JP2006007701A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation device preventing sheets of paper from being delivered from the inside of device in vain. <P>SOLUTION: The image formation device is equipped with a feeding tray for mounting sheets of paper, a paper conveying means for conveying sheets of paper loaded on the feeding tray, an image formation device for forming images on the sheets of paper conveyed by the paper conveying means and an image-formation stopping-factors detecting means by which the image-formation stopping-factors are detected. After the image-formation stopping-factors having been detected by the stopping-factors detecting means, the sheets of paper are conveyed to the designated position according to the situation of forming images on the sheets of paper under being conveyed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that performs control when image formation control is stopped.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer apparatus, when it is necessary to stop image formation such as when a paper supply or a request for stopping image formation is generated during image formation, all sheets in the machine Is automatically discharged outside the machine.

As an example of the prior art, there is a recording paper processing apparatus and an information processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus that completes printing upon receipt of a manual paper feed cancellation signal and discharges the recording paper by a conveying means (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a print control device, a print control method, a program, and a recording medium that discharge a conveyed sheet when receiving a request to stop printing from a user (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, there is a vehicle-mounted inkjet printing system and a vehicle-mounted inkjet printer that discharge paper when printing is stopped (see, for example, Patent Document 3). Also, there is an image forming apparatus that includes a canceling unit that cancels the image forming process, and includes a discharging unit that automatically discharges the recording medium fed by the feeding unit after the canceling process by the canceling unit (for example, a patent) Reference 4). In addition, there is a facsimile apparatus that stops a printing operation and discharges a recording sheet in the middle of printing when a user instructs to stop printing (see, for example, Patent Document 5).
JP 2000-227740 A JP 2003-312092 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-19788 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-95568 JP-A-7-303183

  However, in the case of the image forming apparatus according to the above-described prior art example, usable paper that has not yet been subjected to image formation is unconditionally discharged from the apparatus, so that the discharged paper is wasted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and prevents wasteful discharge of paper from the apparatus by changing the paper transport position when image formation is stopped according to the image formation status on the transport paper. Objective.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent wasteful discharge of paper from the apparatus by changing the paper transport position when an image formation stop request is received from a user.

  It is another object of the present invention to prevent wasteful discharge of paper from the apparatus by changing the paper transport position when an ink end is detected.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent wasteful discharge of paper from the apparatus by changing the paper transport position when the temperature outside the printable temperature range is detected.

  Further, according to the present invention, paper that has not been imaged is automatically stored in the paper feed tray, and paper that is being imaged is automatically ejected to the discharge tray, so that the user is not troubled. Objective.

  Another object of the present invention is to suppress the possibility of paper being damaged by first transporting paper on which an image is not formed to a tray.

  It is another object of the present invention to reliably store paper on which an image is not formed in a paper feed tray and reliably discharge paper on which an image is being formed to a paper discharge tray.

  In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 is a paper feed tray for placing paper, a paper transport means for transporting paper placed on the paper feed tray, and a paper transport means. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet conveyed by an image forming unit, and an image forming stop factor detecting unit for detecting an image forming stop factor, wherein the image forming stop factor detecting unit After detecting the image formation stop factor, the sheet is transported to a predetermined position according to the image forming state on the sheet being transported.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image formation stop factor detecting means detects a print stop request from the user.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image formation stop factor detecting means detects an ink end.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image formation stop factor detecting means detects that the temperature is outside the printable temperature range.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined position is a paper discharge tray in the case of paper on which an image is formed, and paper on which no image is formed In this case, it is a paper feed tray.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, when there is a sheet on which an image is formed and a sheet on which no image is formed on the conveyance path, the sheet on which no image is formed is fed first. After the sheet is conveyed to the tray, the sheet on which the image is formed is conveyed to the sheet discharge tray.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth or sixth aspect, when transporting paper to the paper feed tray, a distance + α (α ≧ 0) from the paper front end position to the paper feed tray front end position is set. When the sub-scan driving is performed as much as possible, and the transport is performed to the paper discharge tray, the sub-scan driving is performed so that the distance from the rear end position of the paper to the discharge completion position + β (β ≧ 0) can be transported. And

  According to the present invention, it becomes possible to separate the paper transport destination when image formation is stopped according to the image forming situation on the transport paper, and therefore it is possible to prevent the paper from being discharged from the machine wastefully.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below. FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of a conveyance path of a printer shown as an embodiment of the present invention.
When a print request is received, the paper 22 loaded on the paper feed tray 2 is transported on the transport path by rotating the transport rollers 23, 32, 37, 38, 52. Further, an image is formed on the sheet by the recording head 14 during the conveyance. The paper on which image formation has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 3.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention when an image formation stop request is issued from the user during the paper conveyance and image formation.
When an image formation stop request from the user, which is an image formation stop factor, is detected, it is determined whether there is a sheet on which no image is formed on the conveyance path (S201). If there is paper on which no image is formed, the paper on which no image is formed is transported to the paper feed tray by rotating the transport rollers 23, 32, 37, 38, 52 in FIG. 1 in the direction opposite to that for transport for image formation. (S202). This makes it possible to use paper that has been discharged and wasted even though it can be used in the prior art.

  At this time, when a sheet on which no image is formed is transported to the tray, a sub-scanning drive capable of transporting a distance + α mm (α ≧ 0) from the leading end position of the sheet to the leading end position of the sheet feeding tray is performed. As a result, the sheet can be reliably conveyed to the sheet feeding tray. Here, α should be the minimum necessary from the viewpoint of power consumption, and is preferably around 30 mm in consideration of the idle area of the roller during paper conveyance.

  Next, when it is determined in S201 that there is no paper on which no image is formed on the conveyance path, or when the conveyance of the non-image-formed paper to the paper feed tray is finished in S202, the paper on which the image is formed on the conveyance path. It is determined whether or not there is (S203). If there is a sheet on which an image is formed on the conveyance path, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray by rotating the conveyance rollers 23, 32, 37, 38, and 52 in FIG. 1 in the same direction as the conveyance for image formation. Then, control ends (S204).

  At this time, when the sheet on which the image is formed is transported to the tray, the sub-scanning driving is performed so that the distance of the distance from the rear end position of the sheet to the discharge completion position + β mm (β ≧ 0) can be transported. As a result, the sheet can be reliably conveyed to the sheet discharge tray. Here, β is preferably the minimum necessary from the viewpoint of power consumption, and is preferably around 30 mm in consideration of the idle area of the roller during paper conveyance.

  In addition, the printer shown as an embodiment of the present invention may have one or more sheets on the conveyance path, and may have a sheet on which an image is not formed and a sheet on which an image is formed. In such a case, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, first, the paper on which no image is formed is first conveyed to the paper feed tray, and then the paper on which the image is formed is conveyed to the paper discharge tray. As a result, the time in which the paper on which no image is formed, that is, the usable paper is present in the machine is minimized, and the possibility that the paper is damaged in the machine can be minimized.

  Further, the same control can be applied when an ink end is detected or when it is detected that the temperature is out of the printable temperature range other than when the image formation stop request from the user is detected as in the above embodiment. it can.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to separate the paper transport destination when image formation is stopped according to the image forming status on the transport paper, and thus it is possible to prevent the paper from being discharged from the machine wastefully. Can do.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when an image formation stop request is received from the user, it becomes possible to separate the paper transport destination at the time of image formation stop according to the image formation status for the transport paper. It is possible to prevent the paper from being discharged from the inside of the machine.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the ink end is detected, it is possible to separate the paper transport destination at the time of image formation stop according to the image forming situation on the transport paper, so that the paper is wasted from the inside of the machine. Can be prevented from being discharged.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected that the temperature is out of the printable temperature range, it is possible to separate the paper transport destination when the image formation is stopped according to the image forming state on the transport paper. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being discharged from the inside of the machine.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the paper on which no image is formed is automatically stored in the paper feed tray, and the paper on which the image is being formed is automatically discharged to the discharge tray. .

  In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time that the paper is not damaged by reducing the time existing in the apparatus by first transporting the paper on which the image is not formed to the paper feed tray.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reliably store the paper on which the image is not formed in the paper feed tray, and reliably discharge the paper on which the image is being formed to the paper discharge tray.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, it is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram illustrating a conveyance path of a printer that is an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Paper feed tray 3 Paper discharge tray 22 Paper 23, 32, 37, 38, 52 Transport roller

Claims (7)

A paper tray for loading paper,
A paper transport means for transporting the paper placed on the paper feed tray;
Image forming means for forming an image on the paper being conveyed by the paper conveying means;
An image forming stop factor detecting means for detecting an image forming stop factor;
An image forming apparatus, wherein after detecting an image formation stop factor by the image formation stop factor detecting means, the paper is transported to a predetermined position in accordance with an image forming state on the paper being transported.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image formation stop factor detecting unit detects a print stop request from a user.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image formation stop factor detecting unit detects an ink end.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image formation stop factor detecting unit detects that the temperature is out of a printable temperature range.   The predetermined position is a paper discharge tray in the case of paper on which an image is formed, and the paper feed tray in the case of paper on which an image is not formed. The image forming apparatus described in the item.   In the case where there is a sheet on which image formation is performed and a sheet on which image formation is not present on the conveyance path, the sheet on which image formation has not been performed is first transported to the paper feed tray, and then the sheet on which image formation has been performed is discharged. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus is conveyed to a paper tray. When transporting the paper to the paper feed tray,
Sub-scanning drive that can transport the distance from the paper leading edge position to the paper feeding tray leading edge position + α (α ≧ 0),
When transporting to the paper discharge tray,
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sub-scanning driving is performed so that the distance of the distance from the rear end position of the sheet to the discharge completion position + β (β ≧ 0) can be conveyed.

Images