Image forming apparatus for controlling the preparatory operations
An image forming apparatus receives input data including device data and settings data from an external device and forms an image on a recording medium. The apparatus includes a processing device to perform a print operation including conveying the recording medium and forming an image on the recording medium, and a control unit to control the processing device so that a first preparatory operation of the processing device is executed after analysis of the input data starts and before analysis of the settings data ends, a second preparatory operation of the processing device is executed after the analysis of the settings data ends, and the print operation is executed after the second preparatory operation ends. The control unit determines a timing at which the first preparatory operation is to be executed based on the device data.
1 . An image forming apparatus configured to receive input data including device data and settings data from an external device and form an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a processing device configured to perform a print operation including conveying the recording medium and forming an image on the recording medium; and
a control unit configured to control the processing device so that (i) a first preparatory operation of the processing device is executed after analysis of the input data starts and before analysis of the settings data ends, (ii) a second preparatory operation of the processing device is executed after the analysis of the settings data ends, and (iii) the print operation is executed after the second preparatory operation ends,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a timing at which the first preparatory operation is to be executed based on the device data.
2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the device data includes software data pertaining to software of the external device, and
the control unit is configured to determine the timing based on the software data.
3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the software data includes information pertaining to at least one of a type of the software and a version of the software.
4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit stores a processing time and a reference time according to the device data, and the control unit is configured to control the processing device so that the first preparatory operation of the processing device is executed at a timing at which a time equivalent to a difference between the processing time and the reference time has passed after the analysis of the input data has started.
5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to generate image data based on the input data, and the print operation is executed based on the image data,
the device data includes software data pertaining to software of the external device,
the processing time is a time required to analyze the input data and generate the image data in accordance with the software, and
the reference time is a selected one of processing times according to the software.
6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the software data includes information pertaining to at least one of a type of the software and a version of the software, and
the processing time is a time required to analyze the input data and generate the image data in accordance with the information.
7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the processing time according to the software is obtained from outside the image forming apparatus and stored.
8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein when the processing time according to the software is not stored, the control unit further measures a time from when the first preparatory operation is instructed to when the print operation starts, and stores the measured time as the processing time according to the software.
9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the time required to analyze the input data and generate the image data is a time in units of pages.
10 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the time required to analyze the input data and generate the image data is a time in units of pages with respect to analyzing the input data, and a time in units of bands into which a page is divided with respect to generating the image data.
11 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a condition of the second preparatory operation in accordance with the settings data.
12 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit includes a controller and an engine control unit, the controller is configured to analyze the input data, and the engine control unit is configured to control the processing device based on an instruction from the controller.
13 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the first preparatory operation and the second preparatory operation, at least one of a conveyance device that conveys the recording medium, a fixing device that heats the recording medium, an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium, and an exposure device that exposes a photosensitive member is started up.