Image forming system with temporary and emergency stop means

• US 5,721,621 A
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kazuyoshi, Komaki, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, KYUNG E
• Application Number:
  US08/781,916
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 355/200-209, 355/313-314, 355/308-310, 358/406, 358/468, 358/486, 358/498, 358/296-303, 358/304
• US Class Current: 358/296
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32609 Fault detection or counter-measures, e.g. original mis-positioned, shortage of paper

Abstract

When a start signal is inputted to an image forming apparatus, initial settings of the reader unit and printer unit are respectively performed in a first step. In a second step, if the apparatus is in the temporary stop state, the operation waits until this state is canceled. During this waiting period, the apparatus does not performs scanning of the next scanning line. If the apparatus is not in the temporary stop state, the operation proceeds to a third step, where the reader units and the printer units start scanning. When print-scanning of one line is completed in a fourth step, the operation proceeds to a fifth step, where data required for the next scanning is transmitted to the reader unit and the printer unit. In a sixth step, the above operation is repeated until the entire image formation is completed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

image forming means for forming an image by performing a record-scan a plurality of times;

temporary stop signal input means for inputting a temporary stop signal designating a temporary stop of an image forming operation for forming the image on one recording medium;

emergency stop signal input means for inputting an emergency stop signal designating an emergency stop of the image forming operation for forming the image on one recording medium;

temporary stop cancellation signal input means for inputting a temporary stop cancellation signal designating cancellation of the temporary stop of the image forming operation;

emergency stop cancellation signal input means for inputting an emergency stop cancellation signal designating cancellation of the emergency stop of the image forming operation;

determination means for determining whether the temporary stop signal has been inputted before said image forming means performs record-scanning;

hold means for suspending record-scanning when said determination means determines that the temporary stop signal has been inputted;

temporary stop cancellation means for restarting record-scanning which has been suspended, in response to input of the temporary stop cancellation signal;

emergency stop means for immediately stopping operations related to image formation in response to input of the emergency stop signal, and for placing said image forming apparatus in an emergency stop state; and

emergency stop cancellation means for cancelling the emergency stop state in response to input of the emergency stop cancellation signal.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit for designating operations, wherein at least one of input of the temporary stop signal performed by said temporary stop signal input means and input of the temporary stop cancellation signal performed by said temporary stop cancellation signal input means are performed in response to operation of said operation unit.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising connection means for receiving an operation signal from an external apparatus, wherein at least one of input of the temporary stop signal performed by said temporary stop signal input means and input of the temporary stop cancellation signal performed by said temporary stop cancellation signal input means are performed in response to the operation signal received by said connection means.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit comprising a switch and is used to designate various operations, wherein at least one of input of the emergency stop signal performed by said emergency stop signal input means and input of the emergency stop cancellation signal performed by said emergency stop cancellation signal input means are performed in response to an operation of said switch of said operation unit.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising connection means for receiving an operation signal from an external apparatus, wherein at least one of input of the emergency stop signal performed by said emergency stop signal input means and input of the emergency stop cancellation signal performed by said emergency stop cancellation signal input means are performed in response to the operation signal received by said connection means.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming means forms the image on the recording medium by ejecting an ink.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said image forming means comprises heat energy generating means for applying a heat energy to the ink and ejects the ink by causing a state change in the ink by the heat energy.

8. An image forming apparatus including recording means and scanning means for relatively scanning a recording medium with the recording means, for forming an image on the recording medium by scanning the recording medium with the recording means plural times, said apparatus comprising:

control means for causing an image formation operation for forming the image on one recording medium, including scanning of the recording means by the scanning means, to be stopped in response to a first stop signal and causing the image formation operation to be stopped in response to a second stop signal after a predetermined scanning of the recording means by the scanning means; and

releasing means for causing a state in which the image is formable in response to a release signal for releasing the stopped image formation operation, wherein said releasing means causes the image formation operation to be sequentially resumed after the image formation operation is stopped only when the image formation operation is stopped by the second stop signal, wherein said control means causes the recording means to be moved to a predetermined position out of a recording area by the scanning means when the image formation operation is stopped in response to the second stop signal.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording means forms the image on the recording medium by ejecting an ink.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the recording means comprises heat energy generating means for applying heat energy to the ink and ejects the ink by causing a state change in the ink by the heat energy.

11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium comprises a rolled recording medium.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising cutting means for cutting the rolled recording medium, wherein said releasing means causes the state in which the image is formable in response to the release signal and causes the recording medium to be cut by said cutting means.

13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising post-treatment means for post-treating the recording medium after the image has been formed on the recording medium by the recording means.

14. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said post-treatment means applies heat to the recording medium.

15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

first stop signal generating means for generating the first stop signal;

second stop signal generating means for generating the second stop signal; and

release signal generating means for generating the release signal.

16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising operating means for effecting the image formation operation, wherein said first stop signal generating means, said second stop signal generating means and said release signal generating means are comprised in said operating means.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising operating means for effecting the image formation operation, wherein the first stop signal, the second stop signal and the release signal are generated by said operating means.

18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising receiving means for receiving a signal from an external source, wherein the first stop signal, the second stop signal and the release signal are received by said receiving means.

19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means causes the image formation operation to be stopped after a scanning is performed by reducing a speed of scanning of the recording means by a predetermined amount less than a scanning speed by the scanning means during normal recording when the first stop signal is generated.

20. An image forming apparatus having a recording head and a main-scanning means for relatively main-scanning a recording medium with said recording head for forming an image on the recording medium by an image forming operation which executes main-scanning of the recording medium with the recording head plural times, said apparatus comprising:

temporary stop means for temporarily stopping the image forming operation for forming the image on one recording medium, wherein the main-scanning of said recording head by said main-scanning means is suspended when said temporary stop means temporarily stops the image forming operation;

cancel instruction means for instructing cancellation of the temporary stop of the image forming operation; and

temporary stop cancellation means for restarting the main-scanning of said recording head suspended when said cancel instruction means instructs the cancellation of the temporary stop of the image forming operation.

21. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising emergency stop means for immediately stopping the image forming operation.

22. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said temporary stop means temporarily stops the image forming operation when the main-scanning by said main-scanning means is finished.

23. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising stop instruction means for instructing the temporary stop by said temporary stop means, and wherein said temporary stop means temporarily stops the image forming operation when the main-scanning which is being executed when said instruction means instructs the temporary stop is finished.

24. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising stop instruction means for instructing the temporary stop by said temporary stop means and wherein said temporary stop means temporarily stops the image forming operation when a predetermined number of main-scannings by said main-scanning means is finished after the temporary stop is instructed by said stop instruction means.

25. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising connection means for receiving an operation signal from an external apparatus, wherein said temporary stop means receives the operation signal to temporarily stop the image forming operation.

26. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an operation unit for generating an operation signal, wherein said temporary stop means receives the operation signal to temporarily stop the image forming operation.

27. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said recording head forms the image by ejecting ink.

28. An image forming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said recording head comprises heat energy generating means for applying a heat energy to the ink and ejects the ink by causing a state change in the ink by the heat energy.

29. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising connection means for receiving an operation signal from an external apparatus, wherein said cancel instruction means receives the operation signal to instruct cancellation of the temporary stop.

30. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an operation unit for generating an operation signal, wherein said cancel instruction means receives the operation signal to instruct cancellation of the temporary stop.