JP2003066667A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus by which the take-out property of paper ejected from an image forming processing part is improved in assembling image forming processing parts using different image forming systems without causing the increase of a cost and which is prevented from being made large-sized. SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus is provided with a constitution 30 by which an ejected paper tray 10 is arranged by aligning the paper-ejection position of each part in a feeding path at the same position within a housing constituted by combining a printing processing part A and an electrophotographic processing part B, and the paper-ejection position of paper S' to which an image is transferred by the electrophotographic processing part B is set to the position of the ejected paper tray 10 that is same as the paper- ejection position of paper S at the printing processing part A and the paper S' ejected from the electrophotographic processing part B is fed to the ejected paper tray 10 without making it pass through the printing processing part A.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a paper discharge structure for a configuration in which a printing process and an electrophotographic process are combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a printing device as a device for transferring the contents corresponding to an original image onto a sheet, and one of the printing devices is a stencil printing device. A stencil printing machine winds a master punched according to an original image by a punching process corresponding to a plate making process on a plate cylinder having an ink permeation structure, and ink from an ink supply mechanism installed in the plate cylinder. The image is printed by leaching the ink and transferring the ink to the printing paper pressed against the plate cylinder. Such a stencil printing apparatus has an advantage that economical image transfer can be performed because printing can be performed by using only one type of master when a large amount of printing is continuously performed.
On the other hand, there is an image forming apparatus that uses an electrophotographic process as another device that transfers the content corresponding to the original image onto a sheet. An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process uniformly charges a photoconductor, forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor by exposing or writing contents corresponding to an original image, and develops the electrostatic latent image. By doing so, what is visualized is electrostatically transferred onto a sheet. Such an image forming apparatus has an advantage that a so-called plateless image forming process can easily obtain a copy with high image quality at low cost without requiring a plate making process.

In the case of forming a large amount of image and the case of forming a small amount of image such as one or several sheets, instead of changing the apparatus one by one, the printing process and the electrophotographic process related to the image formation are combined. An apparatus has been proposed in which any one of the image forming processes can be selected according to the number of images to be formed (for example, JP-A-8-192563, JP-A-8-192564, and JP-A-64-192). 7
2189).

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-192563, the sheet from the electrophotographic process section is stenciled via a path for conveying the sheet on which an image is formed in the electrophotographic process as it is to the stencil printing process and an intermediate reversal storage section. A configuration is disclosed that can switch the path of conveyance to the printing process. JP-A-64-72189 discloses that
A device capable of selecting copying and printing by setting an image sensor at a position equivalent to the latent image forming position of the photosensitive drum of the dry copying means and punching the heat-sensitive base paper with the output, and the required number of inputs is a predetermined value or more. There is disclosed a configuration capable of automatically selecting printing at the time of. However, the stencil printing process and the electrophotographic process greatly differ in the speed of the image forming and paper transport system. In other words, in the stencil printing process, continuous printing is possible only by producing one master, whereas in the electrophotographic process, the electrophotographic process, so-called charging, writing, development and transfer are repeated. In addition, the speed of image formation in the electrophotographic process and the paper transport system becomes slow. Therefore, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-192563 mentioned above, in the case of applying the configuration in which the sheets conveyed at different speeds are conveyed by the continuous sheet conveying system in each process, the conveyance is performed. The configuration of the transport system will have to be changed significantly to accommodate changes in the speed of the system. For this reason, when the stencil printing process and the electrophotographic process are directly connected by a continuous transport system, there is a risk that the development investment for that is large. In order not to increase the development cost, it is necessary to directly use the printing device that executes the stencil printing process and the plateless image forming device such as the electrophotographic process, that is, the device such as the printer and the copier with the independent structure. Is desirable. For example, FIG. 9 shows an example of a configuration based on this point of view.

In FIG. 9, a stencil printing processing section A for executing a stencil printing process and, for example, an electrophotographic processing section B for executing an electrophotographic process (hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, a printer will be described as an object) are independent from each other. Up to now, the stencil printing processing section A is mounted on the upper portion of the electrophotographic processing section B. One of the reasons why the stencil printing processing section A is located above the electrophotographic processing section B is that a paper discharge section is provided at a position where it is easy to take out a printed matter obtained by forming a large number of images. In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the electrophotographic processing section B employs the in-body sheet discharge structure in which the sheet discharge section C is provided in the housing for the purpose of eliminating the side projection in the installation space.

In FIG. 9, the stencil printing processing section A and the electrophotographic processing section B are adapted to use their own constitutions as they are. Although it has a structure, this structure has the following problems. (1) The transfer paper discharged to the paper discharge unit C provided in the housing (inside the body) is not easily taken out, and moreover, on the same side as the paper discharge tray A1 provided in the stencil printing processing unit A. Since the paper discharge unit C of the electrophotographic processing unit B is provided, the paper discharge unit C is blocked by the paper discharge tray A1, and it is difficult to visually recognize the discharge status inside the paper discharge unit C from above the outside. Becomes (2) When the paper discharge section C is provided in the housing, the height of the electrophotographic processing section B including the paper discharge section C becomes large, and the height H of the image forming apparatus including the stencil print processing section A becomes large. It becomes too much. Therefore, the original setting property of the image reading section D located at the upper part and the operability of the operation panel (not shown) are deteriorated, and there is a problem that the operation is difficult to perform especially for a short operator. .

As a method for solving such a problem, it is also possible to extend the paper discharge section of the electrophotographic processing section B laterally below the paper discharge tray A1 of the stencil printing processing section A as shown by the chain double-dashed line. Although conceivable, even in this case, since the paper discharge section C of the electrophotographic processing section B is still located below the paper discharge tray A1 of the stencil print processing section A, the above problem remains unsolved. is there.

On the other hand, instead of providing the sheet discharge section C in the electrophotographic processing section B, the sheet discharge section C of the electrophotographic processing section B is also used as the sheet discharge tray A1 of the stencil printing section A, thereby avoiding the above problem. It is possible to do it. That is, as indicated by reference numeral TP in FIG. 9, the paper discharge path in the electrophotographic processing unit B is made continuous with the paper discharge path in the stencil printing processing unit A, and the paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B is stencil printed. The configuration is such that the sheet is transferred toward the sheet discharge tray A1 of the processing section A. Such a configuration in which the sheet discharge path is shared between the respective processing units is similar to the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-192563 mentioned above.

[0009]

In the structure relating to the sheet discharge path described above, the sheet discharged from the electrophotographic processing section B is transferred to the sheet discharge path of the stencil print processing section A to transfer the sheet to the stencil print processing section A. Since the sheet is discharged by using the conveyance speed in step S4 as it is, the high processing speed in the stencil printing processing section A can be maintained.

However, in the case of such a configuration, the following new problems occur. (1 ′) In consideration of the speed difference between the stencil printing processing unit A and the electrophotographic processing unit B, it is necessary to change the configuration for obtaining the speed matching and the timing matching when passing the sheets. As a result, the development investment required for this is newly added, resulting in an increase in cost as compared with the case of using the existing configuration. (2 ') If the sheet from the electrophotographic processing unit B, which has a conveyance speed lower than the conveyance speed in this processing unit, is delivered to the stencil printing processing unit A, the speed difference There is a risk that the paper may be torn at the portion delivered by the. Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of such a problem, it is necessary to sacrifice the transport speed in the stencil printing processing unit A, and to reduce the speed. As a result, the stencil printing processing unit A
You will not be able to fully exercise the function in. Moreover, since the paper sheet that has passed through the electrophotographic processing unit B passes through the paper discharge path of the stencil printing processing unit A, when it passes through the plate cylinder provided in the stencil printing processing unit A, it leaches out from the inside of the plate cylinder. There is also a risk that the ink may come into contact with the ink and cause stains. (3 ′) The speed of the sheet transferred from the electrophotographic processing unit B toward the transport path of the stencil printing processing unit A is determined by the speed of the stencil printing processing unit A.
If it is slower than the conveying speed of the paper discharged to the conveyance path, the paper discharged on the paper discharge tray A1 of the stencil printing processing unit A interferes with each other, and so-called jam easily occurs. (4 ′) After the paper is ejected from the stencil printing processing section A, the paper is ejected from the electrophotographic processing section B and the different image forming processing is performed on the paper ejection tray A1 of the stencil printing processing section A. In some cases, it may not be possible to determine from which processing unit the paper is discharged. That is, when sheets of the same size are ejected from the respective processing units and overlapped, the sheets from the respective processing units cannot be distinguished. For this reason, for example, it is possible to monitor the ejection status of the paper from each processing unit and insert a bookmark when the paper to be distinguished is ejected. Poor workability and handling of ejected paper because it is necessary to witness until all is finished, or it is necessary to turn over the ejected paper one by one to find a point to be distinguished. Become.

In view of the problem in the above-mentioned conventional image forming apparatus, particularly the image forming apparatus having a structure in which image formation is performed by a different method, the first object of the present invention is to form a different image without increasing the cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a configuration capable of improving the take-out property of a sheet discharged from each image forming processing section when the image forming processing sections using the method are combined and preventing the apparatus from becoming large.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus having a structure capable of preventing a jam of sheets continuously discharged from an image forming processing section using a different image forming method.

A third object is to provide an image forming apparatus having a structure capable of improving the discharge efficiency of the paper continuously discharged from the image forming processing section using the different image forming method. .

A fourth object is to improve the handleability of the sheets after the image forming process by facilitating the distinction between the sheet groups to be printed when the sheet groups to be printed are superposed and ejected. It is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0015]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A plate-making unit that performs plate-making according to image information on the master and a printing process that allows ink to be transferred from the master by winding the master on the surface of the plate cylinder to transfer the ink and print on printing paper. Units and an electrophotographic processing unit capable of forming an image on a transfer sheet by electrophotographic processing, and in the image forming apparatus capable of selecting image formation in each processing unit, the print processing unit is replaced by the electrophotographic processing unit. It is placed on the upper side, and the discharge position of the transfer paper on which the image is transferred by the electrophotographic processing unit is set to the same position as the discharge position of the print paper from the print processing unit, and the paper is discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit. It is characterized in that it is configured to convey the transfer paper to the paper discharge position without passing through the print processing unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the print processing section is provided with a print sheet discharge conveyance path having the discharge position at the end, and the electrophotographic processing section has the print sheet at the discharge position. A transfer paper discharge transport path that joins the discharge transport path is provided, and the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is moved toward the paper discharge position without passing through the print processing unit. It has a feature.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the electrophotographic processing section is provided with a discharge conveyance path which is continuous with a print sheet discharge conveyance path located at the end of the print processing section. The transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is conveyed to the print paper discharge conveyance path without passing through the print processing unit and moved toward the paper discharge position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the transfer sheet discharged from the electrophotographic processing section is set to the sheet discharging position with a conveying speed set close to a conveying speed of the printing sheet discharged from the print processing section. It is characterized by being discharged.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to align a paper discharge tray on which the print paper and the transfer paper discharged to the paper discharge position can be stacked, and the front edge of each paper in the paper discharge direction on the paper discharge tray. End fences and side fences capable of aligning both widthwise end edges of the respective papers, which are perpendicular to the discharge direction, are provided so as to be movable in the respective directions. When the printing paper is ejected from the printer, the positioning is controlled by the paper size information on the paper feeding device of the printing processor, and when the transfer paper is ejected from the electrophotographic processor, the feeding of the electrophotographic processor is performed. It is characterized in that the positioning is controlled on the basis of the paper size information on the paper device so that the edge of each paper ejected is set to be aligned.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet remaining detection sensor provided at the sheet ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of the ejected sheet, and a paper supply section provided in the print processing section and the electrophotographic processing section. A paper size detection sensor for printing paper and transfer paper on the paper device, a side fence and an end fence drive unit for aligning the edges of the respective papers that are provided at the paper ejection position and are ejected, The remaining paper detection sensor and the paper size detection sensor are connected to the input side, and the output side is provided with a control section to which the drive section of each fence is connected, and the control section supplies from the print processing section. If the size and orientation of the print paper ejected and ejected and the transfer paper fed and ejected from the electrophotographic processing section are the same, they are ejected later without ejecting the paper ejected earlier. It is characterized by setting the operating state of the respective fences so as to be discharged repeatedly paper.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper remaining detection sensor provided at the paper ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of ejected paper, and a paper supply unit provided in the print processing unit and the electrophotographic processing unit. A paper size detection sensor on the paper device,
The side fence and the end fence drive unit for aligning the edge of each sheet to be discharged and provided at the sheet discharging position, the sheet remaining detection sensor and the sheet size detection sensor are connected to the input side. The output side includes a control unit to which the drive unit of each fence is connected,
When the control unit ejects the paper ejected earlier and has a size smaller than the size of the paper remaining at the paper ejection position later, the fences may be ejected without ejecting the paper ejected earlier. It is characterized by ejecting small size paper without changing the position of.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper remaining detection sensor provided at the paper ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of ejected paper, and a paper supply unit provided in the print processing unit and the electrophotographic processing unit. A paper size detection sensor for printing paper and transfer paper on the paper device, a side fence and an end fence drive unit for aligning the edges of the respective papers that are provided at the paper ejection position and are ejected, The remaining paper detection sensor and the paper size detection sensor are connected to the input side, and the output side is provided with a control unit to which the drive unit of each fence is connected, and the control unit discharges to the paper discharge position. When a paper size larger than the size of the remaining paper is ejected, the paper is moved to the edge alignment position for the large size paper with the paper remaining in the paper ejection position. Moving each fence, it is characterized in that than the paper on top of the remaining left paper discharging overlapping sheets of large size.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the ink is transferred from the master by supplying the ink to the master in a state where the master is used to perform the plate-making according to the image information and the master is wound around the surface of the plate cylinder. In an image forming apparatus that includes a print processing unit capable of printing on a printing paper and an electrophotographic processing unit capable of forming an image on a transfer paper by electrophotographic processing, and in which image formation in each processing unit can be selected, In addition to the predetermined number of sheets discharged from the print processing unit, one sheet is formed into an image by the electrophotographic processing unit and discharged to the same discharge position as the sheet discharged from the print processing unit. It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the one sheet is used for sorting the group of sheets discharged every predetermined number of sheets.

The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that the content of the image formed on the one sheet is different from the content of the image formed by the print processing section.

The invention described in claim 12 is characterized in that the one sheet is set to a discharge mode different from that of the paper discharged from the print processing section.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, when the one sheet has the same size as the sheet discharged from the print processing unit, the leading end position in the discharge direction is the discharge direction of the sheet discharged from the print processing unit. It is characterized in that it is discharged differently from the tip position.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the one sheet of paper is selected and ejected with a size larger than the sheet size ejected from the print processing section.

The invention according to a fifteenth aspect is characterized in that an image having the same content is formed by the one sheet of paper which is ejected separately from the paper ejected every predetermined number of sheets.

The invention according to claim 16 is characterized in that images of different contents are formed on the one sheet of paper which is ejected separately from the paper ejected every predetermined number of sheets.

[0031]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. , The stencil printing processing section) and the electrophotographic processing section B are integrated into one structure. The structure of each part will be described below. Stencil printing processing unit A
Is constituted by a stencil printing machine 1, and the stencil printing machine 1 is provided with a plate cylinder 2 which can rotate in forward and reverse directions. Plate cylinder 2
The rotation direction is set so that it rotates clockwise when the printing process is executed, and rotates counterclockwise when the master is ejected.

A large number of perforations are formed on the peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2 except for a part thereof, and a thin mesh screen (not shown) made of, for example, synthetic fiber is attached to the surface thereof. ing. It is also possible to use a metal as the material of this mesh screen. Although not shown, a stage made of a magnetic material having a mounting surface along one generatrix of the plate cylinder 2 is swingably supported at a position where no perforation is formed on the peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2. There is provided a clamper (for the sake of convenience, only the installation location is indicated by reference numeral 2A in FIG. 1) constituted by a holding member that can be brought into and out of contact with the stage. The stage is a master (hereinafter,
This master is referred to as a stencil master) M, and the front end of the master can be placed on the stage.
Are clamped and fixed by a gripping member. The area other than the tip of the stencil master M is adapted to adhere to the surface of the plate cylinder by the adhesive force of the ink supplied from the ink supply mechanism 3 described later toward the surface of the plate cylinder 2.

An ink supply mechanism 3 is provided inside the plate cylinder 2. The ink supply mechanism 3 is disposed almost directly below the center of the cross section of the plate cylinder 2, and includes an ink roller 3A and a doctor roller 3B as main parts. The ink roller 3A is a metal roller disposed below the inner peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2 and at a position facing a press roller 4 described later. The ink is rotated at a speed synchronized with the peripheral speed, and the ink, the amount of which is supported by the doctor roller 3B, can be supplied into the plate cylinder 2 and the perforations of the mesh screen. The ink, the amount of which is supported by the doctor roller 3B, is discharged from the discharge port formed on the rotary shaft (not shown) of the plate cylinder 2 into the ink pool formed by the wedge-shaped space formed by both rollers. It is supposed to be dripped.

Since the ink roller 3A is arranged at a position facing a press roller 4 which will be described later, the pressure applied when the press roller 4 comes into contact with the plate cylinder 2 causes the plate cylinder 2 to move.
It also has a function as a backup roller to prevent deformation of the.

The press roller 4 arranged at a position facing the ink roller 3A is a rotary member provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the plate cylinder 2, and when the printing paper S is fed, the printing paper S is fed. It is possible to press S toward the surface of the plate cylinder 2, and when the printing paper S is pressed, the ink is transferred from the perforations of the stencil master M wound on the plate cylinder 2 for printing. It is designed to form a section.

A plate-making section 5 is arranged on one side of the plate cylinder 2 with the horizontal center line therebetween. The plate making part 5 has a stencil master M which can be wound in a roll shape by a core material MA having a pair of flanges at both ends thereof and can be successively fed out. The stencil master M has a laminated structure in which a thin thermoplastic resin film having a thickness of about 1 to 2 μm is pasted with Japanese paper or synthetic fiber as a porous support or a mixture of these materials. The
The thermal head 5A, which will be described later, heats up the holes so that the holes are perforated.

The stencil master M fed from the roll is
The platen roller 5B presses against the thermal head 5A, and the heating elements of the thermal head 5A are selectively heated to punch holes in the areas in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. The main scanning direction in this case is the axial direction of the platen roller 5B, and the sub scanning direction is perpendicular to the main scanning direction and corresponds to the feeding direction of the stencil master M.

In the thermal head 5A, the heat generation position is selected in the main scanning direction of the heat generating element by energization control using a drive signal from the control unit described later. The platen roller 5B includes a stepping motor (not shown) as a drive source, and can feed the stencil master M in the sub-scanning direction by performing stepwise rotation.

In front of the platen roller 5B in the feeding direction of the stencil master M, there is arranged a conveying roller 5C capable of sandwiching and conveying the stencil master M. The carrying roller 5C can be interlocked with a drive source such as a stepping motor via a torque limiter (not shown),
The rotation speed is set so that a conveyance speed slightly higher than the conveyance speed of the stencil master M set by the platen roller 5B can be obtained. As a result, the stencil master M applies a preset tension by the torque limiter in the range from the position where it contacts the thermal head 5A to the position where it is nipped by the transport roller 5C due to the speed difference between the platen roller 5B and the transport roller 5C. Thus, the occurrence of slack and wrinkles is suppressed at the position where the platen roller 5B is pressed by the thermal head 5A.

The stencil master M which has been subjected to the perforating process is cut into a required length by a cutter 5D and is fed in the tangential direction of the plate cylinder 2, and its tip is gripped and fixed by a clamper located on the plate cylinder 2 side. It has become so. Cutter 5D
As shown in FIG. 1, a guillotine type having a movable blade capable of moving up and down with respect to a fixed blade located on the transport path of the stencil master M, or a rolling having a rotary blade rotatable with respect to the fixed blade, as shown in FIG. Type etc. are used.

A plate discharge section 6 is arranged on the side facing the plate making section 5 across the horizontal center line of the plate cylinder 2. The plate discharge section 6 is composed of a plate discharge roller 6A composed of a pair of rollers that can approach the plate cylinder 2 and a plate discharge box 6B. When the plate cylinder 2 rotates counterclockwise, the plate discharge box 6B is rotated. The stencil master M is guided toward the stencil master M by the plate discharge roller 6A. In addition, inside the plate discharge box 6B, the stencil master M introduced in the plate discharge box 6B is provided.
There is also a case where a compression member is provided to compress and dispose of.

An image reading section 7 is installed above the stencil printing apparatus 1. Although not shown in detail, the image reading unit 7 includes conveyance rollers arranged on both sides of the document scanning direction with the document scanning unit using the contact glass 7A, and a light source for illuminating a document passing over the document scanning unit. A mirror and a lens for introducing the reflected light from the original document toward the CCD, and a receiving table for the discharged original document.

In the document reading section 7, the image information obtained by capturing the reflected light from the document into the CCD is output to the control section described later. The image reading unit 7 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with an automatic document feeder (ADF) 7B capable of automatically feeding a document onto a document table 7A and continuously scanning the document.

The printing paper S is fed from the paper feeding device 8 to the image transfer portion where the plate cylinder 2 and the press roller 4 are in contact with each other. The sheet feeding device 8 includes a sheet feeding tray 8A, a feeding roller 8B, a separation roller 8C, and a registration roller 8D. In the paper feeding device 8, the feeding roller 8
The printing paper S on the paper feed tray 8A is fed by B, the fed printing paper S is prevented from being double-fed by the separation roller 8C, reaches the registration roller 8D, and the transfer timing is set by the registration roller 8D. It is fed to the image transfer position.

The printing paper S on which the image is printed from the plate cylinder 2 at the image transfer position is conveyed toward the paper ejection tray 10 provided at the paper ejection position by the conveyor belt 9 which is a conveyance device for ejecting the printing paper. In the middle of the process, the sheet passes through the waisting guide member 11 that bends in an inverted U shape in the width direction that is a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction to make it habit, and is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 10. In the present embodiment, the transport path of the paper S from the paper feeding device 8 to the paper discharge tray 10, that is, the transport path for discharging the printing paper is substantially linear.

The paper discharge tray 10 is located at the end of the conveying path for discharging the printing paper S in the stencil printing processing section A, side fences 10A are provided on both sides in the width direction of the printing paper S, and forward in the paper discharging direction. End fences 10B are provided respectively. Side fence 10A and end fence 10B
By moving according to the size of the print paper S to be discharged, the width direction edge and the paper discharge direction front edge can be aligned.

An electrophotographic processing section B is arranged below the stencil printing processing section A. A drum-shaped photoconductor (hereinafter referred to as a photoconductor drum) 20 is arranged in the electrophotographic processing section B, and the photoconductor drum 20 can rotate counterclockwise in the drawing. ing. Around the photosensitive drum 20, a charging device 21, a writing device 22, a developing device 23, a transfer / conveyance device 24, and a cleaning device 25 for performing an electrophotographic process are arranged along the rotation direction.

The charging device 21 is equipped with a charging roller that comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 20, and uniformly charges the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drum 20 to a predetermined polarity. Although not described in detail, the writing device 22 is a scanning type writing device provided with a semiconductor laser as a light source, and is an image information processing device (a member denoted by reference numeral 44 in FIG. 2) connected to a control unit described later. Signal from the photoconductor drum 2
Exposure for forming an electrostatic latent image in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction of 0 is performed.

The developing device 23 is a device for performing visible image processing of an electrostatic latent image, and a magnetic brush developing device having a well-known structure in this type of image forming apparatus is used, and is included in the magnetic brush. The formed toner is electrostatically attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image.

The transfer / transport device 24 is provided with a transport belt wound around a pair of rollers, and is carried on the photosensitive drum 20 in the process of transporting the transfer sheet S ′ while electrostatically adsorbing the transfer sheet S ′ via a transfer charger (not shown). The transferred toner image is transferred, and the transfer sheet S ′ after transfer is separated from the conveyor belt via a separation mechanism (not shown), and the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 26. There is.
At the image transfer position where the transfer / conveyance device 24 and the photoconductor drum 20 face each other, the transfer paper S ′ fed from the paper feeding device 27 is fed by the registration roller 28 with the transfer timing set. The sheet feeding device 27 includes a plurality of sheet feeding cassettes 27A and 27B capable of accommodating transfer sheets S ′ of respective sizes, and the transfer sheet feeding side of each of the sheet feeding cassettes 27A and 27B has the uppermost transfer sheet. Delivery roller 27C, separation roller 27D, feeding roller 27
E are provided respectively (for convenience, in FIG. 1, reference is made only to one sheet feeding cassette 27A), and the transfer sheet S'is separated from the photosensitive drum 20 independently of the stencil printing processing section A. It is supposed to be sent to. In the transfer / conveyance device 24 in this embodiment, the stretching direction of the conveyor belt is set so that the transfer paper S ′ fed from the paper feeder 27 can be conveyed vertically.

The transfer sheet S ′ that has passed through the fixing device 26 is conveyed toward the inside of the stencil printing machine 1 and
Printing paper of the stencil printing apparatus 1 via a transfer paper discharging conveyance path using a discharging conveyance device 30 provided in the lower part of the stencil printing apparatus 1 separately from the discharging passage of the paper S provided in the The sheet is conveyed toward the sheet discharge tray 10 provided at the sheet discharge position at the end of the discharge transport path.

On the side of the print processing unit A, the transport path for discharging the printing paper using the transport belt 9 and the transport path for discharging the transfer paper from the side of the electrophotographic processing unit B are joined at the discharge tray 10. There is. Therefore, an image forming process is performed in the electrophotographic processing section B, and the transfer sheet S ′ that has passed through the fixing device 26 is directly conveyed to the discharge tray 10 without passing through the transfer position in the print processing section A. It

Paper S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing section B
An ejecting conveyance device 30 that forms a transfer sheet ejecting conveyance path is provided near the conveyance roller 29 that is arranged behind the fixing device 26 in the conveyance path. Discharge transport device 30
Is composed of a conveyor belt wound around a pair of rollers, and the roller 30A located on the front side in the conveying direction of the transfer sheet S ′ indicated by the arrow is the driving side to move the conveyor belt. There is.

After passing through the fixing device 26, the electrophotographic processing section B
The sheet S ′ ejected from is ejected at the ejecting conveyance device 30 with its conveying speed set to a speed close to the conveying speed of the printing paper S ejected in the stencil printing apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, the speed of the drive side roller 30A of the conveyor belt provided in the conveyor 30 for discharging the transfer paper S ′ is set so that the printing paper S in the stencil printer 1 is
In order to be able to set 70% or more of the conveyance speed of the print sheet S, speed control is performed by the control unit to be described later so as to approach the conveyance speed of the print sheet S.

In the vicinity of the driving side roller 30A in the discharging transport device 30, there is a waisting guide member 11 'which has a U-shape in the width direction of the transfer paper S'which is discharged toward the paper discharge tray 10. It is provided.

The control unit 31 shown in FIG. 2 is used as a structure for changing the transport speed of the transfer sheet S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B immediately before the discharge position where the discharge tray 10 is located. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit for the stencil printing processing unit A and the electrophotographic processing unit B which constitute the image forming apparatus. In FIG. 2, the control unit is a stencil printing processing unit side control. Section (in FIG. 2, for convenience,
A print processing unit side control unit 31 and an electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 32 are provided. Both control units 31, 3
A main part of each of 2 is configured by a microcomputer, and data can be input and output to and from each other via the interface circuit 33.

In the print processing unit side control unit 31, a print paper size detection sensor 34, a paper remaining amount detection sensor 35, a paper rear end detection sensor 36, and an operation panel 37 provided in the paper feeding device 8 of the print processing unit A. Is connected to the input side, and the side fence / end fence drive device 3 is connected to the output side.
8, a printing paper transporting unit driving means 39 for driving a transporting belt 9 forming a printing paper discharging transporting device, a transfer paper transporting driving means 40, a printing paper feeding drive means 41, a printing drum driving means 42 and an image reading section 7. The constituent document reading device 43 is connected.

The electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 3 is connected to the print processing unit side control unit 31 via the interface circuit 33.
2 is connected. The electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 32
The transfer paper size detection sensor 46 housed in the paper feeding device 27 is connected to the input side, and the output side is provided with an electrophotographic processing unit using a motor that is a rotation driving source of each member used in the paper feeding device 27. Paper drive means (designated by 27 'for convenience)
A laser writing control device 22A that performs writing processing based on image information from the document reading device 43 is connected.
In addition to the above-mentioned sensor, the electrophotographic processing unit-side control unit 32 has, as is well known, a motor that is a rotational drive source of the photosensitive drum 20, a drive unit of the transfer / transport device 24, and a cleaning device 25. A drive unit such as a static elimination lamp in is also connected.

The printing paper size detection sensor 34 and the transfer paper size detection sensor 46 are provided on the paper feed tray 8A and the electrophotographic processing unit B side of the paper feed device 8 provided on the print processing unit A side. The paper cassettes 27A and 27B of the paper device 27 are provided on the paper placement surfaces of the paper cassettes 27A and 27B, respectively, and the size and orientation of the print paper S or the transfer paper S ′ are detected. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the installation state of the printing paper size detection sensor 34. In FIG. 3, the sheet size detection sensor 34 on the side of the sheet feeding device 8 equipped in the stencil printing apparatus 1 will be described, but the sheet size detection sensor 46 on the side of the sheet feeding device 27 of the electrophotographic processing section B will be described. It will be mentioned in advance that the configuration is the same.

In FIG. 3, the paper feed tray 8A is provided with a side fence 8E movable in the width direction of the printing paper S, and the width direction size can be detected at a position where the sliding position of the side fence 8E can be detected. Sensor (for convenience sake, indicated by reference numerals 34A to 34C in FIG. 3) and a sensor capable of detecting the size in the longitudinal direction at a position where it can face the minimum size sheet S in the sheet feeding direction perpendicular to the width direction (for convenience, FIG. (Indicated by reference numeral 34D). The sensor 34D that detects the size in the longitudinal direction and the presence / absence of a sheet is located at the center of the sheet S in the width direction.
Among these sensors, light-transmissive sensors are used as the sensors 34A to 34C for width-direction size detection, and the sensor 3
A reflection type sensor is used for 4D. The sensors 34A to 34C that perform size detection in the width direction output signals according to a light-shielding pattern that is set in advance corresponding to the moving position of the side fence 8E, and together with the signal from the sensor 34D, the sensor shown in FIG. The paper size and orientation can be determined based on the map shown.

In FIG. 2, the paper trailing edge detection sensor 36 is
The fixing device in the electrophotographic processing unit B is a sensor for detecting passage of the rear end of the transfer sheet S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B shown in FIG. 1 and conveyed toward the print processing unit A. It is arranged in the vicinity of 26.

The side fence / end fence drive device 38 corresponds to a motor used to move the end fence 10B and the side fence 10A provided on the paper discharge tray 10. The print sheet transport drive unit 39 corresponds to a motor that drives the drive side roller 9A of the transport belt 9 arranged immediately before the paper discharge tray 10 in the print processing unit A. Transfer paper transport driving means 4
Reference numeral 0 corresponds to a motor that drives the drive side roller 30A of the discharging transport device 30 that transports the transfer paper S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing section B toward the paper discharge tray 10. In the present embodiment, A stepping motor is used. The print sheet feeding drive unit 41 is used as the sheet feeding device 8 in the print processing unit A.
A motor, which is a rotation drive source of each member used in the above, corresponds to the above. The printing drum driving means 42 corresponds to a motor which is a rotation driving source of the plate cylinder 2.

The details of the operation panel 37 are shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, on the operation panel 37, a changeover switch 37A for selecting the print mode and the electrophotographic mode, a lamp 37B for displaying the mode selected by the changeover switch 37A, and a test print in the print mode are shown. A key switch 37C for performing the operation, a ten key 37D for setting the number of image formations, an image formation start switch 37E, and an emergency stop switch 37F are provided. The operation panel 37 in this embodiment is provided with a display display 37G in addition to the above-mentioned switches so that the setting contents can be confirmed and a warning can be displayed. Further, the operation panel 37 can also set the size and orientation of the paper on which the image is transferred.

In the configuration of the control unit shown in FIG. 2, in the document reading device 43, the image information obtained by scanning through the A / D converter 43A is subjected to digital signal processing by the image information processing device 44, and the plate making portion 5 is processed. Output to the thermal head driving device 45 in the above or the control device 22A of the writing device 22 in the electrophotographic processing section B.

The print processing unit-side control unit 31 performs the following processing. (A) It is detected that the transfer sheet S ′ ejected from the electrophotographic processing section B has reached the ejection conveyance device 30 and the sheet trailing edge detection sensor 3
When detected by 6, the transport speed of the transfer paper S ′ by the transport device 30 for discharge is changed to a speed close to the discharge transport speed of the print paper S in the print processing unit A. In the present embodiment, the printing speed is switched so that the speed is 70% or more of the transport speed of the print sheet S in the print processing unit A. In this speed setting, the speed difference between the transfer speed of the print processing unit A and the transfer speed of the transfer paper S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B becomes smaller as the transfer speed of the transfer sheet S ′ approaches the speed of the print processing unit A. The purpose is not limited to the above-described speed ratio, but naturally includes the case of constant speed. (B) Positioning of the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B for aligning the edges corresponding to the sizes of the print paper S and the transfer paper S'which are discharged to the paper discharge tray 10 is performed by the print processing unit A and the electrophotographic processing unit. The control is performed based on the paper size information detected by each of the B paper feeding devices 8 and 27. That is, the edge alignment of the print sheet S discharged from the print processing unit A is executed based on the size information in the sheet feeding device 8 on the print processing unit A side, and the transfer sheet S discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B is executed. The edge alignment of the sheet feeding device 27 on the side of the electrophotographic processing unit B is
It is executed based on the size information in. (C) If the size and orientation of the print sheet S fed and discharged from the print processing unit A and the transfer sheet S ′ fed and discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit B are the same, first The positions of the side fences 10A and the end fences 10B are set so that the discharged sheets can be stacked and discharged. (D) When a sheet having a size smaller than the sheet remaining in the sheet ejection tray 10 is ejected, the side fence 10
If a small size sheet is discharged without changing the positions of A and the end fence 10B and a larger size sheet than the sheet remaining in the discharge tray 10 is discharged, the sheet size is changed to a larger size. The side fence 10A and the end fence 10B are positioned, and a large size sheet is discharged by stacking the sheets on the sheet remaining in the sheet discharge tray 10. (E) When sorting is performed for each predetermined number of print sheets discharged from the print processing unit A onto the discharge tray 10, an image for sorting is formed on one transfer sheet S ′ in the electrophotographic processing unit B. If the printing paper S discharged onto the paper discharge tray 10 and the transfer paper S ′ have the same size, the leading end position in the discharging direction is shifted with respect to the leading end position of the printing paper S, so that the printing paper S By selecting a transfer paper S ′ having a larger size and forming an image, a predetermined number of printing papers S can be distinguished from each other. The content of the image formed on one sheet of transfer paper S ′ may be different between the printing papers S that have been ejected by a predetermined number and stacked on the paper ejection tray 10, or the same content may be selected. Is possible.

Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, the operation of the control section shown in FIG. 2 will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, when the start switch 37E of the operation panel 37 is operated, it is determined based on the result detected by the sheet remaining sensor 35 whether or not the sheet remains on the discharge tray 10 (S).
T1). If the sheet remains in step ST1, it is determined whether the image forming mode by electrophotographic processing (expressed as electrophotographic processing in FIG. 5) is based on the mode selection on the operation panel 37. (S
T2).

When it is determined in step ST2 that the image forming mode in the electrophotographic processing section B is not selected, the size and orientation of the selected print sheet S has been completely discharged, and the discharge tray It is determined whether or not it is the same as the sheet remaining on the sheet 10 (ST3). With respect to the size and orientation of the paper, it is determined in step ST2 that the image forming process is not performed by the electrophotographic processing unit B, so the print paper size detection sensor provided in the paper feeding device 8 on the print processing unit A side. 34 is used to determine the size and orientation based on the map shown in FIG. 3, and the result is output to the print processing unit side control unit 31. For the determination regarding the size and orientation of the sheet, information regarding the sheet size in the image forming process newly executed this time, that is, in the image forming process completed before the printing process in this case is used.

The size information of the paper ejected by the image forming process completed before the printing process is executed is temporarily registered in the print processing unit side control unit 31. The size of the paper used for the image forming process newly executed this time, in this case, the size of the print paper S used for the printing process is compared. The temporarily registered paper size is temporarily registered regardless of the type of the print paper S or the transfer paper S ′.

The size information used to determine the size is
It is also designed to be taken in when the electrophotographic processing unit B is targeted. In this case, the transfer paper size detection sensor 46 provided in the paper feeding device 27 on the electrophotographic processing unit B side is used. Output to the electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 32, and output from the electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 32 to the print processing unit side control unit 31 that controls the operation of the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B in the paper discharge tray 10. To be done. The paper size is determined not only by the signals from the printing paper size detection sensor 34 and the transfer paper size detection sensor 46, but also when the paper size and orientation are set in advance on the display display 37G of the operation panel 37, the data is determined. Can also be used for.

In step ST3, the image forming process newly executed this time, that is, the size and direction of the printing paper S used in the printing process in this case have already been ejected and remain on the ejection tray 10. If it is the same as the paper, the processing mode listed in (C) is executed (ST
4) The printing process is executed (ST5). Step ST
The printing paper S on which an image is formed by the printing process in 5.
The sheets are discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 10 to be stacked on the sheet that remains on the sheet discharge tray 10. The print processing in step ST5 is continued until the number of sheets reaches a predetermined number (ST6), and the size information of the print paper S discharged onto the paper discharge tray 10 is temporarily registered in the print processing unit side control unit 31 (ST7). ), Steps ST1 and ST
Used for treatment in 2. In step ST3, if the size and orientation of the image forming process newly performed on the sheet in the discharge completed state, that is, the print sheet S discharged by the printing process in this case are different, the sheet size is changed. The operation panel 37 warns that they do not match (ST8). The message in this case is
For example, "the paper size does not match. Please remove the paper from the paper discharge tray and then press the start key."

The following results are obtained by the processing in steps ST3 and ST8. That is, in the state where the print sheet S used for the image forming process newly executed this time, that is, the print process in this case, is the A4 vertical feed mode, the discharge tray 10
When the transfer sheet S ′ discharged by the image forming process previously executed, for example, the electrophotographic process is A
In the case of the 4-longitudinal feed state, since the size and the orientation are the same, the print paper S can be discharged by stacking it on the transfer paper S ′ already discharged on the paper discharge tray 10. On the other hand, while the transfer sheet S ′ ejected in the previously executed electrophotographic process is in the A4 longitudinal feed state, the print sheet S is A4.
4 When discharged in the lateral feed state, the directions are different even if the sizes are the same, and the positions of the side fences 10A and the end fences 10B do not match. For this reason,
It is recommended to remove the printing paper S on the discharge tray 10 by a warning. In this way, the paper in the image forming process newly executed only when the previously discharged paper and the newly discharged paper have the same size and orientation, that is, in this case, the transfer paper By allowing the ejection, it is possible to omit the movement of the side fences 10A and the end fences 10B for aligning the edges of the transfer sheet ejected by the image forming process newly executed this time, thereby enabling a quick image formation switching. Become.

When it is determined in step ST2 that the image forming mode is the electrophotographic process, the size and orientation of the transfer sheet S'discharged in this process are the same as those in the previously executed image forming. It is determined whether there is any (ST9), and if they are the same, side fence 1
The state where 0A and the end fence 10B are not moved is maintained (ST10), and the electrophotographic process is executed (ST11). In step ST9, the paper ejection tray 1
Paper remaining on 0 and transfer paper S'to be ejected from now
Side fence 1 when the size and direction are the same
The reason for stacking 0A and the end fence 10B on the discharge tray 10 without moving is as follows. The reason for this is as follows.
The same can be said for the processing of 8. For the printing paper S and the transfer paper S ′, the positions of the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B on the paper discharge tray 10, especially the side fence 1
Strictly speaking, the position of 0A is slightly different due to the difference in the waisted state which is affected by the moisture contained in each sheet. However, since the number of sheets ejected by electrophotographic processing is usually quite small compared to the printing process, there is a problem in taking out ejected sheets without performing edge alignment. Absent. For this reason, when the size and the orientation are the same, it is possible to shorten the time until the electrophotographic process, which is a new image forming process, is performed without moving the fence. You can In addition, when the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B are not moved, not only when the size and the orientation are the same, but also when the sheet used for the newly executed image forming process is the image formed previously It is possible to include cases where the size is smaller than the size of the paper discharged on the paper discharge tray 10 by the processing.

In step ST11, when the electrophotographic process is executed and the transfer sheet S'is discharged, the transfer speed of the transfer device 30 for discharge is as described above based on the processing mode described in (A). High speed setting (ST12).

When it is determined in step ST9 that the size and orientation are different from those of the previously executed image formation (ST13), the transfer ejected by electrophotographic processing is performed based on the processing mode described in (D). If the size of the paper S ′ is smaller than the paper discharged during the previous image formation, the process proceeds to step ST10, and if it is larger, the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B correspond to the size. Positioned (S
T14), and proceeds to step ST11. Step ST
When the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B are positioned at positions corresponding to large sizes in 14, when large-sized transfer paper S ′ is discharged, it is inevitable to sort the paper that has already been discharged. It has been done. In this case, the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B are positioned based on the processing mode described in (B) based on the size information of the sheet feeding device corresponding to the image forming process of the respective discharged sheets. That is, if the print sheet S, the print processing unit A
Each fence 1 based on the size information in the side paper feeding device 8
0A and 10B are positioned, and if the transfer sheet S ', the fences 10A and 10B are positioned based on the size information in the sheet feeding device 27 on the electrophotographic processing section B side. As a result, the edge alignment position of the discharged sheet is set for each image forming processing unit, and therefore a paper discharge jam occurs due to the positional relationship between the moving fence and the sheet does not match based on the size information. Can be prevented.

On the other hand, when the result of the determination in step ST1 in FIG. 5 is that there is no paper left on the discharge tray 10, the setting contents on the operation panel 37 are the same as those in step ST2. Is determined (ST15), and in the case of image formation by the printing process, size determination is performed based on the size information of the printing paper S set on the operation panel 37 (ST16), and the size is determined according to the size. After the side fence 10A and the end fence 10B are positioned (ST1
7), the processes shown after step ST5 are executed.
In step ST12, the transfer speed is switched and the transfer paper S ′ is discharged from the electrophotographic processing section B.
That is, although not shown, the electrophotographic process is performed on the operation panel 37.
The predetermined number of sheets set in step 2 is monitored, and when the number of sheets reaches the predetermined number, the size information of the transfer sheet S ′ is temporarily registered in the print processing unit side control unit 31 as in step ST7.

According to this embodiment, the electrophotographic processing section B does not have a paper discharge tray, and the paper discharge tray 1 in the print processing section A does not have a paper discharge tray.
Since 0 is shared, the height of the electrophotographic processing section B is reduced and the height of the image forming apparatus indicated by the reference symbol H'in FIG. 1 is set to be smaller than the height H in the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. Can also be lowered.

Further, in the present embodiment, the transport speed of the transfer sheet S ′ at the time of image formation by the electrophotographic process is smaller than that at the print processing unit A when the number of image formed is smaller than that at the time of image formation by the print process. The speed is changed to a speed close to the above. Specifically, the speed is set to 70% or more of the conveyance speed of 500 to 1300 mm / sec in the print processing section A. The speed difference with the print processing unit A can be reduced. As a result, the image forming processing can be combined without extremely reducing the processing speed of the printing processing. In addition, the transfer sheet S ′ passing through the electrophotographic processing section B, which is extremely low in speed as compared with the transport speed of the printing sheet S in the print processing section A,
Is accelerated at the stage of being discharged to the discharge tray 10, so that occurrence of a stall jam or a downward rolling jam on the discharge tray 10 is prevented.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the conveyance path in the print processing section A is substantially linear between the sheet feeding device 8 and the sheet ejection tray 10, it is bent like an envelope or a thick postcard. In the case of a type of paper that does not like to use, it is possible to prevent the original quality of envelopes and thick postcards from being deteriorated by using a printing process.

Next, a modified example of the main part of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the transfer sheet S ′ ejected from the electrophotographic processing section B is conveyed by the conveyor belt 9 which is a conveyance member for ejecting the print sheet on the print processing section A side on the way to the ejection tray 10. It is characterized by that.

In FIG. 6, the fixing device on the electrophotographic processing section B side is provided on the conveyance belt 9 which is arranged behind the image transfer position in the print processing section A (front side in the paper discharge direction) and forms a conveyance member for discharging the printing paper. Intermediate transfer belts 47, which constitute a discharge transfer path for transferring the transfer paper S ′ that has passed through 26, are continuously arranged.

The conveyor belt 9 can be swung with a driving-side roller 9A located on the side of the paper discharge tray 10 as a fulcrum of a pair of rollers around which the conveyor belt 9 is wound. Positions that form part of the path (in FIG. 6,
It is possible to swing between a position shown by a chain double-dashed line) and a position located on an extension line of the intermediate conveyance belt 47 (a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 6). The conveyance belt 9 is set in a position positioned on an extension line of the intermediate conveyance belt 47 when the transfer sheet S ′ is ejected from the electrophotographic processing section B, and the intermediate conveyance belt 47 corresponds to this time. Discharge transport device 3 shown in FIG.
The speed setting similar to the case of 0 is performed.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, unlike the configuration shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to raise the discharge position of the transfer sheet S ′ discharged from the electrophotographic processing section B with respect to the discharge tray 10. As a result, it is possible to make the paper ejection tray 10 at the same height as the ejection position of the paper from the print processing unit A, and the ejection height of the paper from the electrophotographic processing unit B depends on the stacking height on the paper ejection tray 10. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation that is disturbed.

Next, another example according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Another embodiment is characterized by executing the processing described in (E) above. That is, an image is formed on one transfer sheet S ′ by the electrophotographic processing section B separately from the predetermined number of printing sheets S discharged from the print processing section A,
The transfer paper S ′ is output in the same manner as the printing paper S, and the discharge tray 1
0, and by setting the discharge form and image content of the discharged transfer paper S ′, the discharge tray 10
It is characterized in that a predetermined number of printing sheets S discharged above can be sorted. FIG. 7 shows a state in which one transfer sheet S ′ having an image formed by electrophotographic processing is positioned between the predetermined number of print sheets S apart from the predetermined number of print sheets S discharged by the print processing. Is shown. In the present embodiment, when the discharge form of the transfer sheet S'formed by the electrophotographic process is changed, the transfer sheet S'of the same size as the predetermined number of printing sheets S'is subjected to the image formation by the electrophotographic process. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the print sheets S discharged by a predetermined number
The transfer paper S ′ ejected by electrophotographic processing is displaced from the leading end position in the ejection direction (arrow direction), and a transfer paper S ′ having a size larger than the printing paper S is provided, although not shown. A format in which the positions of the printing paper S and the leading ends thereof in the discharge direction are made different is selected. As a result, it goes without saying that when a large-sized transfer sheet S ′ is selected with respect to the predetermined number of print sheets S discharged onto the discharge tray 10, the print sheet S and the transfer sheet S ′ are selected. Even when the sheets have the same size, the number of printing sheets S discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 10 for each predetermined number of sheets is 1 for each predetermined number of sheets.
The sheets are classified by the presence of the transfer sheets S ′ discharged.

On the other hand, when the image content in the electrophotographic process for one transfer sheet S ′ is different from the content formed on the print sheet S, or one sheet is ejected for every predetermined number of print sheets. It is possible to select a case where the transfer sheets S ′ have the same content, or a case where the transfer sheets S ′ discharged one by one for each predetermined number of sheets have different content, as shown in FIG. 7.
The example shown in FIG. 7 shows a case where “mathematical data” is sorted into a plurality of groups such as three groups in the same grade. In the figure, electrophotographic processing is performed separately from a predetermined number of printing sheets. The image content of one transfer sheet S '(in FIG. 7, the number indicating the set and the number indicating the number of materials) is made different for each predetermined number of printing sheets. If the contents are the same,
It is possible to display that the paper is a sorting paper, or to use as a cover when a predetermined number of printing papers are collectively closed. Further, even if the contents are different, the cover sheet or the partition display sheet can be used if desired.

The above-mentioned processing is executed by the control section shown in FIG. 3, and its details are as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 8, in step ST18, a request for sorting processing for printing processing is determined. The sorting process is requested by operating a sorting switch (not shown) provided on the operation panel 37 and setting the number of prints (predetermined number) during the printing process.

After the processing in step ST18, the printing processing is started (ST19), and it is determined whether or not the number of printed sheets reaches the predetermined number set on the operation panel 37 (ST20). When the number of printed sheets reaches a predetermined number in step ST20, an image is formed on one transfer sheet S ′ by electrophotographic processing (ST21), and the transfer sheet S ′ has already ejected the print sheet. Is discharged to.

In the electrophotographic process executed in step ST20, an image is formed and discharged based on the discharge form of the transfer sheet S'preset on the operation panel 37 or the content of the image to be formed. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the transfer paper S ′ having the same size as the predetermined number of printing sheets is used, and as shown in FIG. A case is shown in which the contents of one transfer sheet S ′ are different and sorting is performed. In this case, the leading end position of the transfer sheet S ′ in the discharge direction is set to the leading end position of the printing paper in the discharge direction. The shifting process is executed (ST22). In the example shown in FIG. 7, the transfer speed of the transfer sheet S ′ is set to be slower than the transfer speed of the print sheet, so that the discharge-direction leading-edge position is discharged rearwardly of the discharge-direction leading-edge position. It is possible to easily visually determine that a predetermined number of print sheets are sorted according to the positional deviation state without turning the print sheets.

At the time of image formation in the electrophotographic process, the contents to be formed on the transfer paper S'can be made to correspond to the document set in the image reading section 7, so that the contents for sorting can be easily handwritten, for example. Can be set.

In the electrophotographic process executed in step ST21 in FIG. 8, when an image is formed using a transfer paper having a size larger than the printing paper, the transfer paper S'corresponding to the large size is electrophotographic processed. The sheet is selected and fed by the sheet feeding device 27 of the section B, an image is formed, and the sheet is ejected to the sheet ejection tray 10. When a large size transfer sheet S ′ is fed, step ST2 in FIG.
Process 2 is not performed.

When the shift process is completed in step ST22, it is determined whether or not the next print process is continued (ST23), and if it is continued, the print process is executed.

In FIG. 8, when the sorting process in step ST18 is not necessary, only the printing process is continuously executed up to the predetermined number of sheets (ST24, 25). In addition, in the present embodiment, it is described that the sheets are sorted by slowing the sheet conveying speed, but it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-330019.
Of course, it is also possible to apply a paper discharge sorting device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.

[0092]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the paper discharge position in the electrophotographic processing unit is integrated with the paper discharge position in the print processing unit, the paper discharge unit is provided in the electrophotographic processing unit. Not provided. Accordingly, even when the print processing unit having the paper discharge unit is installed above the electrophotographic processing unit, it is possible to easily visually recognize the discharge state of the paper. As a result, it is possible to prevent cost increase by not providing a paper discharge section in the electrophotographic processing section, and also to reduce the height and height of the electrophotographic processing section, making it a short operator. However, it becomes possible to improve the operability. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the discharge status of the paper from being deteriorated even if the height becomes low, and to make the discharge status easy to understand by always discharging the paper to the same discharge tray. In particular, according to the second and third aspects of the invention, since the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit does not move at the image printing position in the print processing unit by joining at the paper discharging position, when passing through the print processing unit. It is possible to prevent stains and the like due to ink that is likely to occur on the paper, and the paper discharge position is located at the end of the print paper discharge path. Since a part of the path can also be used as a part of the discharge transport path, a part of the discharge transport path can be omitted to simplify the transport path structure in the electrophotographic processing section.

According to the invention described in claim 4, since the transfer speed of the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing section is set to a speed close to the transfer speed of the print sheet discharged from the print processing section, printing is generally performed. The transport speed in the electrophotographic processing section, which is considered to be slower than the speed, will be increased, which also makes it possible to prevent stall jams and rolling jams that tend to occur when discharged at low speed. .

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the edges of the ejected paper can be aligned based on the size information of the printing paper and the transfer paper used in the printing process and the electrophotographic process. It is possible to reliably prevent a paper discharge jam that occurs when the side fence and the end fence are positioned at a position different from the size information of.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, when the size of the paper remaining at the paper discharge position and the size and orientation of the paper to be discharged are the same or smaller than the remaining paper, the side Since the paper can be ejected with the fence and end fence as it is, it is not necessary to position each fence each time the paper is ejected, and the work time required for image formation is shortened and the paper ejection efficiency is improved. It is possible to improve operability.
In particular, since the fence is not moved correspondingly with a small size sheet, it is possible to surely prevent a problem that the edge of the sheet remaining at the sheet discharge position is damaged by the fence.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the side fence and the end fence are positioned for a large size paper only when the size of the paper discharged relative to the paper remaining at the paper discharge position is large. Therefore, it is possible to position each fence so as to move away from the edge of the sheet remaining at the sheet discharge position. This allows large size sheets to be discharged and stacked without impairing the stackability of the remaining sheets, so that different size, especially large size sheets may interfere with the fence at the same discharge position. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly discharge the sheets, and it is possible to prevent a jam when the sheets of different sizes are discharged.

According to the inventions of claims 9 and 10,
In addition to the predetermined number of sheets ejected by the printing process, one sheet is used to form an image by electrophotographic processing, and then the one sheet is ejected to the same ejection position as the sheet ejected by the printing process. Therefore, it is possible to use one sheet for sorting a predetermined number of sheets by utilizing the electrophotographic process capable of easily forming an image.

According to the invention described in claims 11 to 16,
By distinguishing the image content on one sheet or the discharge direction such as changing the tip position in the discharge direction or the size, it is possible to easily identify when used to sort a predetermined number of sheets. Becomes

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an example according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit used in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG.

3A and 3B are views for explaining the function of the paper size detection sensor used in the control unit shown in FIG. 2, where FIG. 3A is a layout diagram and FIG. 3B is determined from the layout shown in FIG. It is a map showing the size.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing the configuration of an operation panel used in the control unit shown in FIG.

5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a partially modified example of the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state of a sheet group obtained by another example according to the embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control unit for obtaining the discharge state of the sheet group shown in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional example relating to an image forming apparatus in which a print processing unit and an electrophotographic process are integrated.

[Explanation of symbols]

A stencil printing processing section B Electrophotographic processing section 1 Stencil printing apparatus 2 Plate cylinder 8 Paper feeding apparatus 9 Conveyor belt located on the conveying path in the stencil printing processing section 10 Discharge tray provided at the discharge position at the end of the conveying path 10A Side fence 10B End fence 20 Photoreceptor drum 27 Paper feeding device 30 Ejecting transport device 31 Print processing unit side control unit 32 Electrophotographic processing unit side control unit 34 Printing paper size detection sensor 35 Paper remaining detection sensor 37 Operation panel 46 Transfer Paper size detection sensor

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B41L 13/04 B65H 33/04 2H078 B65H 31/20 G03G 15/22 103C 3F054 33/04 103Z 3F107 G03G 15 / 22 103 B41J 29/00 A B41F 33/14 D 21/14 Z G03G 21/00 372 F Term (reference) 2C061 AQ06 AS02 HJ03 HJ04 HK06 HK07 HK11 2C250 EA15 EB11 EB36 EB50 2H027 DA32 DC09 DC19 EC19 EC19 DE19 DE07 DE07 DE07 DE07 DE07 DE07 ED21 ED29 EE01 EE04 EE06 EF09 FA05 FA10 FA24 FA27 FA35 FB07 FB14 FB19 ZA07 2H071 AA23 AA35 AA37 DA22 DA24 DA31 DA32. BA02 BE02 BE09 BE11 CA04 CA06 CA07 CA10 CA21 CA34 CA35 DA08 DA14 3F107 AA0 1 AB01 AC02 AC04 AC05 BA02 CA03 CA32 CB02 DA13 DA15

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A plate making unit for making a plate according to image information on a master, and ink is supplied in a state in which the master is wound around the surface of a plate cylinder to transfer the ink from the master and print on a printing paper. In an image forming apparatus that includes a print processing unit capable of performing image formation and an electrophotographic processing unit capable of forming an image on a transfer sheet by electrophotographic processing, and the image formation in each processing unit can be selected, Placed at the top of the electrophotographic processing section,
The discharge position of the transfer paper on which the image is transferred by the electrophotographic processing unit is set to the same position as the discharge position of the print paper from the print processing unit, and the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is set to the above-mentioned position. An image forming apparatus comprising: a configuration for carrying the sheet toward the above-described sheet discharge position without passing through a print processing unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print processing section is provided with a print paper discharge transport path having the paper discharge position at the end, and the electrophotographic processing section is provided with the paper discharge path. At the position, a transfer paper discharge transport path that joins the print paper discharge transport path is provided, and the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is directed toward the paper discharge position without passing through the print processing unit. An image forming apparatus that is moved. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic processing section has a discharge conveyance path that is continuous with a print paper discharge conveyance path at which the discharge position of the print processing section is located at an end. Is provided, and the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is conveyed to the print paper discharge conveyance path without passing through the print processing unit and moved toward the paper discharge position. Image forming apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer paper discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit is set to a transfer speed close to a transfer speed of the print paper discharged from the print processing unit. An image forming apparatus that is discharged to a sheet discharge position. 5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at the paper discharge position, a paper discharge tray on which print paper and transfer paper to be discharged can be stacked, and the paper discharge tray. On the tray, an end fence capable of aligning the front end edge of each sheet in the discharge direction and a side fence capable of aligning both widthwise end edges of each sheet perpendicular to the discharge direction are movable in each direction. The side fence and the end fence are provided with positioning control based on the paper size information on the paper feeding device of the print processing unit when the print paper is discharged from the print processing unit, and the transfer paper is transferred from the electrophotographic processing unit. When the sheet is ejected, the positioning control is performed based on the sheet size information on the sheet feeding device of the electrophotographic processing unit, and the edge of each sheet to be ejected is set to be aligned. Special Image forming apparatus to be used. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a remaining paper detection sensor provided at the paper ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of ejected paper, and a printing process. Unit and the electrophotographic processing unit, the paper size detection sensor for the print paper and the transfer paper on the paper feeding device, and the edge of each of the papers to be ejected provided at the paper ejection position are aligned. Drive units for side fences and end fences, and a control unit in which the paper remaining detection sensor and the paper size detection sensor are connected to the input side and the drive units of the fences are connected to the output side. If the size and orientation of the print paper fed and discharged from the print processing unit and the transfer paper fed and discharged from the electrophotographic processing unit are the same, the control unit first Discharged Image forming apparatus characterized by setting the operating state of the respective fences so as to be discharged repeatedly paper discharged from after without removing the paper was. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a paper remaining detection sensor provided at the paper ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of ejected paper, and a printing process. Unit and the electrophotographic processing unit, the paper size detection sensor for the print paper and the transfer paper on the paper feeding device, and the edge of each of the papers to be ejected provided at the paper ejection position are aligned. Drive units for side fences and end fences, and a control unit in which the paper remaining detection sensor and the paper size detection sensor are connected to the input side and the drive units of the fences are connected to the output side. When the paper of a size smaller than the size of the paper that is ejected first and remains at the paper ejection position is ejected later, the control unit does not need to eject the paper ejected first. fence Image forming apparatus characterized by discharges the sheet of small size as it is without changing the position. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a paper remaining detection sensor provided at the paper ejection position and capable of detecting the presence or absence of ejected paper, and a printing process. Unit and the electrophotographic processing unit, the paper size detection sensor for the print paper and the transfer paper on the paper feeding device, and the edge of each of the papers to be ejected provided at the paper ejection position are aligned. Drive units for side fences and end fences, and a control unit in which the paper remaining detection sensor and the paper size detection sensor are connected to the input side and the drive units of the fences are connected to the output side. When the size of the paper that is larger than the size of the remaining paper that has been ejected to the paper ejection position is ejected, the control unit keeps the large size of the paper while the paper remains at the paper ejection position. Moving the respective fences paper edge alignment position intended for the figure, also from this paper on the remaining left paper discharging overlapping sheets of large-size image forming apparatus according to claim. 9. A plate making section for making a plate according to image information on a master and ink is supplied in a state in which the master is wound around the surface of a plate cylinder to transfer the ink from the master and print on a printing paper. In an image forming apparatus having a print processing unit capable of performing image formation and an electrophotographic processing unit capable of forming an image on a transfer sheet by electrophotographic processing, and capable of selecting image formation in each processing unit, the sheet is discharged from the print processing unit. In addition to the predetermined number of sheets to be formed, one sheet is image-formed by the electrophotographic processing section and discharged to the same discharge position as the sheet discharged from the print processing section. Image forming apparatus. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the one sheet is used for sorting the sheet groups ejected every predetermined number of sheets. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the content of the image formed on the one sheet is different from the content of the image formed by the print processing unit. Image forming apparatus. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the one sheet has a discharge mode different from that of the paper discharged from the print processing unit. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the one sheet has the same size as the sheet discharged from the print processing unit, the leading end position in the discharge direction is discharged from the print processing unit. An image forming apparatus, wherein the sheet is ejected at a position different from the leading end position of the sheet in the ejection direction. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the one sheet is selected and ejected with a size larger than a sheet size ejected from the print processing unit. Image forming apparatus. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, 10 or 12 to 14, wherein the one sheet is discharged separately from a sheet discharged every predetermined number of sheets. An image forming apparatus, in which images having the same content are formed by. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, 10 or 12 to 14, wherein the one sheet is discharged separately from the sheet discharged every predetermined number of sheets. An image forming apparatus, wherein images of different contents are formed by.