JP2003162181A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of paper feeding units can be discriminated with a small number of signals. <P>SOLUTION: In the apparatus, paper feeding unit selection signals received by a 2nd communication means 20 are reshuffled by a conversion means 21, processed by logical operation and paper feeding unit selection signal converted by the converting means 21 is fed to a lower paper feeding unit with a 3rd communication means 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of stacking a plurality of paper feed units such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus for printing images. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of feeding paper from a paper feeding unit selected by a forming unit to an image forming unit. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the number of sheets supplied frequently increases with an increase in the print processing speed of an image forming apparatus such as a printer, so that a large amount of sheets can be stored in the image forming means. In order to feed the paper and save space, the paper feed unit is unitized and a plurality of paper feed units are stacked, and the image forming means (printer, etc.) is at the top.
(Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-2753)
No. 42). In the conventional image forming apparatus, switch means is provided for each of the stacked paper feed units, and the user manually recognizes the switch means in accordance with the stacking order. It is necessary to make each sheet feeding unit recognize the position of the sheet in which sheet is located. However, when a switch is provided in each of such sheet feeding units, it is necessary for the user to manually operate the switches in accordance with the loading order. Could occur. Further, as a conventional image forming apparatus, there is a method in which a different discrimination code is set in advance for each paper feeding unit. However, the paper feeding units are arranged in a predetermined stacking order, so that a different stacking order is required. There was a problem that it could not be replaced. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-177867, the paper feed unit is provided with a common identification code, and each paper feed unit is provided with a paper feed unit select received from the image forming means or the upper paper feed unit. 2. Description of the Related Art There is an image forming apparatus that includes a conversion unit that performs a signal exchanging process, and transmits a paper feed unit select signal converted by the conversion unit to a lower paper feed unit. According to the image forming apparatus provided with such a conversion unit, it is not necessary for each paper supply unit to recognize in which position each paper supply unit is located. On the other hand. [0007] However, in the conventional image forming apparatus provided with a conversion means for performing only replacement,
For example, when recognizing a three-stage paper feed unit, it is necessary to transmit a combination signal of three “0” or “1” as a paper feed unit select signal, and it is difficult to increase the number of controllable paper feed units. there were. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is characterized in that a plurality of paper feed units can be recognized with as few signals as possible. More specifically, an image forming means for printing the supplied paper is arranged at the uppermost stage, has a common identification code in a lower stage of the image forming device, and is arranged in an upper stage and a lower stage. A communication unit for communicating with another paper feeding unit; a decoder for comparing the common identification code with a received paper feeding unit select signal; and the image forming unit when the decoder determines that they match. In the image forming apparatus having a plurality of paper feed units each including: a paper feed unit, and a conversion unit that performs a logical operation process on the paper feed unit select signal received by the paper feed unit, The image forming apparatus is configured to transmit the paper feed unit select signal converted by the conversion means to a lower paper feed unit. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a state in which sheet feeding units 2a, 2b,. The lower part of the sheet feeding unit 2b is omitted because it has the same configuration as the sheet feeding unit 2a. The printer 1 performs print processing of print data received from the outside on a sheet fed from one of the sheet feeding units, and generates a sheet feeding unit select signal. The first communication unit 11 is capable of transmitting the paper feed unit select signal generated in 10 to the lower paper feed unit 2a and receiving a return signal from the paper feed unit 2a or the like. The paper supply unit 2a has a storage unit 23 for storing a common identification code common to all paper supply units.
, 23 are connected to the first communication means 11 to receive the paper supply unit select signal, and to the first communication means 11 from the paper supply unit 2a itself or the lower paper supply unit 2b or the like. Is compared with the common unit identification code stored in the storage unit 23 by comparing the paper feed unit select signal received by the second communication unit 20 with the common identification code stored in the storage unit 23. Decoder means 24 for transmitting the determination result, central processing means 25 for generating a reply signal when the decoder means 24 determines that they match, and conversion means for converting the paper feed unit select signal received by the second communication means 20 And a third communication unit capable of transmitting the feed unit select signal converted by the conversion unit 21 to the lower feed unit 2b and receiving a return signal from the lower feed unit 2b or the like. And a stage 22. As described above, each paper feed unit compares the paper feed unit select signal received by the second communication means 20 with the common identification code, and transmits a reply signal only from the coincident paper feed unit, thereby providing an image. When the forming unit 10 generates a sheet feeding unit select signal in anticipation of the conversion by the converting unit 21, it is possible to control the sheet feeding unit that the image forming unit 10 wants to directly select. The present invention is characterized in that the conversion unit 21 performs the replacement of the received paper feed unit select signal and the logical operation processing.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conversion unit 21 receives the sheet feed unit select signals OPSEL0 and OPSEL0 received by the second communication unit 20.
1 and further, the logic is inverted by OPSEL1 and transmitted to the sheet feed unit 2b immediately below via the third communication means 22. FIG. 3 shows a case where the image forming means 10 uses the conversion means 21 of FIG. 2 and a signal obtained by combining two signals consisting of "0" or "1" as a paper feed unit select signal. 5 is a table showing a paper feed unit select signal received by a decoder unit 24 of the paper unit. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the common identification code is changed to OPSEL [1: 0] = (1,0)
If the printer 1 wants to select the first-stage paper supply unit, the paper supply unit select signal is set to OPSEL [1: 0] =
If (1,0) is set, OPSEL [1: 0] = (1,0) matching the common identification code is received by the first sheet feeding unit, and OPSEL [1] is selected if the second sheet is to be selected. : 0] = (0,0), OPSEL [1: 0] that matches the common identification code in the second-stage paper feed unit
= (1,0) can be received and selected. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to select a four-stage paper feed unit having the same “10” code by combining two signals, and it is possible to greatly reduce the number of signal lines as compared with the related art. become. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, even when the paper feed units to be stacked are in six stages, three signal lines are required.
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 7, even when the number of stacked paper feed units is eight, it is sufficient to prepare only four signal lines, and the effect of the conversion means 21 of the present invention increases as the number of stacked paper stages increases. . In the present embodiment, the logic operation is performed by inverting the logic with the OPSEL1. However, if a logic operation such as a sum or a product is performed on any of the signal lines before and after the replacement of the signal lines, the present invention can be implemented. The effect can be obtained. Further, in this embodiment, since each sheet feeding unit can recognize a communication signal for the sheet feeding unit of another stage by the sheet feeding unit select signal, the timing of the operation of the other stage is linked to the sheet feeding unit. Processing as an operation (for example, rotation of a roller on a conveyance path at the time of paper feeding) can be performed. Further, if the image forming unit 10 is not connected, it is possible to receive a response signal having no response signal and determine that the desired sheet feeding unit is not connected. As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since there is provided the conversion means for replacing the received sheet feed unit select signal and performing the logical operation processing, a plurality of signals can be obtained with a small number of signals. And an image forming apparatus capable of recognizing the sheet feeding unit of the image forming apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram showing the vicinity of a conversion unit according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a table showing a conversion state by a conversion unit of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration near a conversion unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a table showing a conversion state by the conversion means of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a configuration block diagram showing the vicinity of a conversion unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a table showing a conversion state by the conversion unit of FIG. 6; DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Printers 2a, 2b: Paper feed unit 10: Image forming unit 11: First communication unit 20: Second communication unit 21: Conversion unit 22: Third communication unit 23: Storage unit 24: Decoder unit 25: Central processing means

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. An image forming means for printing a fed sheet is arranged at the uppermost stage, has a common identification code at a lower stage of the image forming device, and is stacked at an upper stage and a lower stage. Communication means for communicating with the image forming means or another paper feeding unit; decoder means for comparing the common identification code with a received paper feeding unit select signal; and An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of paper feed units, each of which includes a reply unit for returning to the image forming unit, wherein a conversion unit for replacing the paper feed unit select signal received by the paper feed unit and performing a logical operation process is provided. And an image forming apparatus for transmitting the sheet feed unit select signal converted by the conversion unit to a lower sheet feed unit.