Image forming system, image forming apparatus and post processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9602690-B2
Application number	US-201614989940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2016
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

The sheet discharge control unit notifies an engine control unit of plural conveyance interval times for different conveyance speeds beforehand, where each of the conveyance interval times corresponds to a period from completion of a post processing operation with respect to a preceding piece of recording material post-processed earlier until a start of a post processing operation with respect to a given piece of recording material post-processed subsequently to the preceding piece of recording material. When performing image formation on the given piece of recording material, the engine control unit selects a conveyance interval time which matches a conveyance speed for performing image formation on the given piece of recording material from the plural conveyance interval times, of which the engine control unit has been notified by the sheet discharge control unit, and determines a timing to start the image forming operation, based on the selected conveyance interval time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus including a first control unit configured to control an image forming operation with respect to a recording material; and
a post processing apparatus including a second control unit configured to control a post processing operation with respect to the recording material on which an image has been formed as a result of the image forming operation,
wherein the second control unit notifies the first control unit of a plurality of time periods from a time when the post processing apparatus receives a first recording material to a time when the post processing apparatus receives a second recording material conveyed next after the first recording material, each of the plurality of time periods defined based on different conditions with respect to the image forming operation, and
wherein before the image forming apparatus performs the image forming operation with respect to the second recording material, the first control unit selects a time period which corresponds to a condition for performing the image forming operation with respect to the second recording material from among the plurality of time periods, of which the first control unit has been notified by the second control unit, and determines a timing to start the image forming operation based on the selected time period.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit configured to store information representing a relationship between the different conditions and the plurality of time periods,
wherein the first control unit selects the time period which corresponds to the condition for performing the image forming operation with respect to the second recording material based on the information stored in the storage unit.

3. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the second control unit sends information to the first control unit, the information representing a relationship between the different conditions and the plurality of time periods, and
wherein the first control unit selects the time period which corresponds to the condition for performing image forming operation with respect to the second recording material based on the information notified by the second control unit.

4. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the condition is conveyance speed of the recording material, and
wherein the first control unit selects the time period according to the conveyance speed.

5. The image forming system according to claim 4 , wherein the first control unit sets the conveyance speed at a first speed in a case where the number of recording materials on which the image has been formed continuously is equal to or less than a predetermined number, and sets the conveyance speed at a second speed slower than the first speed in a case where the number of recording materials on which the image has been formed continuously exceeds the predetermined number, and
wherein a first time period corresponding to the first speed is shorter than a second time period corresponding to the second speed.

6. The image forming system according to claim 4 , wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a fixing unit configured to convey and heat the recording material to fix an image formed on the recording material,
wherein the first control unit sets the conveyance speed at a first speed in a case where a temperature at an end of the fixing unit in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording material is lower than a predetermined temperature, and sets the conveyance speed at a second speed slower than the first speed in a case where the temperature of the end of the fixing unit in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording material is higher than the predetermined temperature, and
wherein a first time period corresponding to the first speed is shorter than a second time period corresponding to the second speed.

7. The image forming system according to claim 4 , wherein the first control unit sets the conveyance speed at a first speed in a case where a type of a recording material is a first type, and sets the conveyance speed at a second speed slower than the first speed in a case where the type of the recording material is a second type that is thicker than the first type, and
wherein a first time period corresponding to the first speed is shorter than a second time period corresponding to the second speed.

8. The image forming system according to claim 7 , wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a detection unit configured to detect the type of the recording material, and
wherein the first control unit determines the type of the recording material based on a detection result of the detection unit.

9. The image forming system according to claim 4 , wherein the first control unit notifies the second control unit of the conveyance speed of the second recording material, and
wherein the second control unit controls the post processing operation with respect to the second recording material based on the conveyance speed of the second recording material, of which the second control unit is notified by the first control unit.

10. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the condition is a type of the recording material, and
wherein the first control unit selects the time period according to the type of the recording material.

11. The image forming system according to claim 10 , wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a detection unit configured to detect the type of the recording material, and
wherein the first control unit determines the type of the recording material based on a detection result of the detection unit.

12. The image forming system according to claim 10 , wherein in a case where the type of the recording material is a first type, the first control unit selects a first time period corresponding to the first type, and in a case where the type of the recording material is a second type thicker than the first type, the first control unit selects a second time period corresponding to the second type, and
wherein the first time period is shorter than the second time period.

13. The image forming system according to claim 10 , wherein the first control unit notifies the second control unit of the type of the second recording material, and
wherein the second control unit controls the post processing operation with respect to the second recording material based on the type of the second recording material, of which the second control unit is notified by the first control unit.

14. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the second control unit notifies the first control unit of the plurality of time periods in response to information about the post processing operation to be performed on the second recording material, the information being received from the first control unit.

15. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus further includes:
a plurality of image bearing members; and
an intermediate transferring member on which an image formed on the plurality of image bearing members is transferred, and
wherein the first control unit determines a timing that starts image formation on the plurality of image bearing members based on the selected time period.

16. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the post processing apparatus further includes:
a tray on which the recording material is pl

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yokoyama Seiji
• Sato Kazuhisa
• Takahashi Genki

Classifications

• H04N1/00708

  Size or dimensions · CPC title

• H04N1/0032

  with a medium handling apparatus, e.g. a sheet sorter (handling thin or filamentary material, e.g. sheets B65H) · CPC title

• G03G15/6582

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title

• H04N1/00591 Primary

  from the scanning position (H04N1/00572 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/6573

  Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing · CPC title