JP2007314302A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device capable of detecting sheet fitting errors and prompting a user to perform a recovery process without causing equipment damage. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming device is provided with a paper feeding cassette 8 capable of advancing to/receding from a main body; a paper sensor 81 detecting paper residual amount inside the paper feeding cassette 8; a lift up means 82 lifting up paper stored in the paper feeding cassette 8 to a paper feeding position; and a lift up control means 84 driving the lift up means 82 until a paper upper end is detected by a paper feeding position sensor 83 for detecting the paper upper end when the paper feeding cassette 8 is fitted to the main body. When a paper upper face position is not detected by the paper feeding position sensor 83 within predetermined time after paper detection by the paper sensor 81, the lift up control means 84 performs stop control of the lift up means 84. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a paper feed cassette that can be moved back and forth with respect to the main body, a paper sensor that detects the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed cassette, and lifts up the paper contained in the paper feed cassette to a paper feed position. Lift-up means; and lift-up control means for driving the lift-up means until a paper upper surface position is detected by a paper feed position sensor that detects the upper edge of the paper when the paper feed cassette is mounted on the main body. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided.

  2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses such as printers, facsimiles, and copiers are provided with a single or a plurality of drawer-type paper feed cassettes that can be freely withdrawn from the apparatus main body. As described in Patent Document 1, such a sheet feeding cassette can be used while changing sheets of a plurality of sizes according to the use, and a lateral position regulation guide according to the size of the stored paper. In addition, a sheet size switch is provided in the sheet cassette so that the position control guide in the vertical direction can be slid, and a user inputs a stored sheet size.

  When such a paper feed cassette is mounted on the main body, until the paper upper surface position is detected by the paper feed position sensor, specifically, until the paper upper surface reaches a position where it can be picked up by the paper feed roller. A motor incorporated in the lift-up means is driven by the lift-up control means.

JP 2002-308447 A

  However, when an inexperienced user fills a paper cassette with paper, when the paper smaller than the previously stored paper size is filled, the above-mentioned position regulation guide is slid in accordance with the paper size. I forgot to do it.

  At this time, if the sheet is filled in a position shifted from the position to be detected by the sheet feed position sensor or the sheet is displaced in the sheet cassette while the lift-up means is being driven, Since the upper surface of the paper is not detected by the sensor, the lift-up means continues to operate, and as a result, the paper sheet cassette upper sheet metal or the like is pushed up, the paper sensor installed on the sheet metal is damaged, or the lift-up means There was a problem of damage.

  Therefore, the lift-up control means is provided with a self-diagnosis function for measuring the time during which the lift-up means is driven and detecting an abnormality when the paper feed position sensor does not detect paper within a predetermined time. However, since the load of the motor of the lift-up means changes depending on the number of sheets filled in the sheet cassette, that is, the weight, there is a problem that the time for diagnosis varies and it cannot be detected properly. When diagnosed, there is also a problem that the device cannot be operated until a maintenance worker performs a maintenance inspection by a service call.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can detect an erroneous attachment of a sheet and prompt a user to perform an appropriate recovery process without causing damage to the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a first characteristic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is, as described in claim 1 of the document of claims, A paper sensor for detecting the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed cassette, lift-up means for lifting up the paper stored in the paper feed cassette to a paper feed position, and when the paper feed cassette is mounted on the main body An image forming apparatus comprising: a lift-up control unit that drives the lift-up unit until a paper upper surface position is detected by a paper feed position sensor that detects an upper end of the paper, wherein the lift-up control unit includes: The lift-up means is controlled to stop when the paper upper surface position is not detected by the paper feed position sensor within a predetermined time after the paper is detected by the paper sensor.

  For example, when detecting a paper filling abnormality based on the drive time of the lift-up means, the time from the start of driving the paper feed cassette to the paper detection by the paper feed position sensor is the same as when the remaining amount of paper is large When the remaining amount is small, the distance that the sheet feeding cassette moves is different, so that there is a large variation in time depending on the remaining amount of paper. On the other hand, according to the above-described configuration, the time from the detection of the paper by the paper sensor to the detection of the paper by the paper feed position sensor, that is, the relative time is counted. Become.

  That is, even when the load of the motor changes depending on the number of sheets (weight), the time from the detection of the sheet by the sheet sensor to the detection of the sheet by the sheet feeding position sensor in the above configuration is the same as that of the sheet feeding cassette in the conventional configuration. Since it is shorter than the time for detecting the paper by the paper feed position sensor from the start of driving, the time variation for diagnosis can be reduced. Therefore, with the above-described configuration, it is possible to properly detect erroneous loading of paper without causing damage to the apparatus.

  In addition to the first feature configuration described above, the second feature configuration is the notifying unit that outputs a message when the lift-up control unit performs stop control of the lift-up unit. According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to prompt the user to recognize the fact that the lift-up means has stopped, thereby prompting an appropriate recovery process.

  The third feature configuration is that, in addition to the second feature configuration described above, the message is a paper size confirmation message, as described in claim 3, and according to the configuration described above, the lift By causing the user to recognize the cause of the stopping of the up means, an appropriate recovery process can be promoted.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of detecting an erroneous paper loading and prompting a user to perform an appropriate recovery process without causing damage to the device. .

  A copying machine having a copying function will be described below as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine generates an output image data by performing a predetermined process on an image reading unit 1 that reads an original image as original image data and the original image data read by the image reading unit 1 An output image data generation unit 2 that performs output, an image formation unit 3 that forms and outputs an image on paper D as a recording medium based on output image data from the output image data generation unit 2, and a copying operation of the copying machine The operation panel unit 4 including a group of hard keys such as a print key for starting the image and a numeric key for setting the number of copies, a touch panel type color liquid crystal display unit, and a system control unit 6 for controlling the control unit (not shown) of each unit. And is configured.

  The image reading unit 1 includes a document tray 101 on which documents are placed, a document feeding unit (not shown) that feeds documents placed on the document tray 101, and a document feeding unit. A CCD linear sensor (not shown) that reads an image of a paper document is provided.

  The image forming unit 3 includes a toner image forming unit 301 that forms a toner image on the photoconductor 302 based on the output image data, a transport unit that transports the paper D onto which the formed toner image is transferred, and the paper A fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred onto D by heating and melting by a fixing roller 321 heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater (not shown) inserted and installed therein and a temperature sensor (not shown). 320.

  The toner image forming unit 301 is arranged in order around the photoconductor 302, the periphery of the photoconductor 302, and electrostatically exposes the charged photoconductor 302 by exposing the charged photoconductor 302 to a corona charging surface uniformly. A print head 304 that forms a latent image; a developing unit 305 that visualizes the toner image by electrostatically attaching toner to the formed electrostatic latent image; and a transfer unit 306 that transfers the toner image to paper D The cleaning unit 307 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive member 302 after the transfer, and the neutralizing lamp 308 that lowers the residual potential on the surface of the photosensitive member 302 to make it uniform. In the developing unit 305, development blocks of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are arranged so that a color image can be generated.

  The transport unit includes a manual feed tray 7 serving as a sheet feeding unit on which a sheet D having an arbitrary size is installed, and at least one sheet feeding cassette capable of accommodating sheets D having different sizes as different sheet feeding units. 8, a paper feeding / conveying unit 314 that conveys the paper D one by one from the manual feed tray 7 and the paper feeding cassette 8, and a fed paper D to the transfer unit 306 to transfer a toner image. A fixing conveyance unit 315 that conveys the paper D to the fixing unit 320; a first paper discharge conveyance unit 317 that discharges the paper D that has passed through the fixing unit 320 to a paper discharge tray 316; And a second paper discharge transport unit 319 that discharges the paper to the paper tray 318. Each of the transport units is provided with a transport roller.

  The manual feed tray 7 has a paper feeding posture 7a indicated by a solid line on which the paper D is placed and a paper feeding operation can be performed by the paper feeding / conveying unit 314, and a non-paper feeding indicated by a dotted line where the paper feeding operation cannot be performed. The swing is switched to the posture 7b, and when in the non-paper feeding posture 7b, it is fixed to the side wall of the copying machine main body by a magnet 7M or a locking mechanism. The magnet 7M has a function of a reed switch as a posture detecting means for outputting the paper feed state / non-paper feed state of the manual feed tray 7 to an image formation control unit 300 described later.

  The paper cassette 8 is structured such that when the paper D is replenished, the paper cassette 8 can be pulled out from the copier. It is configured to be pushed into a copier. The paper feed cassette 8 will be described later.

  The operation panel unit 4 is arranged on the front side of the image reading unit 1 and is arranged in the center as shown in FIG. 3, and a touch panel type is displayed that displays a plurality of menu keys and detects an operation on each menu key. A display unit 40, a status display unit 41 that is arranged above the display unit 40 and displays each status of printing, transmission, reception, memory, and error, and a main power LED 42 that displays the status of the main power supply LED, The display unit 40 includes various input keys 43 provided on both sides.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the system control unit 6 controls display on the operation panel unit 4 based on a predetermined control program, an image reading control unit 100, an image formation control unit 300, and an operation control unit described later. A CPU 61 that controls each control unit such as 400, a ROM 62 that stores the control program, and a RAM 63 that is used as a work area or the like are provided.

  The system control unit 6 also includes an image reading control unit 100 that controls a document reading operation by the image reading unit 1, and an image formation control unit 300 that controls the output image data generation unit 2 and the image forming unit 3. Or connected to each control unit such as an operation control unit 400 for controlling input / output signals of the operation panel unit 4 through an internal bus 500, and by controlling the operation timing of each control unit, etc. The copying operation of the copying machine is controlled.

  In response to the command from the system control unit 6, the image formation control unit 300 receives the manual feed tray 7, the paper feed cassette 8, the toner image forming unit 301, the paper feed conveyance unit 314, and the fixing unit. It is configured to adjust the operation timing of the transport unit 315, the first paper discharge transport unit 317, the second paper discharge transport unit 319, and the fixing unit 320.

  As an operation of the copying machine, an output image data generation unit is provided for image data obtained by reading an original placed on the original tray 101 by the image reading unit 1 in response to an operation of the operation panel unit 4 by an operator. In step 2, a predetermined process is performed to generate output image data. Alternatively, image data stored in a recording medium such as a hard disk (not shown) provided in the image forming unit 3 is called from the operation of the operation panel 4, and the output image data generation unit 2 performs predetermined processing on the image data. Processing is performed, and output image data is generated.

  On the other hand, the paper D fed from the manual feed tray 7 or the paper feed cassette 8 is transported to the toner image forming unit 301 by the paper feed transport unit 314 and the fixing transport unit 315, and the output image is output from the toner image forming unit 301. A toner image formed based on the data is transferred to the paper D.

  The sheet D on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 320 by the fixing conveyance unit 315, and after the toner image is fixed in the fixing unit 320, the sheet D is discharged by the first paper discharge conveyance unit 317. The paper is discharged onto the tray 316 or onto the paper discharge tray 318 by the second paper discharge transport unit 319.

  The sheet cassette 8 will be described in detail below. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed cassette 8 has a paper sensor 81 for detecting the remaining amount of paper D in the paper feed cassette 8 and the paper D stored in the paper feed cassette 8 at a paper feed position. Lifting means 82 for lifting up and the upper surface position of the paper D is detected by the paper feed position sensor 83 for detecting the upper end of the paper D when the paper feed cassette 8 is mounted on the copying machine body. And lift-up control means 84 for driving the up means 82.

  The sheet sensor 81 switches on / off of the detection sensor 811 depending on whether or not the sheet sensor 81 is positioned in at least one concave detection sensor 811 provided on the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 8 and the recess of the detection sensor 811. A detection blocking member 812 is provided.

  The detection sensor 811 may be, for example, a concave shape, and a light projecting / receiving integrated photoelectric sensor in which a light projecting unit 811a and a light receiving unit 811b are integrated.

  The detection blocking member 812 includes a sheet contact portion 812B extending downward from the sheet feeding cassette 8 around a central axis 812A provided in the lateral direction of the detection sensor 811; A sensor blocking unit 812C that extends in the direction and blocks the light path of the detection sensor 811 and the light path of the light receiving unit 811b to hold the detection sensor 811 in the off state.

  As the operation of the detection blocking member 812, when the sheet contact portion 812B is pushed on the upper surface of the sheet D, the sheet blocking portion 812C rotates in the lateral direction around the central axis 812A, and the sensor blocking portion 812C In conjunction with the lateral rotational movement of the paper contact portion 812B, the sensor shut-off portion 812C is rotationally moved away from the recess of the detection sensor 811 to turn the detection sensor 811 on from the off state. Switch to state.

  For example, the paper D placed in the paper feed cassette 8 is lifted up by lift-up means 82 described later, and the upper surface of the paper D is a paper feed roller 314 a constituting the paper feed transport unit 314. When a large amount of the paper D is placed when it reaches the position where it can be picked up, the upper surface of the paper D pushes the paper contact portion 812B upward as shown in FIG. As a result, the detection sensor 811 changes from the off state to the on state, but when only a small amount of the paper D is placed, the upper surface of the paper D is in contact with the paper as shown in FIG. The detection sensor 8 does not reach the portion 812B or push the paper contact portion 812B upward so that the detection sensor 811 does not detect the detection blocking member 812. 1 is maintained in the OFF state. In other words, the remaining amount of the paper D loaded in the paper feed cassette 8 is detected by the on / off state of the detection sensor 811.

  In the above-described example, an example in which only one sheet sensor 81 is used has been described. However, by using a plurality of sheet sensors 81, the remaining amount of the sheet D placed in the sheet cassette 8 can be more detailed. The structure which detects may be sufficient.

  For example, when two paper sensors 81 are used to detect the remaining amount of the paper D placed in the paper feed cassette 8, the paper sensors 81 having different lengths are contacted with each of the paper sensors 81. When the two detection blocking members 812 provided with the portion 812B are used, both the paper contact portions 812B are not pressed against the upper surface of the paper D, that is, the paper D is low, and both the paper contact portions 812B are both of the paper D. It may indicate three states: a state in which the upper surface is pressed, that is, a state where there is a lot of paper D, and only a long paper contact portion 812B is pressed on the upper surface of the paper D, that is, a state between a state where there is a lot of paper D it can.

  The lift-up means 82 is a bottom plate for placing the paper D, and a lateral position regulation guide (not shown) that regulates the lateral position of the paper D according to the size of the paper D to be placed. And a bottom sheet metal 821 provided with a vertical position regulation guide (not shown) for regulating the position in the vertical direction, and the bottom sheet metal 821 has a horizontal posture on the bottom surface of the paper feed cassette 8 for placing the paper D. The bottom metal plate 821 is lifted up from the holding position held to the pickup position where the upper surface of the paper D placed at a position where it can be picked up by the paper feed roller 314a constituting the paper feed conveyance unit 314 reaches. And a sheet metal driving means 822 composed of a motor to be driven.

  The paper feed position sensor 83 is configured to detect a position that can be picked up by the paper feed roller 314a, that is, whether or not the upper surface of the paper D exists at the paper feed position. 83, like the paper sensor 81, a concave detection sensor 831 provided on the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 8 and whether the detection sensor 831 is turned on or off depending on whether or not it is located in the concave portion of the detection sensor 831. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6, when the upper surface of the paper D reaches the paper feeding position, the upper surface of the paper D pushes the detection blocking member 832 upward. Thus, the state of the detection sensor 831 is changed.

  The lift-up control means 84 includes a drive control means 841 that controls the drive timing of the lift-up means 82, a timer means 842 that counts a predetermined time from the detection of the paper D by the paper sensor 81, and the lift-up A stop control means 843 for controlling the stop timing of the means 82 and a notification means 844 for outputting a message when the lift-up means 82 is controlled to stop are provided.

  The drive control means 841 is configured to lift up the bottom sheet metal 821 by controlling the sheet metal drive means 822 at a predetermined drive timing, and the drive timing includes, for example, the paper cassette 8 This is the timing when the paper cassette 8 is pushed into the copying machine when pushed into the copying machine. At the pushing completion timing, the drive control means 841 causes the sheet metal driving means 822 to drive the bottom sheet metal 821. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the bottom sheet metal 821 rotates and moves upward in the sheet feeding cassette 8 with the sheet metal driving means 822 as the rotation center axis.

  The drive timing may be other than the above timing. For example, a lift-up start switch as a hard switch is provided in the paper feed cassette 8, or a lift as a soft switch is provided in the operation panel unit 4. An up start switch may be provided and the lift up start switch may be pressed.

  The timer means 842 is configured to start counting when the paper sensor 81 detects the paper D and to count a predetermined time. For the predetermined time, for example, a paper having a size according to a preset size is used. The time from the detection of the paper D by the paper sensor 81 to the detection of the paper D by the paper feed position sensor 83 when it is loaded, or the detection of the paper D by the paper sensor 81 when a paper D of a size different from the preset size is loaded And is calculated based on the time from the detection of the paper D by the paper feed position sensor 83.

  The stop control unit 843 is configured to stop the lift-up of the bottom sheet metal 821 by controlling the sheet metal driving unit 822 at a predetermined stop timing.

  For example, when the paper D placed on the bottom metal plate 821 is lifted up integrally with the bottom metal plate 821 by the lift-up means 82, the stop position is detected by the paper feed position sensor 83. Is the detection timing at which the upper surface is detected, that is, the timing indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 6. At the detection timing, the stop control means 843 determines that the paper D has reached the paper feed position, The sheet metal driving means 822 is configured to stop the lift-up of the bottom sheet metal 821.

  Another stop timing is when the upper surface of the paper D is not detected by the paper feed position sensor 83 within a predetermined time by the timer means 842 from when the paper D is detected by the paper sensor 81. The stop control unit 843 determines that a sheet D having a size different from a set size is placed in the sheet feeding cassette 8 at the elapsed timing, and the sheet metal driving unit 822 The lift-up of the bottom metal plate 821 is stopped.

  When the lift-up stops at the elapsed timing, that is, when the stop control unit 843 determines that the paper D having a size different from the set size is placed in the paper feed cassette 8 In addition, a message is displayed on the display unit 40 of the operation panel unit 4, and the message size is set in the sheet feeding cassette 8 as shown in FIG. This is a paper size confirmation message that informs the operator of the copier that the paper size is different from the placed paper size.

  The lift-up control means 84 may be configured by hardware as a single printed circuit board or the like mounted on the paper feed cassette 8, or may be printed on the printed circuit board or other parts of the copying machine. You may comprise with software as ROM etc. which are mounted in a board | substrate.

  The operation of the paper feed cassette in the copying machine as the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the operator of the copying machine pushes the paper feed cassette 8 into the copying machine (S1), the drive control means 841 causes the sheet metal driving means 822 to drive the bottom sheet metal 821, and the bottom sheet metal 821 is driven by the sheet metal drive. Using the means 822 as the rotation center axis, the sheet cassette 8 is rotated upward, that is, lifted up (S2).

  When the paper sensor 81 detects the upper surface of the paper D placed on the bottom metal plate 821, the on / off state of the paper sensor 81 changes (S3), the timer means 842 starts counting (S4).

  When the predetermined time set in advance by the timer means 842 has not elapsed (S5), when the paper feed position sensor 83 detects the upper surface of the paper placed on the bottom metal plate 821 (S6), the process is stopped. The control unit 843 determines that the sheet D has reached the sheet feeding position, and causes the sheet metal driving unit 822 to stop lifting the bottom sheet metal 821 (S7).

  On the other hand, when the predetermined time set by the timer means 842 has elapsed (S5), the stop control means 843 places the paper D having a size different from the set size on the paper feed cassette 8. The sheet metal driving means 822 stops the lift-up of the bottom sheet metal 821 (S8), and the sheet size setting is actually placed in the sheet feed cassette 8 for the operator. A message notifying that the paper size is different is displayed on the display unit 40 of the operation panel unit 4 (S9).

  Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the paper sensor 81 and the paper feed position sensor 83 are positioned in at least one concave detection sensor 811 provided on the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 8 and the concave portion of the detection sensor 811. The configuration including the detection blocking member 812 that switches the on / off of the detection sensor 811 according to the above has been described. However, the paper sensor 81 and the paper feed position sensor 83 can detect the remaining amount of paper and the paper feed position. The configuration is not limited to that described above.

  For example, the detection sensor used for the paper sensor 81 and the paper feed position sensor 83 uses a photoelectric sensor in which the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are independent, a proximity sensor other than the photoelectric sensor, a magnetic sensor, and the like. Also good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the notification unit 844 has been described for displaying a message on the display unit 40 of the operation panel unit 4, but the notification unit 844 is configured to notify the operator by means other than message display. For example, the notification unit 844 is configured to notify the operator of the copying machine by voice that the paper size setting is different from the paper size actually placed in the paper feed cassette 8. May be.

  In the above-described embodiment, a copying machine having a copying function has been described as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. However, the image forming apparatus is a device having a configuration in which a sheet is placed on a paper feed cassette and used. As long as it is other than a copying machine, for example, it may be a printer, a FAX, or a multifunction machine.

  Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the description. The specific configuration of each part is appropriately changed within the scope of the effects of the present invention. It goes without saying that it can be done.

The functional block block diagram of the paper feed cassette to which this invention is applied. Illustration of copier Illustration of the operation panel of the copier Functional block diagram of each control unit (A) shows the case where the remaining amount of paper is large, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the paper sensor showing the case where the remaining amount of paper is low. Illustration of paper feed position sensor Explanatory drawing of message display on the display unit in the operation panel Flow chart for operation of paper cassette

Explanation of symbols

8: paper feed cassette 81: paper sensor 82: lift-up means 83: paper feed position sensor 84: lift-up control means

Claims (3)

A paper feed cassette that can be moved back and forth with respect to the main body, a paper sensor that detects a remaining amount of paper in the paper feed cassette, and a lift-up unit that lifts up the paper stored in the paper feed cassette to a paper feed position; A lift-up control means for driving the lift-up means until a paper upper surface position is detected by a paper feed position sensor for detecting the upper edge of the paper when the paper feed cassette is mounted on the main body. A forming device,
The lift-up control unit is configured to stop and control the lift-up unit when a paper upper surface position is not detected by the paper feed position sensor within a predetermined time after the paper is detected by the paper sensor.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lift-up control unit includes a notification unit that outputs a message when the lift-up unit is controlled to stop.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the message is a paper size confirmation message.