JP-2026076088-A - Printer paper management system

Abstract

[Problem] To improve work efficiency when using recycled paper. [Solution] A printer paper management system is disclosed, including a printing device, a drive control module, an image capture module, and an image processing module. The printing device performs printing operations at the printing position. The drive control module is connected to the printing device and transmits paper from the paper tray to the printing position, allows the printing device to perform printing operations on the paper, and can invert the paper. The image capture module is provided between the paper tray and the printing position and captures an image of the paper before it is transmitted from the paper tray to the printing position by the drive control module. The image processing module is connected to the image capture module and the drive control module, receives and preprocesses the image of the paper, extracts image features and transmits them to the drive control module, which determines whether to perform printing operations on the paper based on the image features. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

• 陳世国

Assignees

• 東友科技股▲ふん▼有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20241028

Priority Date

20241023

Claims (20)

1. It is a printer paper management system, It includes a printing device, a drive control module, an image capture module, and an image processing module. The aforementioned printing device is configured to perform printing operations at the printing position. The drive control module is connected to the printing device and is configured to transmit paper from the paper tray to the printing position, to allow the printing device to perform the printing operation on the surface of the paper, and to be able to flip the paper so that the surface becomes the back side. The image capture module is provided between the paper tray and the print position of the printing device and is configured to capture an image of the paper before the paper is transmitted from the paper tray to the print position by the drive control module. A printer paper management system comprising: an image processing module connected to an image capture module and a drive control module; the image processing module receiving the image on the paper, extracting image features, and transmitting them to the drive control module; and the drive control module determining, based on the image features, whether or not to perform the printing operation on the paper.
2. The printer paper management system according to claim 1, wherein the drive control module determines whether the surface of the paper is used or unused based on the image features.
3. The printer paper management system according to claim 2, wherein, when the surface of the paper is determined to be in the unused state, the drive control module transmits the paper to the printing position, and the printing device performs the printing operation on the surface of the paper.
4. The printer paper management system according to claim 2, wherein, if the front surface of the paper is determined to be in the used state, the drive control module inverts the paper so that the front surface becomes the back surface, transmits the paper to the printing position, and performs the printing operation on the other side of the paper using the printing device.
5. The printer paper management system according to claim 2, wherein if the surface of the paper is determined to be in the used state, the drive control module moves the paper away from the printing position, and the drive control module loads another sheet of paper from the paper tray.
6. The drive control module transmits the paper from the paper tray to the print position along the first transmission path. The printer paper management system according to claim 1, wherein the image capture module is located on one side of the first transmission path and spatially faces the surface of the paper.
7. The drive control module transmits the paper along the second transmission path to the printing position, inverts it, and then returns it to the printing position, and transmits the paper from the printing position to the paper output position along the third transmission path. The printer paper management system according to claim 6, wherein a first turning point is formed between the second transmission path and the third transmission path, a second turning point is formed between the second transmission path and the first transmission path, and the first turning point and the second turning point are located behind and in front of the printing position, respectively.
8. The printer paper management system according to claim 7, wherein the image capture module is located between the second turning point and the print position.
9. The printer paper management system according to claim 1, wherein the image features include a character area, an image area, an edge, or contrast.
10. It is a printer paper management system, It includes a printing device, a drive control module, an image capture module, and an image processing module. The aforementioned printing device is configured to perform printing operations at the printing position. The drive control module is connected to the printing device and is configured to transmit paper from the paper tray to the printing position, allowing the printing device to perform the printing operation on the surface of the paper, and to allow the paper to be flipped over. The image capture module is provided between the paper tray and the print position of the printing device and is configured to capture an image of the paper before the paper is transmitted from the paper tray to the print position by the drive control module. A printer paper management system comprising: an image processing module connected to an image capture module, which receives the image on the paper, extracts image features and transmits them to a drive control module, and the drive control module determines, based on the image features, whether or not to perform the printing operation on the paper.
11. The printer paper management system according to claim 10, wherein the drive control module determines, based on the image features, whether the front and back surfaces of the paper are used or unused.
12. The printer paper management system according to claim 11, wherein, when the surface of the paper is determined to be in the unused state, the drive control module transmits the paper to the printing position, and the printing device performs the printing operation on the surface of the paper.
13. The printer paper management system according to claim 11, wherein, if it is determined that the front surface of the paper is in the used state and the back surface is in the unused state, the drive control module inverts the paper, transmits the paper to the printing position, and performs the printing operation on the paper using the printing device.
14. The printer paper management system according to claim 11, wherein, if the front and back surfaces of the paper are determined to be in the used state, the drive control module removes the paper from the printing position, and the drive control module loads another sheet of paper into the paper tray.
15. The printer paper management system according to claim 11, wherein, when it is determined that both the front and back surfaces of the paper are in the unused state, the drive control module transmits the paper to the printing position, the printing device performs the printing operation on the front surface of the paper, the paper is flipped over and transmitted to the printing position to perform the printing operation, and the printing operation is a double-sided printing operation.
16. The printer paper management system according to claim 11, wherein if it is determined that either the front or back surface of the paper is in the used state, the drive control module moves the paper away from the printing position, loads another sheet of paper from the paper tray, and the printing operation is a double-sided printing operation.
17. The image capture module is a pair of cameras or a pair of scanning elements that are spatially opposite to each other, and is configured to capture the image on the paper when the drive control module transmits the paper and passes through the image capture module. The aforementioned image includes a front image and a back image. The drive control module determines whether the surface of the paper is used or unused based on the image features extracted from the surface image. The printer paper management system according to claim 10, wherein the drive control module determines whether the back side of the paper is used or unused based on the image features extracted from the back side image.
18. The drive control module transmits the paper from the paper tray to the print position along the first transmission path. The printer paper management system according to claim 10, wherein the image capture module is located on one side of the first transmission path and spatially faces the surface of the paper.
19. The drive control module transmits the paper along the second transmission path to the printing position, inverts it, and then returns it to the printing position, and transmits the paper from the printing position to the paper output position along the third transmission path. The printer paper management system according to claim 18, wherein a first turning point is formed between the second transmission path and the third transmission path, a second turning point is formed between the second transmission path and the first transmission path, and the first turning point and the second turning point are located behind and in front of the printing position, respectively.
20. The printer paper management system according to claim 19, wherein the image capture module is located between the second turning point and the print position.

Description

This invention relates to a printer system, and more particularly to a printer paper management system that uses image recognition technology to automatically detect whether paper has been used, selects an unused side, and performs the printing operation, thereby reducing paper consumption and improving work efficiency. Generally, commercially available single-function printers only have basic printing capabilities and lack intelligent paper management features. When using recycled paper for printing, users typically need to manually check if the paper is still usable and set it in the correct orientation. However, manual paper checking is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, reducing work efficiency. Furthermore, manual paper checking is susceptible to human error, such as mistaking used paper for unused, resulting in wasted paper and printing materials. Paper waste not only increases business costs but also places a burden on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a printer paper management system that uses image recognition technology to automatically detect whether paper has been used or not, selects an unused side, and performs the printing operation, thereby reducing paper consumption and improving work efficiency. The following detailed description and schematic diagrams of the embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the above and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. This is a conceptual diagram of the structure of a printer paper management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a conceptual diagram of the structure of a printer paper management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Several typical embodiments illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. The present invention can have various variations in different embodiments, all of which will not depart from the scope of the invention, and the description and drawings are used essentially for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the invention. For example, where the following description of the present invention describes placing a first feature above or above a second feature, it indicates that embodiments include those in which the placed first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, and also includes those in which an additional feature is placed between the first and second features, thereby preventing the first feature from directly contacting the second feature. Furthermore, overlapping reference numerals and/or symbols may be used in different embodiments of the present invention. These overlaps are for the purpose of simplification and clarity and are not used to limit the relationships between each embodiment and/or the aforementioned external structures. Additionally, spatially related terms such as “forward,” “backward,” “before,” “after,” and similar terms may be used to briefly describe the relationship between components or feature elements and other components or feature elements in the drawings. In addition to the orientations shown in the drawings, spatial terminology is used to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be positioned separately (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or positioned in other orientations), and the descriptions of spatial terminology used accordingly should be interpreted accordingly. Furthermore, when one component is referred to as "connecting" or "joining" another, it may be directly connected to or joined to the other component, or an intervening component may exist. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used in the claims to describe different components, but these components should not be limited by these terms, and it should be understood that these components described in embodiments are indicated by different component symbols. These terms are for distinguishing different components. For example, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component, without departing from the scope of the embodiment. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any combination of one or more of the related items listed. Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of the structure of a printer paper management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The present invention provides a printer paper management system 1 for automatically detecting paper and performing single-sided or double-sided printing. In this embodiment, the printer paper management system 1 includes a printing device 10, a drive control module 20, an image capture module 30, and an image processing module 40. The printing device 10 is positioned at the printing position L2 to perform the printing operation. The drive control module 20 is con