toner in the developing unit 7 is negatively charged by stirring and a bias of -700 V is applied, the toner adheres only to a portion irradiated with the laser beam.
On the other hand, the recording paper is selected from three paper feed trays and a manual feed, and passes through the lower part of the photosensitive drum 5 at a predetermined timing by the registration roller 8, and at this time, the toner image is transferred onto the recording paper by the transfer charger 9. . Subsequently, the recording paper is separated from the photosensitive drum 5 by the separation charger 10, transported by the transport tank 11, and sent to the fixing unit 12. Here, the toner is fixed on the recording paper.
The recording paper on which the toner is fixed is sent out of the apparatus by the paper discharge tray 13 and discharged.
[0013]
Here, the processing procedure of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the user wants to copy an original in any direction of the main scanning direction or the sub-scanning direction with an arbitrary margin amount, the user operates the operation unit 400 to copy the original in the main scanning direction or the sub-scanning direction. It is set which margin in the sub-scanning direction is to be added (step 10). Thereafter, the user sets the margin amount in the set direction using the operation unit 400. When a plurality of paper feed stages are installed in the digital copying machine, the user simultaneously sets the automatic paper feed stages or manually sets the paper feed stages.
[0014]
If the setting by the user is a margin on the main scanning side of the document (left and right of the document) and the automatic paper feed stage setting (Step 10; Y, Step 11; Y), the transfer paper desired by the user is realized. For this purpose, the digital copier searches for a paper feed tray on which roll paper having the same width as the sub-scanning length of the document is set (step 12). As a result, if there is a matching paper feed stage (Step 12; Y), the paper feed stage is selected and the copy operation starts (Step 13).
[0015]
In the copy operation, the read image of the original is rotated by 90 degrees or 270 degrees to copy the image on the transfer paper. By rotating and transferring the read image, the amount of blank space that the user has obtained in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction) of the document becomes the blank space that is obtained in the sub-scanning direction (vertical direction) of the transfer paper. Then, the obtained margin amount can be realized by a method of changing the cut length of the roll paper.
[0016]
Since the sub-scanning length of the transfer paper is the sum of the main scanning length of the original and the margin length set on the left and right sides of the original, the sum of the main scanning length of the original and the margins on the left and right sides of the original is automatically calculated. This is realized by cutting the transfer paper with a paper length that satisfies the amount of margin desired by the user (step 14). Further, when the document is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees, the document left margin is realized at the leading edge of the transfer paper by delaying the timing of writing on the transfer paper by the left margin of the document (step 15).
Similarly, when the document is rotated 270 degrees clockwise, the right margin of the document is realized at the leading edge of the transfer paper by delaying the writing timing to the transfer paper by the right margin of the document.
[0017]
As a result of the search for the paper feed tray, if there is no matching paper feed tray, the user is notified by displaying on the operation unit that the copy operation is not possible with the current setting or the roll paper width ( Step 18).
If the setting by the user is the main scanning side (left and right of the document) margin of the document and the manual paper feed stage setting, the digital copier is selected to realize the transfer paper desired by the user. The above-described copying operation is performed in the paper feed stage.
If the setting by the user is a margin on the sub-scanning side of the original (upper and lower sides of the original), the digital copying machine performs a copy operation using existing margin realizing means in order to realize the transfer paper desired by the user. (Step 17).
According to this embodiment, as shown in (2) of FIG. 3, the margin can be set to the left and right, and the orientation of the original can be set without considering the length and width of the original and the position where the margin is provided. Processing becomes possible.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first, second and fourth aspects of the present invention, the means for setting the margins on the left and right sides of the document are provided, so that setting errors and the like can be reduced, and the margins above and below the minimum transport length can be reduced. Can be obtained.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the user can be notified that the copying cannot be performed with the setting.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital copying machine according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of the digital copying machine according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of copying according to the present embodiment in comparison with a conventional example.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Reading control unit 101 Sensor 102 Image amplification circuit 103, A / D (analog / digital) conversion circuit 104 Shading correction circuit 300 Image processing unit 301 Image memory unit 302 System control unit 303 Drive control circuit 400 Operation unit 500 Write control unit

Claims (4)

Reading means for reading an original image;
Storage means for storing the document image read by the reading means;
Image processing means for performing a rotation process on the document image stored in the storage means,
Document length recognition means for automatically or manually recognizing a main scanning length and a sub-scanning length of a document image read by the reading means,
A plurality of roll paper feed stages capable of storing one or a plurality of roll papers for forming an image,
Paper feed stage selecting means for automatically or manually selecting which paper feed roll to form an image from the roll paper of the roll paper feed stage,
Margin setting means for accepting the setting of an arbitrary margin amount in any direction of the main scanning direction or the sub-scanning direction irrespective of the document placement direction;
A digital copier comprising: When the margin setting unit sets the margins on the left and right sides of the original and the automatic paper feed stage selection is selected by the paper feed stage selection unit,
A search unit that searches for a roll feed stage having a width that matches the sub-scanning length of the document;
When a roll paper having a matching width is searched by the search means, the roll paper set in the paper feed tray is automatically selected, and the image is rotated by 90 or 270 degrees by the image processing means. 2. The digital copying machine according to claim 1, wherein the cut length of the paper is changed. 3. The digital copying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying that a copy operation is not possible with the current setting or the current roll paper width when a matching roll paper is not searched by the search means. Machine. When the margin setting unit sets the margins on the left and right sides of the document, and the manual paper feed stage selection is selected by the paper feed stage selection unit,
The image processing means rotates the image 90 degrees or 270 degrees left or right or center aligned with respect to the roll paper set in the selected paper feed stage to change the cut length of the roll paper. The digital copying machine according to claim 1, wherein

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