Image forming apparatus

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having hardware resources used for image forming and a program for performing processing related to image forming.

Conventionally, there is a technique for automatically rebooting when a failure occurs due to various causes such as hardware or a program. For example, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 automatically reboots when the reboot target detection unit detects a failure to be rebooted.

<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-219247</text></patcit>

<p> However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, when the reboot target detection unit detects a failure to be rebooted, the reboot is executed even during density correction or adjustment such as registration. For example, if a reboot is performed during the density correction, the density correction is interrupted in the middle, and the density correction must be restarted from the beginning after the reboot, which may waste toner, ink, and the like. Further, for example, if a reboot is performed during registration for four photosensitive drums, the registration must be restarted from the beginning after the reboot, and the image forming apparatus must be returned to the image forming state. It took time.</p><p> Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing consumables such as toner and time required for automatic adjustment processing from being wasted due to a reboot. The purpose is.</p>

<p> The image forming apparatus according to the present invention has the following configuration. (1) In an image forming apparatus having a hardware resource used for image formation and a program for performing image forming processing, a receiving means for receiving the hardware resource and a reboot command for rebooting the program, and the hardware. The receiving means issues the reboot command in a state where the monitoring means for monitoring the state of the hardware resource and the state of the program and the monitoring means detect that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process. Upon receipt, it is characterized by having a hardware resource and a reboot execution means for rebooting the program in accordance with the reboot command after the automatic adjustment process is completed.</p><p>(2) In the invention described in (1), when the receiving means receives the reboot command in a state where the monitoring means has detected that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process. It is characterized by having a notification means for notifying the reboot wait.</p><p>(3) In an image forming apparatus having a hardware resource used for image formation and a program for performing processing related to image forming and connected to an external device via a network, the hardware resource and the program are used. A receiving means for receiving a reboot command for rebooting from the external device via the network, an operating means for inputting a reboot command for rebooting the hardware resource and the program, a state of the hardware resource, and the above. When the monitoring means for monitoring the state of the program and the monitoring means input the reboot command while detecting that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process, the reboot command is said to be the same. It is determined whether the input is input to the receiving means or the operating means, and when it is determined that the input is input to the operating means, the reboot is executed after the completion of the automatic adjustment process. It is characterized by having a selection means for selecting whether to execute the reboot before the completion of the automatic adjustment process, and a reboot execution means for executing the reboot according to the result selected by the selection means.</p><p>(4) In an image forming apparatus having a hardware resource used for image formation and a program for performing image forming processing, a receiving means for receiving the hardware resource and a reboot command for rebooting the program, and The receiving means reboots in a state where the monitoring means for monitoring the state of the hardware resource and the state of the program and the monitoring means detect that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process. It is characterized by having a non-execution means for non-execution of the reboot command when the command is received.</p><p>(5) In the invention according to any one of (1) to (4), the automatic adjustment process is characterized in that it is a density correction. (6) In the invention according to any one of (1) to (4), the automatic adjustment process is a registration process.</p>

<p> According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the receiving means receives a reboot command for rebooting the hardware resources and the program while the monitoring means has detected that the hardware resources or the program is in the automatic adjustment process. In such a case, the hardware resources and the program are rebooted according to the reboot command after the automatic adjustment process is completed, so that consumables such as toner and time required for the automatic adjustment process are wasted due to the reboot. Can be prevented.</p><p> Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the monitoring means detects that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process and the reboot command is received by the receiving means, the notifying means reboots. Since the wait is notified, the user does not mistakenly recognize the failure even if the reboot is not executed after receiving the reboot command.</p><p> Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when a reboot command is input while the monitoring means has detected that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process, the reboot command is issued from the external device. It is determined whether it was input to the receiving means or the operating means via the network, and when it is determined that it was input to the operating means, a reboot is executed after the automatic adjustment process is completed, or it is automatically performed. Since the reboot is selected before the adjustment process is completed and the reboot is executed according to the selection result, the reboot can be executed according to the user's intention, and the consumables such as toner and the time required for the automatic adjustment process are required. Can be prevented from being wasted with a reboot.</p><p> Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even if the receiving means accepts the reboot command while detecting that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment process, the reboot command is ignored and the program is not executed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent consumables such as toner and time required for the automatic adjustment process from being wasted due to the reboot.</p><p> Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the automatic adjustment process is the density correction, the reboot is not executed during the density correction, and the toner used before the reboot is not wasted. Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the automatic adjustment process is the registration process, the reboot is not executed in the middle of the registration, that is, the registration process is restarted from the beginning after the reboot is executed. There is no such thing, and the time required to return to the image-forming state does not become longer than necessary.</p>

Next, an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a system in which a personal computer 2 is connected to a printer 1 via a network 3. A plurality of personal computers 2A, 2B, 2C ... are connected to the printer 1 so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 3 such as a LAN. In the following explanation, when it is not necessary to distinguish between personal computers 2A, 2B, and 2C, it is referred to as "personal computer 2". The printer 1 is an example of an image forming apparatus that forms image data received from the personal computer 2 on the recording paper 4, so that the personal computers 2A, 2B, 2C ... can easily manage the printer 1 which is a shared resource. It has a network type (Web browser type) management function. Such a printer 1 is characterized in that it controls the execution of a reboot when a reboot command is input in a state where it is detected that a hardware resource or a program is in the process of automatic adjustment.

&lt;Mechanical Configuration of Printer&gt; FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the printer 1 shown in FIG. The appearance of the printer 1 is composed of a box-shaped main body casing 11. Below the main body casing 11, a paper feed cassette 12 for accommodating the recording paper 4 is provided so as to be detachable from the front side. A paper output tray 13 is formed on the upper surface of the main body casing 11, and an operation unit 14 is provided on one side of the paper output tray 13. The operation unit 14 operates the printer 1 and includes an operation switch 16 for inputting an operation instruction, a liquid crystal panel 17 for displaying information, and the like. A power-on switch 17 for turning on / off the printer 1 is provided on the side surface of the main body casing 11.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the printer 1 shown in FIG. In the printer 1, the image forming unit 22 forms an image on the recording paper 4 picked up from the paper feed cassette 12 by the paper feeding unit 21, and the image forming unit 4 ejects the image-formed recording paper 4 to the output tray 13. Paper.

The image forming unit 22 is composed of four image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K, a transfer unit 25, and a fixing unit 26. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K in the following description, the term "image forming unit 24" is used. Further, the image forming unit 24 constitutes the hardware resource of the present invention.

The image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K contain toners of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and are arranged side by side along the transport direction of the recording paper 4. Has been done.

The image forming unit 24 includes a photoconductor drum 27 as an image carrier, a charger 28 for charging the photoconductor drum 27, an exposure unit 29 for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 27, and a photoconductor drum 27. A developing unit 30 for adhering toner to the photoconductor drum 27 to form a visible image by a developing bias applied between the and is arranged. The developing unit 30 contains toner of a color corresponding to the image forming unit 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K at the arrangement destination.

The image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K have the same configuration. In FIG. 3, if the code of the component is described in each image forming unit 24, the drawing becomes difficult to see. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the code of the component is described only in the image forming unit 24K, and the other image forming units 24Y, 24M, The symbols are omitted for the 24C components.

The transfer unit 25 includes a transfer roller 31, a transfer belt 32, a transfer belt drive roller 33, and a transfer belt driven roller 34.

The transport belt 32 is wound around the transport belt drive roller 33 and the transport belt driven roller 34, and is arranged in the main body casing 11 so that the outer surface of the transport belt 32 faces the photoconductor drum 27 of each image forming unit 24. .. Inside the transport belt 32, a transfer roller 31 is arranged so as to face the photoconductor drum 27 with the transport belt 32 interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 31 is applied with an appropriate transfer bias during transfer.

The fixing portion 26 is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt drive roller 33.

Therefore, the image forming unit 22 transmits the driving force of the transport belt drive roller 33 to the transport belt 32 and moves the transport belt 32 counterclockwise in the drawing, thereby transporting the paper feed section 21 to the image forming section 22. The recording paper 4 that has been produced is sequentially conveyed between the photoconductor drum 27 of the image forming unit 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K and the transfer roller 31 of the transfer unit 25, and each color formed on each photoconductor drum 27 is possible. The visual image is superimposed on the recording paper 4 and transferred. Then, the image transferred to the recording paper is heat-fixed by the fixing unit 26.

The toner recovery unit 36 is arranged so as to come into contact with the transport belt 32 on the lower side of the transport belt 32, that is, on the downstream side of the image forming unit 20K. Outside the transport belt 32, between the image forming unit 20K and the toner recovery unit 36, a density sensor 37 that measures the density of the patch formed during density correction and a density sensor 37 formed on the transport belt 32 during registration are formed. A mark detector 38 for detecting a mark is arranged.

Each unit of the printer 1 having such a configuration is controlled by the control unit 40.

&lt;Electrical Control Configuration of Control Unit&gt; FIG. 4 is an electric block diagram of the control unit 40 shown in FIG. The control unit 40 is a well-known computer, and is mainly composed of a CPU 41 that processes and calculates data. The CPU 41 includes an input / output interface (hereinafter referred to as "input / output IF") 42, a ROM 43, a RAM 44, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as "HDD") 45, and a network interface (hereinafter referred to as "network IF"). 46 is connected. The control unit 40 constitutes the hardware resource of the present invention.

The CPU 41 processes and calculates data for processing.

The input / output IF42 includes an operation button 15, a liquid crystal panel 16, a paper feeding unit 21, a paper ejection unit 23, a fixing unit 26, a photoconductor drum 27, a charger 28, an exposure unit 29, a developing unit 30, a transfer roller 31, and a transfer. A belt drive roller 33, a toner recovery unit 36, a density sensor 37, a mark detector 38, a power supply 39, etc. are connected.

ROM43 is a read-only non-volatile memory that stores various data and programs. RAM44 is a readable and writable volatile memory that stores various data and programs.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the RAM shown in FIG. A receive buffer 47, a RAMDISK 48, a free area 49, and a system storage area 50 are arranged in the RAM 44. The arrangement of each area 47, 48, 49, 50 can be arbitrarily changed according to the instruction from the personal computer 2 or the instruction input to the operation button 15.

Here, the reception buffer 47 is an area for temporarily storing the data received by the printer 1. The receive buffer 47 stores, for example, print data, a reboot command, and the like. RAMDISK48 is an area for storing data. RAMDISK48 is used, for example, to store print data when performing secure print, which stores print data until a password is entered. The free area 49 is an area for temporarily storing data and calculation results when the CPU 41 processes, calculates, or analyzes data. The system storage area 50 is an area for storing data related to system operation.

FIG. 6 is an example of an address table that stores the addresses assigned to the RAM 44 shown in FIG. In the address table, address storage fields AD1, AD2, AD3, AD4 are provided for each area 47,48,49,50. The addresses that can be written to the address storage fields AD1, AD2, AD3, AD4 are determined according to the storage capacity of the areas 47, 48, 49, 50 defined by the arrangement of the RAM 44.

Returning to FIG. 4, HDD45 is a readable and writable non-volatile memory. The personal computer identification information storage means 51, the density correction program 52, the registration program 53, the browser creation program 54, and the reboot control program 55 are stored in the HDD 45.

The personal computer identification information storage means 51 stores identification information individually assigned to the personal computer 2 in order to identify the personal computer 2 connected to the printer 1 via the network 3. The density correction program 52 corrects the density of the image formed on the recording paper 4. The registration program 53 executes registration. The browser creation program 54 creates a browser according to a user's instruction and sends the created browser to the personal computer 2. The reboot control program 55 controls the execution of the reboot when the reboot command is received.

The network IF46 inputs / outputs data to / from the network 3. The printer 1 may be provided with a parallel IF, a USB IF, etc. in addition to the network IF46, and may be configured to be connected to an external device such as a personal computer 2 via their interfaces.

&lt;Explanation of operation of printer 1&gt; The operation of printer 1 having the above configuration will be described.

&lt;Normal operation&gt; The printer 1 stores the print data received from the personal computer 2 via the network 3 in the reception buffer 47 and expands it as page data on the RAM 44, while the paper feed unit 21 starts from the paper feed cassette 12. The recording paper 4 is picked up and conveyed to the image forming unit 22. The image forming unit 22 uniformly makes the photoconductor drum 27 of the image forming unit 24 withstand electricity by the charger 28, and irradiates the surface of the photoconductor drum 27 with the light of the exposure unit 29 to form an electrostatic latent image. By applying the development bias voltage to the developing unit 30, the toner adheres to the photoconductor drum 27, and the electrostatic latent image of the photoconductor drum 27 is visualized. The visible image of the photoconductor drum 27 is transferred to the recording paper 4 between the photoconductor drum 27 and the transfer roller 31. The image transferred to the recording paper 4 is heat-fixed at the fixing portion 26. The recording paper 4 on which the image is formed in this way is discharged from the paper ejection unit 23 to the output tray 13.

&lt;Density correction&gt; Here, the toner adheres to the surface of the photoconductor drum 27 due to the development bias voltage. Therefore, the amount of toner adhered changes depending on the magnitude of the development bias voltage, and the density of the image formed on the recording paper 4 also changes accordingly. Therefore, the printer 1 executes the density correction program 52 at the same time when the power-on switch 17 is turned on and the power-on 39 is turned on to perform the density correction.

The density correction is performed as follows. The control unit 40 counts the number of image formations, and when the number of image formations reaches a predetermined number, updates the development bias voltage at the time of patch formation, and then drives the transfer belt drive roller 33 to drive the transfer belt 32. Is moved and the image forming unit 24 is operated to form a patch on the transport belt 32. The density of the patch formed on the transport belt 32 is measured by the density sensor 37. Then, the difference between the density measured by the density sensor 37 and the preset target density is obtained, the correction amount of the development bias voltage is calculated so that the difference becomes zero, and the development bias voltage is corrected. Therefore, if such density correction is performed, assuming that the electric resistance capacity of the charger 28 is constant, the density can be kept constant even if the number of image formations is repeated.

&lt;Registration&gt; In addition, when the recording paper 4 is conveyed to the image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K by the conveying belt 32, the printer 1 is CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) from each photoconductor drum 27. Color printing is performed by sequentially transferring each color toner of the above to the recording paper 4 and reproducing the colors at once by combining the toners of each color. In such tandem color printing, images of each color are formed by image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K at different positions, so if the paper feed and printing timings are not accurately controlled, the colors will be delicate. There is a problem that color shift occurs in which the print position shifts. Therefore, the printer 1 executes the registration program 53 at the same time when the power is turned on, and performs registration by superimposing each color with high accuracy.

Registration is performed as follows. The printer 1 forms a resist mark on the transport belt 32 separately from the image formed on the recording paper 4. The resist marks are formed by the image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K at regular intervals. The resist mark is read by the mark detector 38 and the color deviation is measured. When the mark detector detects a color shift, the position and orientation of the exposure unit 29 are corrected and adjusted by feedback control. Therefore, if such registration is performed, it is possible to suppress color deviation and form a good image.

Since the toner used for density correction and registration is collected by the toner collection unit 37, the toner does not scatter in the main body casing 11.

&lt;Changing printer settings&gt; By the way, the user may want to add, change, or delete the hardware or program of the printer 1 to improve the usability of the printer 1. Specifically, for example, in order to improve the printing capacity of the printer 1, one of the printers 2 accesses the printer 1 with the agreement of the users who share the printer 1, and the free space 49'shown in FIG. 5 is shown. The layout of RAM44 may be changed so as to reduce the storage capacity and increase the storage capacity as in the receive buffer 47'.

The layout of RAM44 is changed as follows. For example, when the user inputs an instruction to change the arrangement of the RAM 44 to the personal computer 2A and accesses the control unit 40 of the printer 1 from the personal computer 2A via the network 3, the printer 1 executes the browser creation program 54. Then, the identification information of the personal computer 2A is collated with the personal computer identification information storage means 51 to perform authority authentication, and if it can be confirmed that the personal computer 2A has the legitimate authority, the Web browser 60 as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the personal computer 2A. Create display data in HTLM format and send it to PC 2A. The screen of the Web browser 60 shown in FIG. 8 displayed on the display device of the personal computer 2A is provided with a setting item "Input Buffer" 61 for changing the arrangement of the RAM area. Therefore, the user can use the setting item "Input". After entering the changed setting value in the setting value input field 62 of "Buffer" 61, click the OK button 63. Then, a reboot command for executing a reboot when the arrangement of the RAM 44 is changed is transmitted from the personal computer 2A to the printer 1 together with a command for changing the arrangement of the RAM 44 based on the setting value input in the setting value input field 62. When the printer 1 receives the RAM44 arrangement change command and the reboot command and stores them in the reception buffer 47, the printer 1 changes the arrangement of the RAM44 according to the RAM44 arrangement change command. At this time, a reboot is executed and the arrangement of RAM44 is updated.

The Web browser 60 shown in FIG. 8 displays the setting items with a reboot and the setting items without a reboot on the same screen, but displays only the setting items with the reboot items on one screen and outputs a reboot command. Awareness may be given to the user. According to this, the user can be made aware of the reboot. Further, the setting item and the reboot command may be set on separate setting screens and transmitted to the printer 1. According to this, it is possible to reboot at the timing intended by the user.

Further, the reboot is not limited to the reboot using the network type management function as described above, but it is also possible to give a direct instruction and perform the reboot by operating the operation button 15 of the printer 1.

&lt;Reboot control&gt; Reboot stops the operation of the hardware resources and programs of the printer 1 and initializes the hardware resources and programs. Therefore, even if a reboot command is received during the automatic adjustment process for handling toner, data, etc., the printer 1 may not want to reboot. Therefore, the printer 1 executes the reboot control program 55 after the power is turned on, and controls the execution of the reboot when the reboot command is input.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the reboot control program 55 shown in FIG. The reboot control process first determines in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as S1) whether or not there is received data via the network IF46 based on the received data stored in the receive buffer 47. If there is no received data via network IF46 (S1: NO), in S2, check whether the received data stored in the receive buffer 47 is a reboot command input from the operation button 15, and from the panel settings. Determine if there was a reboot command.

If the received data in the receive buffer 47 is not the reboot command input from the operation button 15 and it is determined from the panel settings that there is no reboot command (S2: NO), there is no need to reboot, so return to S1 and wait. To do. On the other hand, if the received data in the receive buffer 47 is a reboot command input from the operation button 15 and it is determined from the panel settings that there is a reboot command (S2: NO), it is necessary to reboot, so proceed to S5. ..

On the other hand, when it is determined that the received data via the network IF46 is in the receive buffer 47 (S1: YES), the received data is analyzed in S3. Then, in S4, it is determined whether or not the received data is a reboot command.

If the received data is not a reboot command (S4: NO), there is no need to reboot, so return to S1 and wait. On the other hand, if the received data is a reboot command (S4: YES), it is necessary to reboot, so proceed to S5.

These processes S1 to 4 are performed to monitor the received data stored in the receive buffer 47 and confirm the necessity of rebooting. In particular, the reboot command input from the operation button 15 is monitored by the processing of S2, and the reboot command input from the personal computer 2 is monitored by the processing of S4.

Then, in S5, it is determined whether or not the density correction is in progress. Whether or not the density correction is in progress is determined based on whether or not the image forming unit 24 has formed a patch by executing the density correction program 52. If the image forming unit 24 is patch forming, the printer 1 determines that the density correction is in progress (S5: YES), and an email or confirmation saying "The density is being corrected and is waiting for a reboot." Send the message to the personal computer 2 that issued the reboot command. As a result, the user is notified of the reboot waiting state of printer 1. At this time, the printer 1 may also display, for example, "During density correction, waiting for reboot" on the liquid crystal panel 16 to notify the user that the printer is waiting for reboot.

Such processing of S5 monitors the state of the image forming unit 24, which is a hardware resource of the printer 1, and the state of the density correction program 52, which is a program of the printer 1. Therefore, the processing of S5 corresponds to the "monitoring means". In addition, the processing of S6 is equivalent to a "notification means" because it notifies the waiting for a reboot. These processes of S5 and S6 are performed so that the reboot is not executed even if the reboot command is input while the density correction program 52 is executed and the image density is automatically adjusted.

On the other hand, when the image forming unit 24 does not form a patch, it is determined that the density correction is not in progress (S5: NO), and in S7, it is determined whether or not the registration is in progress. Whether or not registration is in progress is determined based on whether or not the image forming unit 24 forms a mark by executing the registration program 53. When the registration program 53 is executed and the image forming unit 24 forms a mark, it is determined that registration is in progress (S7: YES), and in S8, a reboot waiting is notified. The notification of waiting for reboot is the same as when the density is being corrected, so the explanation is omitted.

Such processing of S7 monitors the status of the image forming unit 24, which is a hardware resource, and the registration program 53, which is a program. Therefore, the processing of S7 corresponds to the "monitoring means". In addition, the processing of S8 corresponds to the "notification means" because it notifies the waiting for reboot. These processes of S7 and S8 are performed so that the reboot is not executed even if the reboot command is input while the registration program 53 is executed and the color shift is automatically adjusted.

After confirming that printer 1 has not performed density correction and registration (S5: NO, S7: NO), a reboot is executed in S9. That is, when the printer 1 receives a reboot command from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 while detecting that the image density and the color shift are being automatically adjusted (see S5: YES or S7: YES) (S1). : YES, S3, S4: YES or S1: NO, S2: YES), reboot after the automatic adjustment process is completed. In addition, the printer 1 receives a reboot command from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 while detecting that the image forming unit 24 or the registration program 53 is not in the automatic adjustment process (see S5: NO and S7: NO). Occasionally (see S1: YES, S3, S4: YES or S1: NO, S2: YES) perform an immediate reboot. Therefore, the processing of S2, S4, S5, S7, and S8 corresponds to the "reboot execution means".

&lt;Effect&gt; In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 40 detects that the hardware resources such as the image forming unit 24 and the programs such as the density correction program 52 and the registration program 53 are in the process of automatic adjustment. (Refer to S5: YES or S7: YES), even if a reboot command for rebooting hardware resources or programs is accepted from network IF24 or operation button 15 (S1: YES, S3, S4: YES or YES in Fig. 7). (See S1: NO, S2: YES), and only after the automatic adjustment process is completed, the hardware resources and programs are rebooted (see S5: NO and S7: NO in Fig. 7). Therefore, it is not necessary to execute the reboot while executing the density correction or registration, and to redo the density correction or registration after the reboot is completed. Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment does not waste the toner and time used for density correction and registration before the reboot, and can avoid wasting the toner and time due to the reboot.

Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, when a reboot command is received from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 during density correction or registration, the personal computer 2 or the liquid crystal panel 16 is notified by displaying a reboot wait. Therefore (see S5: YES, S6 or S7: YES, S8 in Fig. 7), even if the reboot command is not executed after receiving the reboot command, the user does not mistakenly recognize the failure. In particular, if the user is notified that the reboot is waiting because the density is being corrected or the registration is being performed at the time of the reboot notification, it is unknown whether or not the process is executed from the outside like the density correction and the registration. Even in such a case, the user can grasp the operating state of the printer 1 and wait for the reboot.

Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the reboot is not executed during the density correction (see S5: YES in FIG. 7), and the toner used for patch formation before the reboot is not wasted. Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the reboot is not executed during the registration (see S7: YES in FIG. 7), that is, the registration process is not restarted from the beginning after the reboot is executed. , The time required to return to the image-forming state does not become longer than necessary.

(Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The printer 1A, which is the image forming apparatus of the second embodiment, has a reboot control program 552 configured differently from the reboot control program 55 of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 4, 7, and 9), and the other configurations are the first. 1 Same as the embodiment. Therefore, here, the reboot process different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment will be used for the configuration and the process common to the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the reboot control program 552 stored in the printer 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The reboot control process of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that when a reboot command is given from the setting panel, it is left to the user to select whether to forcibly execute the reboot or wait for the reboot. Therefore, here, S21 to S26 of FIG. 9 will be described.

If the received data is not received in the receive buffer 47 via the network IF46 (S1: NO), but the reboot command is input by pressing the setting button 15 (S2: YES), is the density correction being performed in S21? Judge whether or not. Since this judgment is the same as S5 described above, the explanation is omitted.

When it is determined that the density correction is in progress (S21: YES), in S22, the liquid crystal panel 16 is displayed to notify the user that it is waiting for a reboot. At this time, a message such as "Do you want to reboot immediately?" Is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 16 to ask the user to decide whether to perform a reboot after the density correction is completed or a reboot during the density correction. This is because, for example, when the user's seat is away from the printer 1 or when the user is in a hurry to print, the user may wish to perform a reboot even during the density correction.

Here, in the processing of S21, it is determined whether or not the program or hardware resource is in the automatic adjustment processing depending on whether or not the correction program 52 is executed and whether or not the image forming unit 24 is operating. To. Therefore, the processing of S21 corresponds to the "monitoring means". Further, the process of S22 corresponds to the "notification means" because it notifies the reboot waiting.

When the user inputs a command to not reboot immediately to the operation button 15 (S23: NO), the user returns to S21 and waits until the density correction is completed. On the other hand, when the user inputs a command to immediately reboot to the operation button 15 (S23: YES), the process proceeds to S9, the reboot is executed before the density correction is completed, and then the process ends.

Here, the user is given a choice of whether to execute the reboot by the process of S23 before the density correction or after the density correction. Therefore, the processing of S23 corresponds to the "selection means". Then, since the reboot is executed according to the selection of S23, the processes of S21, S23, and S9 correspond to the "reboot execution means".

On the other hand, when it is determined that the density correction is not in progress (S22: NO), it is determined in S24 whether or not the registration is in progress. The judgment of whether or not registration is in progress is the same as for S7, so the explanation is omitted.

If it is determined that registration is not in progress (S24: NO), automatic adjustment processing such as density correction and registration has not been performed, so reboot is executed as it is in S9. On the other hand, if it is determined that registration is in progress (S24: YES), a reboot wait is notified in S25. Since this notification is the same as S22, the explanation is omitted. Then, in S26, it is determined whether or not to reboot immediately.

When the user inputs a command to immediately reboot from the operation button 15, registration is stopped, the reboot is executed, and the process ends in S9. On the other hand, if the user inputs a command not to reboot immediately from the operation button 15, the user returns to S21 and waits for the registration to be completed. Then, when the registration is completed, the reboot is executed in S9 to end the process.

Here, the user is given a choice of whether to execute the reboot by the process of S26 before the registration is completed or after the registration is completed. Therefore, the processing of S26 corresponds to the "selection means". Then, since the reboot is executed according to the selection of S26, the processes of S24, S26, and S9 correspond to the "reboot execution means".

&lt;Effect&gt; Therefore, the printer 1A of the present embodiment issues a reboot command when the control unit 40 detects that the density is being corrected or the registration is in progress (see S21: YES or S24: YES in FIG. 9). When input (see S1: YES, S2, S3: YES or S1: NO, S2: YES in Figure 9), is the reboot command input from printer 2 to receive buffer 47 via network 3? It is determined whether the input was made to the operation button 15, and when it is determined that the input was made to the operation button 15 (see S2: YES in Fig. 9), a reboot is executed after the density correction process or registration process is completed. It is selected whether to execute the reboot before the completion of the density correction process or the registration process, and the reboot is executed according to the selection result (see S21 to S26 in FIG. 9). Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can avoid wasting toner used for patch formation and resist mark formation before density correction, and wasting time to restart registration from the beginning after the reboot is completed, and is intended by the user. Reboot can be executed according to the timing.

(Third Embodiment) Subsequently, the third embodiment according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The printer 1B, which is the image forming apparatus of the third embodiment, has a reboot control program 553 configured differently from the reboot control program 55 of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 4, 7, and 10), and the other configurations are the first. 1 Same as the embodiment. Therefore, here, the reboot process different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment will be used for the configuration and the process common to the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the reboot control program 553 stored in the printer 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the reboot control process of the third embodiment, when a reboot command is received from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 (see S1: YES, S2, S3: YES or S1: NO, S2: YES), the printer 1 corrects the density. (S5: YES), give priority to density correction and ignore the reboot command. That is, the process ends without executing a reboot.

Also, when the reboot command is received from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 (see S1: YES, S2, S3: YES or S1: NO, S2: YES), and when the printer 1 is executing registration (S7). : YES), give priority to registration processing and ignore the reboot command. That is, the process ends without executing a reboot.

In this way, in the processing of S5 and S7, when the printer 1 automatically adjusts the image density and the color shift, the reboot command is not executed. Therefore, S5 and S7 correspond to "non-execution means".

&lt;Effect&gt; Therefore, the printer 1B of the present embodiment ignores the reboot command even if the receive buffer 47 accepts the reboot command in the state where the control unit 40 detects that the density correction or registration is being executed. And make it non-executable (see S5: NO and S7: NO in Figure 10). It does not matter whether the reboot command is input from the personal computer 2 or the operation button 15 (see S2: NO and S4: NO in Fig. 10). Therefore, according to the printer 1B of the present embodiment, the toner used for patch processing at the time of density correction and registration mark formation at the time of registration is not wasted, and after the registration is stopped, the registration is restarted from the beginning. Do not waste time returning to the image-forming state to start over.

Although the printers 1, 1A and 1B according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be applied in various ways.

(1) For example, in the above embodiment, the printer 1 is mentioned as an example of the image forming apparatus, but a network facsimile, a multifunction device, a copier, or the like may be used as the image forming apparatus.

(2) For example, in the above embodiment, in the above embodiment, the waiting for the reboot is notified via the personal computer 2 and the liquid crystal panel 16 of the user who issued the reboot command, but all the personal computers 2 connected to the printer 1 are waiting for the reboot. May be notified. In this case, it is possible to notify other users who do not input the reboot command that the printer 1 cannot be used because the printer 1 is performing automatic adjustment processing such as density correction and registration.

(3) For example, in the above embodiment, density correction and registration, which make it difficult to check the operating state from the outside of the printer 1, are given as an example of the automatic adjustment process, but the automatic adjustment process makes it easy to check the operating state from the outside. Even if there is, it may be used as a reference for adjusting the timing of executing the reboot.

<figref num="1">It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the system which connected the personal computer to the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention via a network.</figref><figref num="2">It is external perspective view of the printer shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the printer shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="4">It is an electric block diagram of the control part shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="5">It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of RAM shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="6">This is an example of an address table that stores the addresses attached to the RAM shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="7">It is a flow chart of the reboot control program shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="8">It is a figure which shows an example of the Web browser screen displayed on the personal computer shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="9">It is a flow chart of the reboot control program stored in the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="10">It is a flow chart of the reboot control program stored in the printer which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.</figref>

Code description

1,1A, 1B Printer (image forming device) 15 Operation button (operating means) 24 Image forming unit (hardware resource) 40 Control unit (hardware resource) 53 Registration program (program) 47 Receiving buffer (receiving means) 55 , 552,553 Reboot control program (monitoring means, reboot execution means, notification means, selection means, non-execution means)