JP2006196047A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the head from damaging a disk by the impacts caused from the automatic paper feeder when closing its opening and closing component, shorten the time unable to use the magnetic disk drive while the head is retracting, and quicken retracting and returning of the head while accessing data. <P>SOLUTION: This device checks whether the HDD 34 is accessing the data or not when it detects that the open and close components have opened or begun to close. It retracts the head to the retraction area where the head can quickly return when accessing data, but moves the head outside the disk maintaining it in an unloaded state which is high in shock resistance when not accessing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a magnetic disk device for storing image data, and more particularly to a technique for preventing a magnetic disk device from being damaged by an impact.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is provided with a magnetic disk device as its storage means, and can store a large amount of image data.

  This magnetic disk apparatus has a structure in which data is read and written by bringing a head close to a magnetic disk (hereinafter referred to as a disk) that rotates at high speed. For this reason, if a head that has received a strong impact comes into contact with the disk surface and scratches it, important data will be lost, causing a great loss to the user. In particular, the image forming apparatus has an opening and closing member such as an automatic sheet feeding device or a sheet feeding tray, and a strong shock may occur when the member is closed. A device was needed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 discloses a technique for protecting a magnetic disk device from an impact caused by an opening / closing member of an image forming apparatus. In this technology, when the image forming apparatus detects that the opening / closing member has started to open, the image forming apparatus enters a standby mode in which the rotation of the disk is stopped and the head is retracted to a safe place against impact, and the opening / closing member is returned to the original position. When it is detected that it has returned, standby mode is canceled.

JP 2002-62763 A

  In the above technology, when the opening and closing member such as the paper feed tray starts to open, the head is moved to the standby mode and the head is retracted, so if the open time is prolonged for paper jam elimination or recording paper replenishment work, The period during which the head is retracted is also increased accordingly. However, in the case of a multifunction device, a request for background processing such as fax reception or print data reception occurs regardless of opening of the opening / closing member. Therefore, if the retract time of the head is prolonged as the opening / closing member is opened, There has been a problem that such a request cannot be accepted for a long time.

  Furthermore, since the disk rotation stops when the standby mode is set, when returning the retracted head to the original position, it is necessary to wait for the disk to be in a high speed and stable rotation state. If time is added, the period during which the disc cannot be used becomes longer.

  In general, as a method for improving the impact resistance of a magnetic disk device, there are a method for retracting the head in a retreat area in the disk and a load / unload method for retreating the head outside the disk. In the former, since the head only moves in the disk, the retracting operation is quick, but the impact resistance is slightly inferior. On the other hand, the latter is high in impact resistance because the head is retracted outside the disk, but is inferior in the speed of the retracting operation. Thus, despite the advantages and disadvantages of the retracting method, the head retracting method is conventionally fixed to one, so either one of improving the shock resistance and quickly retracting the head. I could only prioritize.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and while preventing damage to the magnetic disk device due to the impact of closing the opening / closing member, shortening the period during which the magnetic disk device cannot be used to prevent this damage. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can perform the above-described process.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of achieving both impact resistance and quickness of head retracting / returning operations by combining a plurality of retracting methods.

The invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data.
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit that detects the occurrence of the impact in advance based on the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The control unit retreats the head when the detection unit detects the occurrence of the impact in advance, and switches the retreat destination of the head depending on whether the magnetic disk is accessing data at that time. An image forming apparatus.

  According to the above invention, when the occurrence of an impact by the opening / closing member is detected in advance, the head of the magnetic disk device is retracted and the head retraction destination is switched depending on whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data. It is done.

  The magnetic disk device needs to have two or more head retraction areas that are less likely to damage the storage area of the magnetic disk due to an impact, but the location and form of retraction do not matter. While the head is retracted, the rotation of the disk may be stopped, but it is preferable to continue for quick recovery.

  Typical examples of the “opening / closing member capable of giving an impact” include an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as “ADF”), a paper feed tray, and the like that are likely to generate a large impact when closed. The open / close member is mainly a manual type that can generate a large impact depending on how it is handled, but may be an automatic open / close type. In any case, if there is a possibility that an impact that may damage the magnetic disk device may occur, such an impact need not occur every time.

  The detection unit is a switch or a sensor that detects in advance the occurrence of an impact when the opening / closing member is closed. The detection of the occurrence of the impact in advance may be detected based on the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member, or may be detected by other methods, for example, detecting that the user has grasped the handle of the opening / closing member.

  The data access may be a period during which the head actually performs a read / write operation on the disk or a period including a seek operation.

  During data access, priority is given to the responsiveness of quickly returning from the save destination to the original data access position. Otherwise, priority is given to impact resistance over responsiveness, etc. Switch to a suitable save destination. Note that the evacuation of the head during data access interrupts the data access, and when the head is returned, the head is moved to the original position before the evacuation to resume the data access.

The invention according to claim 2 is an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data.
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The controller is
When the detecting unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position when the magnetic disk device is not accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is unloaded, and the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position. When the detection unit detects that the head has been returned,
When the detection unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position while the magnetic disk device is accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is moved to a retreat area in the disk, and the opening / closing member is moved to the closed position. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that when the detection unit detects arrival at the head, the head is returned.

  According to the above invention, the head of the magnetic disk device is retracted when it is detected that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position, and the head is returned when it is detected that the opening / closing member is closed, and the magnetic disk device performs data access. When the medium is in the middle, the head is retreated to a retreat area in the disk. When the data is not being accessed, the head is retreated from the disk in an unloaded state.

  That is, during data access, the time required for the save / restore operation is shortened and the data access interruption time is shortened by retracting the head to the save area in the disk as compared with the case where the head is saved outside the disk. On the other hand, during non-data access, there is no request for quick operation, so that higher shock resistance is ensured by setting the unload state.

  The detection unit is a switch or a sensor that can detect that the opening / closing member has left the closed position and has arrived at the closed position. The means for detecting these are not limited to those that physically and directly detect the displacement and position of the opening / closing member. For example, the arrival at the closed position may be indirectly estimated after a certain period of time has elapsed after detecting that the opening / closing member has started to close. The closed position refers to a position designed so that the opening / closing member is accommodated in a normal state where the image forming apparatus is used. The detection of “leaving from the closed position” may be detected at any point in time from when the opening / closing member starts moving to just before reaching the closed position.

  The save area in the disc may be a CSS (Contact Start Stop) zone or another unique save area. The CSS zone is a non-storage area provided in the innermost peripheral portion of the disk in order to prevent the storage area of the disk and the head from being attracted when the disk is not rotating. Further, a plurality of evacuation areas may be provided in the disk. In this case, the evacuation area may be evacuated to the evacuation area having the shortest distance from the current position of the head. Note that “when data is not being accessed” corresponds to what is called idle.

  The unloaded state refers to a state in which the head is retracted to a retracting area called a ramp member disposed outside the outermost periphery of the disk storage area (outside of the disk).

The invention according to claim 3 is an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data.
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The controller is
When the detection unit detects a closing operation of the opening / closing member when the magnetic disk device is not accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is unloaded, and the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position. When detected by the detector, the head is returned,
When the magnetic disk device detects a closing operation of the opening / closing member during data access by the detection unit, the head of the magnetic disk device is moved to a retreat area in the disk, and the opening / closing member arrives at a closed position. The image forming apparatus is configured to return the head when the detection unit detects the image.

  According to the above invention, when the detecting unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member, the head is retracted. At this time, if the magnetic disk device is accessing data, the head is retracted to the retracting area in the disk, and the non-data If it is being accessed, the head is unloaded and the head is evacuated from the disk.

  Since the impact is generated when the opening / closing member has been closed, it is sufficient that the head is retracted at that time. Therefore, by retracting the head when the closing operation is detected at the start or halfway, the time during which the magnetic disk device cannot be used due to the retracting operation can be shortened regardless of the length of the opening time. For example, even if the open / close member is opened for a long time for paper jam clearing work, etc., the head is not retracted during this period, and the shock resistance of the magnetic disk drive is limited to just before the actual occurrence of the shock. Can be improved.

  The closing operation of the opening / closing member refers to an operation in which the displacement direction of the opening / closing member leaving the closed position approaches the closed position. The closing operation may be detected based on the displacement direction of the opening / closing member, the change in the distance to the closing position, the even-numbered passage of the predetermined position, and the like. The detection of the closing operation predicts that before the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position and an impact occurs.

In the invention according to claim 4, the image forming apparatus further includes:
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a selection unit that can change a setting of a save destination during data access to a save to an unload state. 5.

  According to the above invention, it is possible to select either the inside or outside of the disk as the head retreat destination during data access. This makes it possible to retreat the head to an unloaded state even during data access, and to set which of the speed of operation and impact resistance is important according to the user's preference. Can do.

The invention according to claim 5 is an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data.
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
When the detection unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position, the control unit retreats the head of the magnetic disk device to an unloaded state, and indicates that the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the head is returned to a loaded state when detected by a detection unit.

  According to the above invention, when it is detected that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position, the head of the magnetic disk device is placed in an unloaded state with high impact resistance, and when it is detected that the opening / closing member is closed, the head is returned. .

The invention according to claim 6 is an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data.
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
When the detecting unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member, the control unit retracts the head of the magnetic disk device, and when the detecting unit detects that the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position, An image forming apparatus characterized by returning a head.

  According to the above invention, when the detection unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member, the head is retracted. Since the head is retracted only immediately before the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position, the period during which the magnetic disk device cannot be used is shortened.

  As long as the magnetic disk device has a head retraction area that is less likely to damage the storage area of the magnetic disk due to an impact, the location and form of retraction do not matter.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the detection unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member so that the retracting of the head can be completed before the opening / closing member reaches the closed position. The image forming apparatus according to 3 or 6.

  According to the above invention, the closing operation is detected at a position where the head is retracted in time for the occurrence of the impact.

  Specifically, the detection position is set so that the time from when the closing operation is detected until the opening / closing member reaches the closed position at the fastest time is longer than the longest time required for the head to retract. That is, since the retraction of the head is a mechanical operation, the maximum time required to complete the head is substantially constant, but the time required to close the opening / closing member varies depending on the user who handles this. Therefore, if the detection timing of the closing operation is set so as to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements on the basis of the fastest operating speed within the design strength range, the magnetic disk device cannot be used due to the retraction of the head while minimizing the time. Damage to the disk device can be prevented.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the control unit returns the head after the vibration generated by the arrival of the opening / closing member at the closed position is settled. The image forming apparatus according to 4, 5, 6, or 7.

  According to the above invention, the head is returned to the original position after waiting for the vibration due to the impact generated by the opening / closing member to reach the closed position to be settled.

  Judgment that the vibration has subsided may be done by actually measuring the vibration state with a vibrometer, etc., and obtaining the time until the vibration is attenuated by a prior experiment, etc. Also good. Other methods may be used.

The invention according to claim 9 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit determines that the vibration has subsided after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  According to the above invention, it is determined that the vibration generated by the impact has been settled after a predetermined time. A vibration meter or the like is not required, and the apparatus configuration is simplified.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth aspect, the rotation of the disk included in the magnetic disk device is maintained while the head is retracted. The image forming apparatus described.

  According to the above invention, the rotation of the disk is maintained while the head is retracted. As a result, the waiting time required for resuming the rotation of the disk once stopped and re-speeding up the decelerated disk is reduced. In particular, when the evacuation operation is started by detecting the closing operation, the evacuation period is short. Therefore, maintaining the rotation of the disk is effective in shortening the unusable period of the magnetic disk device.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the head is retracted by detecting in advance the occurrence of an impact that occurs when the open / close member is closed, the magnetic disk device can be prevented from being damaged by the impact, and the magnetic disk device. Since the head evacuation destination is switched depending on whether or not the data is being accessed, it is possible to evacuate the head to an appropriate location according to the usage status of the magnetic disk by taking advantage of the evacuation destination. .

  In particular, when the data is accessed, the head is saved in the save area in the disk, and during non-data access, the head is saved in the unloaded state and the head is saved outside the disk. Higher impact resistance can be achieved at the same time.

  Further, in the case where the user can select the save destination during data access, when the user wants to place more importance on the impact resistance than the responsiveness, the intention can be reflected in the save operation.

  In the case where the head is retracted when the closing operation of the opening / closing member is detected, the head is retracted only for a short period before and after the occurrence of the impact, so that damage can be prevented compared to when the head is retracted after the opening / closing member is opened. Therefore, the period during which the magnetic disk device cannot be used can be shortened. As a result, a job such as fax reception that requires access to the magnetic disk device can be executed without any trouble even while the opening / closing member is opened for paper jam clearing work or the like.

  In particular, the detection of the closing operation of the opening / closing member at a position where the retracting of the head can be completed before the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position ensures the effect of preventing damage and minimizes the head retracting period. Can be.

  When the head is unloaded until the opening / closing member leaves the closed position and then returns to the closed position again, the head retracts out of the disk, and the possibility of the head damaging the disk is completely eliminated. Impact resistance can be ensured.

  In the case where the head is returned after waiting for the vibration generated by the impact when the opening / closing member is closed to be settled, the disk can be prevented from being damaged by the influence of the vibration before it is sufficiently damped.

  In addition, it is possible to judge whether the vibration due to the impact has settled with the passage of a predetermined time by using a timer or the like without using a vibrometer, so the configuration is simplified and the price of the device is reduced. Can be reduced.

  In the case of maintaining the rotation of the disk while the head is retracted, it is not necessary to return the disk rotation once stopped or decelerated to the original rotation state. The period during which it cannot be used can be shortened. In particular, when the retracting operation is started by detecting the closing operation, since the head retracting period is short, maintaining the rotation of the disk is effective in shortening the unusable period of the magnetic disk device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an electrical configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 10 has a function as a copying machine for reading a document and forming a duplicate image on a recording sheet, a scanner function for outputting the read image data to the outside, a printer function for printing according to received print data, and the like. It is configured as a multifunction machine equipped.

  The image forming apparatus 10 stores image data in a magnetic disk device, so that the disk is not damaged by the impact of closing an opening / closing member such as an ADF or a paper feed tray. Has a function of retracting the head.

  The system control unit 11 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 10, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown). And a circuit whose main part is. The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU and various fixed data. The RAM functions as a work memory that temporarily stores various data when the CPU executes a program.

  The system control unit 11 includes an operation unit 17, a detection unit 19, an external input / output unit 20, and an image data storage unit 15 through a bus bridge 35 through a PCI bus (Peripheral Component Interconnect Bus) 23. It is connected. The image data storage unit 15 is a circuit part that performs various processing and storage on the image data. The image data is input from the image reading unit 12 through the image processing unit 13 and the error diffusion unit 14 while image formation is performed. The function of outputting image data to the unit 16 is achieved.

  The image reading unit 12 has a function of reading a document image and taking in corresponding image data. The image reading unit 12 includes a light source that irradiates the document, a line image sensor that reads the document for one line in the width direction thereof, a moving unit that moves the reading position in units of lines in the length direction of the document, and reflection from the document. And an optical path composed of a lens and a mirror for guiding light to a line image sensor to form an image. The line image sensor is composed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). An analog image signal output from the line image sensor is A / D (analog / digital) converted, and is taken into the image processing unit 13 as digital image data.

  The image processing unit 13 performs a function of performing image processing such as gamma correction, density conversion, filter processing, and magnification conversion processing on the image data input from the image reading unit 12 and outputs it to the error diffusion unit 14. The error diffusion unit 14 converts the multi-gradation image data processed by the image processing unit 13 into image data expressed by pseudo gradation with binary data of white and black by error diffusion processing, and an image data storage unit 15 function.

  The image data storage unit 15 is a circuit group having a function of storing image data input from the error diffusion unit 14 and the like, extracting the image data as necessary, and outputting the image data to the image forming unit 16.

  The image data storage unit 15 includes an image data transfer control unit 30, and a compression / expansion unit 31 and an image memory 32 are connected to the image data transfer control unit 30. Furthermore, a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller 33 and a bus bridge 35 are connected via a PCI bus 36. A magnetic disk device (hereinafter referred to as HDD; Hard Disk Drive) 34 is connected under the DMA controller. The image data transfer control unit 30 receives various control signals from the system control unit 11 via the PCI bus 23 on the upstream side of the bus bridge 35.

  The image memory 32 is composed of a semiconductor memory that can be accessed at high speed. For example, an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) is used as the image memory 32. The capacity of the image memory 32 may be set as appropriate, but it should be large enough to store image data from several pages, preferably several tens of pages. The compression / decompression unit 31 compresses and decompresses image data.

  The HDD 34 is a large-capacity storage device for storing compressed image data, print data, and the like. The HDD 34 incorporates a resin disk coated with a magnetic material and a head. The disk is rotated at a high speed, the head is moved to a target position, and data is read / written using the head. The HDD 34 has a head retraction area so that the disk is not damaged by an impact generated when the opening / closing member of the image forming apparatus 10 is closed.

  The image data transfer control unit 30 functions to manage the read / write operation of the image data input from the error diffusion unit 14 and the image data output to the image forming unit 16 with respect to the image memory 32. Further, it fulfills a function of writing data on the PCI bus 36 to the image memory 32 in response to an access request from the PCI bus 36 and a function of outputting data read from the image memory 32 to the PCI bus 36. It also has a function of adjusting access contention so that access requests from the error diffusion unit 14 and the image forming unit 16 are prioritized over access requests from the PCI bus 36 side.

  The DMA controller 33 is a circuit that controls reading and writing of image data to and from the HDD 34 connected thereto. Further, the DMA controller 33 also functions as a bus master and performs a data transfer process between the image data transfer control unit 30 and the DMA controller 33.

  When the image data transfer control unit 30 takes in the image data from the error diffusion unit 14, the image data transfer control unit 30 inputs the timing signal and the image data from the error diffusion unit 14, and sequentially compresses the image data in synchronization with the timing signal. After being compressed by the decompression unit 31, it is written in the image memory 32. Further, the image data stored in the image memory 32 is transferred to the HDD 34 via the PCI bus 36 by the DMA controller 33 and stored.

  When the image forming unit 16 forms an image, the image data stored in the HDD 34 is read out and transferred to the image data transfer control unit 30 through the PCI bus 36 by the DMA controller 33. The image data transfer control unit 30 is And stored in the image memory 32. Further, the image data transfer control unit 30 decompresses the compressed image data stored in the image memory 32 by the compression / decompression unit 31 and then stores the decompressed image data in the image memory 32 again. In synchronization with the timing signal from the unit 16, it is sequentially read out from the image memory 32 and output to the image forming unit 16.

  The image forming unit 16 functions to form and output an image corresponding to the image data supplied from the image data transfer control unit 30 on a recording sheet by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 16 is configured as a so-called laser printer having a recording paper transport device, a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a laser unit, a developing device, a transfer separation device, a cleaning device, and a fixing device. ing.

  The operation unit 17 includes an operation screen including a liquid crystal display and a touch panel covering the liquid crystal display and an operation panel including operation buttons, and fulfills a function of receiving various operations from the user. In addition, the operation unit 17 functions as a selection unit 18 that accepts user settings related to the head retreat destination.

  The detection unit 19 functions to detect the displacement and open / close state of an open / close member such as an ADF or a paper feed tray.

  The external input / output unit 20 is a circuit that performs a function of inputting / outputting image data, print data, and the like to / from an external device. The external input / output unit 20 accepts image data from a client via a LAN (Local Area Network) or fax image data via a telephone line. To fulfill the function of accepting.

  The system control unit 11 further functions as an access determination unit 21 and a control unit 22. The access determination unit 21 functions to determine whether or not the HDD 34 is accessing data. The access determination unit 21 determines that data access is being performed when the HDD 34 is actually performing a read / write operation on a disk and when a seek operation is being performed.

  The control unit 22 functions to control the retracting operation of the head of the HDD 34 according to the open / close state of the open / close member. Further, the control unit 22 switches the head retreat destination according to the determination result of the access determination unit 21, that is, whether or not the HDD 34 is accessing data.

  FIG. 2 shows the right side surface of the image forming apparatus 10 and an enlarged view of the vicinity of the ADF open / close detection switch 44 that detects the open / closed state of the ADF 40.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes an ADF 40 and a paper feed tray 41 as typical opening / closing members. A main body upper surface 45 of the image forming apparatus 10 is a reading surface from which the image reading unit 12 reads a document image. The ADF 40 is attached by a hinge behind the upper surface 45 of the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 so as to cover the reading surface when closed. The ADF 40 performs a function of feeding originals stacked on an original placement tray (not shown) one by one to the reading surface. When reading a document without using the ADF 40, the user opens the ADF 40, places the document directly on the reading surface of the upper surface 45 of the main body of the image forming apparatus 10, closes the ADF 40, and then operates the start button for the reading operation. It has become.

  An ADF open / close detection switch 44 is embedded in the upper surface 45 of the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 and in the vicinity of the hinge that pivotally supports the ADF 40. The ADF open / close detection switch 44 has a rod-like actuator 43 that appears and disappears from the upper surface 45 of the main body and is biased in the advance direction. When the ADF 40 is closed, the actuator 43 is pressed and immersed therein, and when the ADF 40 is opened, the actuator 43 is released from the press and advances upward.

  The ADF open / close detection switch 44 is turned off when the actuator 43 is advanced, and turned on when the actuator 43 is immersed. Here, the contact ON / OFF state is switched at a position where the actuator 43 is pressed slightly downward from the most advanced position. In the enlarged portion 42, the contact is turned on / off at the positions of the ADF 40b and the actuator 43b indicated by solid lines. The ADF 40a and the actuator 43a in the fully open position are indicated by broken lines. To what extent the ADF 40 is opened, the contact is turned on / off can be adjusted by the length of the actuator 43.

  The paper feed tray 41 is a storage unit that can be loaded with several hundreds of recording sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit 16 and slides in a drawer-type manner. The image forming apparatus 10 includes a plurality of paper feed trays 41 so that printing on a plurality of types of recording papers having different sizes is possible. The paper feed tray 41 is normally in a closed state housed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 and is used to be pulled out when the recording paper is replenished and replenished with the recording paper, and then pushed back to the original closed position. The In the drawing, the open paper feed tray 41a is indicated by a broken line. Although not shown, an open / close detection switch for detecting the open / close state of each paper feed tray 41 is provided.

  FIG. 3 shows the retracted state of the head in the unloaded state.

  The HDD 34 includes a disk 61 and an arm 55 to which the head 54 is attached, and further includes two retreat destinations for retreating the head 54 on the inner side and the outer side of the disk 61. Among these, the ramp mechanism 50 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the disk 61 as an outside retreat destination.

  The base end of the arm 55 is pivotally supported on the outer side of the disk by a rotating shaft 56 so that the tip of the arm 55 can travel in the radial direction on the disk. Further, a tab 53 is provided at the distal end of the arm 55 so as to protrude further away, and a head 54 is attached slightly closer to the proximal end than the distal end. The arm 55 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  FIG. 4 shows the structure of the ramp mechanism 50. The ramp mechanism 50 includes a strip-shaped ramp member 51 having a wedge-shaped tip and a support member 52 that supports the ramp member 51 from the side on the side opposite to the arm. The ramp member 51 is disposed on the same plane as the surface of the disk so that the wedge-shaped tip faces inward of the disk.

  When shifting to the unloaded state, the arm 55 rotates about the rotation shaft 56, so that the tip of the arm 55 moves from the inside of the disk to the outside of the disk as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. After the tab 53 at the front end rides on the ramp member 51 in the vicinity of the outer periphery, the head 54 further stops at a position where it moves to the outside of the disk. In this unloaded state, the head 54 is retracted to the outside of the disk 61.

  Note that FIG. 3 illustrates the case where one side of one disk is used, but one using both sides of the disk or a plurality of disks may be used. In this case, an arm or a ramp mechanism may be provided in multiple stages according to the number of disks used.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the disk 61 includes a storage area 62 that stores data, and a retreat area 63 that is a retreat destination of the head 54 inside the disk 61. During the access, the disk 61 is rotated around the rotation shaft 64 by a motor (not shown), and the head 54 that is floating due to the air flow generated by the rotation is moved to the target storage area by moving the arm 55. To read and write data.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the head 54 is retracted to the retracting area 63. By moving the arm 55 inward from the position shown in FIG. 5, the head 54 is retracted from the storage area 62 in the disk 61 to the retract area 63.

  FIG. 7 shows the retracting / returning operation of the head 54 performed based on the detection that the ADF 40 is opened. The control unit 22 monitors the open / closed state of the ADF 40 based on the on / off state of the ADF open / closed detection switch 44 (step S101; N), and the ADF 40 is opened from the closed state (from the on-off of the ADF open / closed detection switch 44). ) Is detected (step S101; Y), it is recognized based on the determination of the access determination unit 21 whether the HDD 34 is currently accessing data.

  When the data access is not being performed (step S102; N), the control unit 22 issues a command for causing the HDD 34 to shift to the unload state. As a result, the HDD 34 moves the arm 55 to the ramp mechanism 50 and puts the head 54 into an unloaded state (step S103). Thus, during the non-data access, the head 54 is retracted outside the disk 61, so that high shock resistance is ensured.

  After the head 54 is unloaded and retracted, it is monitored whether or not the ADF 40 is closed based on ON / OFF of the ADF open / close detection switch 44 (step S104; N). When it is detected that the ADF 40 is closed by turning on the ADF open / close detection switch 44 (step S104; Y), after a predetermined time required for the vibration generated by the impact of closing the ADF 40 to settle, In step S105, a head 54 return command is issued to the HDD. Receiving this, the HDD 34 loads the head 54 into the disk 61 (step S106), and a series of evacuation / return operations are completed. Since the head 54 is loaded after the vibration is settled, an accident that damages the disk 61 during the returning operation of the head 54 can be surely avoided.

  On the other hand, when the HDD 34 is accessing data (step S102; Y), the control unit 22 stores the access position and interrupts data transfer with the HDD 34 (step S107).

  Thereafter, the control unit 22 issues a command for retracting the head 54 to the retreat area 63 in the disk 61 to the HDD 34. Receiving this, the HDD 34 moves the arm 55 to the inside of the disk 61 and retracts the head 54 to the retreat area 63 in the disk 61 (step S108). At this time, the rotation of the disk 61 is maintained.

  Thereafter, it is monitored whether or not the ADF 40 is closed based on ON / OFF of the ADF opening / closing detection switch 44 (step S109; N). When it is detected that the ADF 40 is closed by turning on the ADF open / close detection switch 44 (step S109; Y), the vibration generated by the impact of closing the ADF 40 is waited for (step S110) to be stored first. A command for returning the head 54 to the access position that has been issued is issued. In response to this, when the HDD 34 moves the head 54 to the designated position (step S111), data transfer with the HDD 34 is started (step S112), and a series of evacuation / return operations are completed.

  As described above, since the head 54 is retracted to the retreat area 63 in the disk 61 during data access, the time required for returning the head 54 is shortened compared with the case of unloading, and the data access operation is immediately performed. Can return to. In particular, since the rotation of the disk 61 is maintained even during evacuation, the time required for restoration is shortened.

  FIG. 8 shows the retracting / returning operation of the head 54 performed based on the detection of the closing operation of the ADF 40. The controller 22 monitors the closing operation of the ADF 40 based on ON / OFF of the ADF opening / closing detection switch 44 (step S201; N), and the ADF 40a that has been fully opened arrives at the position 40b where the ON / OFF changes. Thus, when the detection switch 44 changes from OFF to ON, the closing operation of the ADF 40 is detected (step S201; Y). At that time, the HDD 34 recognizes whether or not the data is being accessed based on the determination of the access determination unit 21.

  When the data access is not being performed (step S202; N), the control unit 22 issues a command for causing the HDD 34 to shift to the unload state. Thereby, the HDD 34 moves the arm 55 to the ramp mechanism 50 and puts the head 54 into an unloaded state (step S203). During non-data access, the head 54 is retracted from the disk 61, so that high shock resistance is ensured. Even when the head 54 is retracted, the rotation of the disk 61 is maintained.

  Until a predetermined waiting time elapses after detection of the closing operation, the apparatus waits in the unloaded state (step S204), and then issues a return command for the head 54. Receiving this, the HDD 34 loads the head 54 into the disk 61 (step S205), and a series of evacuation / return operations are completed.

  Here, the predetermined waiting time in step S204 is a time T1 required for the ADF 40 to reach the closed position from the time when the closing operation of the ADF 40 is detected (the time when the ADF open / close detection switch 44 changes from off to on). , And the time T2 until the vibration due to the impact of closing the ADF 40 is settled. Usually, since the ADF 40 in which the closing operation is detected is considered to arrive at the closing position as it is, the time T1 from when the closing operation is detected until the ADF 40 arrives at the closing position, and the time from when the closing position arrives until the vibration is settled. It is continuous with T2. In addition, it is assumed that the time T1 until the ADF 40 is closed is substantially within a certain time even if individual differences in the closing speed are taken into consideration.

  Therefore, the return timing of the head 54 is recognized by measuring the lapse of time (T1 + T2) from the time when the closing operation is detected. Thus, both the timing for starting the retracting operation of the head 54 and the timing for starting the returning operation can be recognized only by the existing ADF open / close detection switch 44, and it is detected that the ADF 40 has arrived at the closed position separately. Switch is not necessary, and the apparatus configuration is simplified.

  Even when the user stops the closing operation halfway and opens the ADF 40, the head 54 returns to the disk 61 as it is. Thereafter, the process returns to step S201 and the start of the closing operation of the ADF 40 is monitored again.

  On the other hand, when the HDD 34 is accessing data when the closing operation of the ADF 40 is detected (step S202; Y), the control unit 22 stores the access position and interrupts data transfer with the HDD 34 (step S206). ).

  Thereafter, the control unit 22 issues a command for retracting the head 54 to the retreat area 63 in the disk 61 to the HDD 34. Receiving this, the HDD 34 moves the arm 55 to the inside of the disk 61, and retracts the head 54 to the retreat area 63 in the disk 61 (step S207). At this time, the rotation of the disk 61 is maintained.

  When a predetermined waiting time, which is the sum of the time T1 from the detection of the closing operation until the ADF 40 arrives at the closed position and the time T2 until the vibrations are settled, has elapsed (step S208), it is stored first. A command for returning the head 54 to the previously set access position is issued. In response to this, when the HDD 34 moves the head 54 to the designated position (step S209), data transfer with the HDD 34 is started (step S210), and a series of evacuation / return operations are completed.

  Since the retreat destination of the head 54 is in the disk 61 and the rotation of the disk 61 is maintained, data access can be resumed more quickly than in the case where the head 54 is put in an unload state.

  FIG. 9 shows a save mode selection setting screen 300 displayed on the operation unit 17. The save mode selection setting screen 300 is a setting screen for selecting the save destination of the head 54 during data access. This screen 300 is displayed as one of the environment setting screens of the apparatus, for example.

  An operation guidance message 301 is displayed at the center of the save mode selection setting screen 300. Further, a performance priority mode selection button 302 and an impact resistance priority mode selection button 303 are arranged below the message 301, and a save mode setting display field 304 is arranged below the performance priority mode selection button 302.

  When the performance priority mode selection button 302 is pressed, a save area 63 in the disk 61 is set as a save destination when the head 54 is saved during data access. In addition, when the shock resistant performance priority mode selection button 303 is pressed, the unloading state is also set when the head 54 is withdrawn during data access. The save mode setting display field 304 displays the currently set save mode.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and there are changes and additions within the scope of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

  For example, when the head 54 is withdrawn during data access, it may be set to select a place where the save / return operation can be performed earliest from the place where the head 54 is located at that time. Good. For example, when the data access position is close to the outermost periphery of the storage area and the head 54 is moved to the retreat area 63 near the center of the disk 61, the time required for the retreat / return operation is moved to the ramp mechanism 50. If the time is shorter, the unload state may be selected regardless of data access.

  In the embodiment, when the head 54 is retracted based on the detection of the closing operation of the ADF 40, the timing for starting the retracting operation of the head 54 and the timing for starting the returning operation with only one ADF open / close detection switch 44 are provided. However, a switch for detecting that the ADF 40 has arrived at the closed position may be provided separately. By providing a switch for detecting the arrival at the closed position in this way, an exceptional movement in which the time from when the ADF open / close detection switch 44 detects the closing operation until the actual arrival at the closed position becomes longer than expected. For example, it is possible to prevent the head from being returned before the closing operation is completed even if the movement is such that it closes very slowly or is temporarily stopped in the middle.

  In the embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the ADF 40 has been described. However, the same operation may be performed for opening / closing the paper feed tray 41 and the front cover 46 (see FIG. 2).

  Further, the rotation of the disk 61 during the withdrawal of the head 54 may be limited only to the case where the disk 61 is evacuated during data access, or even when the data is not being accessed, The head may be retracted while maintaining the rotation.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a right side surface of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and the vicinity of an automatic paper feeder opening / closing operation detection switch. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the inside of a magnetic disk device with a head unloaded. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a lamp mechanism. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the inside of a magnetic disk device with a head on a disk. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the inside of a magnetic disk device in a state where a head is retracted to a retracting area in the disk. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when the head is retracted and returned based on the detection of the open state of the ADF by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when the head is retracted / returned based on the detection of the opening operation of the ADF by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a save mode selection setting screen displayed on the operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

A ... Movement direction of arm to unloading state 10 ... Image forming apparatus 11 ... System control unit 12 ... Image reading unit 13 ... Image processing unit 14 ... Error diffusion unit 15 ... Image data storage unit 16 ... Image forming unit 17 ... Operation Unit 18 ... Selection unit 19 ... Detection unit 20 ... External input / output unit 21 ... Access determination unit 22 ... Control unit 23 ... PCI bus 30 ... Image data transfer control unit 31 ... Compression / decompression unit 32 ... Image memory 33 ... DMA controller 34 ... Magnetic disk drive (HDD)
35 ... Bus bridge 36 ... PCI bus 40 ... Automatic paper feeder (ADF)
40a ... ADF in fully open state
40b: ADF at a position where ON / OFF changes
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Paper feed tray 41a ... Paper feed tray 42 ... The enlarged illustration part in the vicinity of ADF opening-and-closing detection switch 43 ... Actuator 43a ... Actuator 43b of full expansion state ... ... Main body upper surface 46 ... Main body front cover 50 ... Ramp mechanism 51 ... Ramp member 52 ... Support member 53 ... Tab 54 ... Head 55 ... Arm 56 ... Arm rotating shaft 61 ... Disk 62 ... Storage area 63 ... Retraction area 64 ... Disc area Rotation axis 300 ... Evacuation mode selection setting screen 301 ... Guidance message 302 ... Performance priority mode selection button 303 ... Impact resistance performance priority mode selection button 304 ... Evacuation mode setting display field

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data,
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit that detects the occurrence of the impact in advance based on the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The control unit retreats the head when the detection unit detects the occurrence of the impact in advance, and switches the retreat destination of the head depending on whether the magnetic disk is accessing data at that time. An image forming apparatus. In an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data,
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The controller is
When the detecting unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position when the magnetic disk device is not accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is unloaded, and the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position. When the detection unit detects that the head has been returned,
When the detection unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position while the magnetic disk device is accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is moved to a retreat area in the disk, and the opening / closing member is moved to the closed position. The image forming apparatus, wherein the head is returned when the detection unit detects arrival at the head. In an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data,
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
An access determination unit for determining whether the magnetic disk device is accessing data;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
The controller is
When the detection unit detects a closing operation of the opening / closing member when the magnetic disk device is not accessing data, the head of the magnetic disk device is unloaded, and the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position. When detected by the detector, the head is returned,
When the magnetic disk device detects a closing operation of the opening / closing member during data access by the detection unit, the head of the magnetic disk device is moved to a retreat area in the disk, and the opening / closing member arrives at a closed position. The image forming apparatus, wherein the head is returned when the detection unit detects the error. The image forming apparatus further includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a selection unit that can change a setting of a save destination during data access to a save to an unload state. In an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data,
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
When the detection unit detects that the opening / closing member has moved away from the closed position, the control unit retreats the head of the magnetic disk device to an unloaded state, and indicates that the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position. An image forming apparatus, wherein the head is returned to a loaded state when detected by a detection unit. In an image forming apparatus including a magnetic disk device for storing image data,
An opening / closing member capable of giving an impact to the magnetic disk device when closed;
A detection unit for detecting the displacement of the opening and closing member;
A control unit for controlling the retracting operation of the head of the magnetic disk device,
When the detecting unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member, the control unit retracts the head of the magnetic disk device, and when the detecting unit detects that the opening / closing member has arrived at the closed position, An image forming apparatus, wherein the head is returned. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detection unit detects the closing operation of the opening / closing member so that the retracting of the head can be completed before the opening / closing member arrives at the closed position. apparatus. The said control part returns the said head, after the vibration which generate | occur | produced when the said opening / closing member arrived at the closed position is settled, The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. The image forming apparatus described in 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit determines that the vibration has subsided with a lapse of a predetermined time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, wherein the rotation of the disk of the magnetic disk device is maintained while the head is retracted.

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