JP2009012397A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer by which a good paper discharging performance can be obtained by taking not only the printing speed but also the kind of a sheet of printing paper into consideration. <P>SOLUTION: The printing paper P which is fed from a paper feeding section 4 is printed by a printing motion and discharged to a paper discharging apparatus 40 for this printer. In the printer, the paper discharging apparatus 40 has a discharged paper tray 41, a plurality of side fences 42 and 43, an end fence 44, and a fence position changing means 50. In this case, the discharged paper tray 41 mounts the sheets of printing paper after printing. The plurality of side fences 42 and 43 are arranged in the width direction of the sheets of printing papers which are mounted on the discharged paper tray. The end fence 44 can collide with the distal ends Pa of the sheets of printing paper which are mounted on the discharged paper tray 41, and is freely movable in the direction for approaching/separating from the printing paper discharging side. The fence position changing means 50 can change the colliding position with the printing paper distal ends by moving the end fence 44 conforming to printing paper kind information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus including an end fence.

  A printing apparatus, which is one of image forming apparatuses, is widely used in the field of increasing the amount of the same printed matter because it has a high printing speed and a large cost advantage when printing a large amount.

  In such a printing apparatus, in general, a sheet fed from a sheet feeding unit is printed by a printing operation and discharged to a discharge tray, and the leading end of the sheet collides with an end fence provided on the discharge tray. The paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray while being prevented from moving in the paper discharge direction.

  Some printing apparatuses can arbitrarily select a printing speed, and the user can select a desired printing speed in consideration of the amount of printed matter and the image quality. However, the change in the printing speed is greatly related to the paper discharge performance of the paper colliding with the end fence. In other words, there is a difference in the momentum of the paper that collides with the end fence between when the paper is discharged at a low speed and when the paper is discharged at a high speed, so that the paper becomes uneven on the paper discharge tray. In view of this, the present applicant has proposed a printing apparatus in Patent Document 1 in which the end fence is moved from the reference position in accordance with the printing speed information of the printing apparatus.

JP 2001-341402 A

  However, as a result of consideration by the inventors of the present application, it has been found that the paper discharge performance differs significantly depending not only on the printing speed (paper discharge speed) but also on the paper type such as the paper size and thickness.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to propose a printing apparatus that can obtain good paper discharge performance in consideration of not only the printing speed but also the paper type.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus in which the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit is printed by the printing operation and is ejected to the sheet ejection apparatus, The end tray that can collide with the paper discharge tray for loading the subsequent paper, the leading edge of the paper loaded on the paper discharge tray, and movable in the direction of approaching / separating from the paper discharge side, and the paper type information And a fence position varying means for moving the end fence to vary the collision position with the leading edge of the sheet.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, the fence position varying means controls a fence drive system including a drive source that moves the end fence in the approaching / separating direction and the operation of the drive source. And a control means for performing the above.

  The invention of claim 3 is the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the paper type information is paper size information, and the invention of claim 4 is the printing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3. The paper type information is paper thickness information.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the paper printing speed can be changed to a plurality of printing speeds, and an arbitrary printing speed is set from the plurality of printing speeds. And a control unit that prohibits movement of the end fence by driving of the driving source when a printing speed different from the current printing speed is set by the setting unit during the printing operation.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, there is provided display means for displaying warning contents, and the control means displays the warning contents when movement of the end fence is prohibited. The display means is operated.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the printing speed of the paper can be changed to a plurality of printing speeds, and an arbitrary printing speed is set from the plurality of printing speeds. And a control unit configured to set a driving source to move the end fence to a position corresponding to the high printing speed when a printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set by the setting unit during the printing operation. It is characterized by operating.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit operates the drive source so as to correct the position of the end fence based on the image ratio information printed on the paper. It is characterized by that.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, the operation unit that operates the drive source is provided, and the control unit operates the drive source according to an operation command from the operation unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the control unit prohibits the printing operation until an operation end signal of the end fence is detected.

  According to the present invention, the end fence provided on the paper discharge tray is moved based on the paper type information such as the paper size and the paper thickness to change the collision position with the front end of the paper, so that the paper bounces off the end fence. It is possible to control the paper and prevent the paper from being disturbed on the paper discharge tray, so that a good paper discharge performance can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, when a printing speed different from the current printing speed is set by the setting unit during the printing operation, the movement of the end fence due to the driving of the driving source is prohibited. Since it can be prevented from moving and the paper can be prevented from being disturbed on the paper discharge tray, better paper discharge performance can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, when the printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set by the setting means during the printing operation, the drive source is operated so as to move the end fence to a position corresponding to the high printing speed. Bounce of paper from the end fence due to up can be further reduced, and the end fence moves to a position that takes into consideration the paper type and printing speed, so it is possible to prevent paper disturbance on the output tray, which is better Can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, since the drive source is operated so as to correct the position of the end fence based on the image ratio information printed on the paper, the position of the end fence is adjusted to a position in consideration of the amount of ink adhering to the paper. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the paper from being disturbed on the paper discharge tray, better paper discharge performance can be obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Since the stencil printing apparatus 1 which is the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has substantially the same configuration as the double-sided printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-200645, the description of each part is simplified as much as possible. The stencil printing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 2, a plate making unit 3, a paper feeding unit 4, a plate discharging unit 5, a paper discharge unit 6, an image reading unit 7, an auxiliary tray 8, a refeed unit 9, a guide member 10, and a paper discharge device. 40 etc.

  The printing unit 2 disposed almost at the center of the apparatus main body 100 includes a plate cylinder 11 and a press roller 12 as a pressing member. The plate cylinder 11 is detachably and rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 100 and is driven to rotate by a plate cylinder driving means (not shown). The plate cylinder 11 has a clamper 13 that can be freely opened and closed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. On the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 11, a divided pre-made master 14 made by the plate making unit 3 at the time of double-sided printing, and a plate making unit at the time of single-sided printing. The pre-made masters 15 made in step 3 are respectively wound. A rotary encoder (not shown) for detecting the position of the plate cylinder 11 is provided in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 11. In this embodiment, a plate-making master 15 capable of printing on A3 size paper at the maximum is wound around the plate cylinder 11.

  A first plate-making image corresponding to the front image and a second plate-making image corresponding to the back image are formed on the divided plate-making master 14, and an unmade portion S is formed between the plate-making images. The divided plate-making master 14 is wound on the plate cylinder 11 so that the first plate-making image corresponds to the front surface region, the second plate-making image corresponds to the same back surface region, and the unprinted portion corresponds to the intermediate region. The plate-making master 15 is wound on the plate cylinder 11 so that the plate-making image corresponds to a range including the front surface region, the back surface region, and the intermediate region.

  A press roller 12 is disposed below the plate cylinder 11. Both ends of the press roller 12 are rotatably supported by an arm member (not shown), and the arm member (not shown) is swingably supported by a swing means (not shown). The press roller 12 selectively occupies a separation position where the peripheral surface is separated from the plate cylinder 11 and a press-contact position where the peripheral surface is in pressure contact with the divided plate-making master 14 (during double-side printing) on the plate cylinder 11.

  The swinging means (not shown) has a pressing range of the press roller 12 with respect to the plate cylinder 11 in a first range that is a combined range of the front surface region, the intermediate region, and the back surface region, and a second range that is the same as the front surface region. The range is configured to be switchable to any one of a third range that is a range including the downstream portion of the front surface region, the intermediate region, and the back surface region. In the vicinity of the peripheral surface of the press roller 12, a cleaning roller 16 that performs cleaning by contacting the peripheral surface of the press roller 12 is disposed.

  Near the right side of the press roller 12, a refeed guide member 17 is provided for transporting the surface-printed paper P sent from the auxiliary tray 8 along the peripheral surface of the press roller 12. A re-feeding registration roller 18 is disposed below the press roller 12 and feeds the paper P stored on the auxiliary tray 8 in contact with the peripheral surface of the press roller 12. A refeed conveyance unit 19 having an auxiliary tray 8 on the upper surface is disposed on the lower left side of the press roller 12, and a refeed positioning member 20 is provided integrally therewith. A sheet receiving plate 21 that is movable along the upper surface of the auxiliary tray 8 is disposed above the refeed conveyance unit 19. The auxiliary tray 8, the refeed guide member 17, the refeed registration roller 18, the refeed positioning member 20, the refeed conveyance unit 19, and the sheet receiving plate 21 constitute a refeed unit 9.

  A guide member 10 is disposed on the conveyance path of the paper P on the left side of the contact position between the plate cylinder 11 and the press roller 12. The guide member 10 is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 100 at the downstream end portion in the sheet conveying direction, and is moved by a moving means (not shown), and a first position indicated by a solid line and a second position indicated by a two-dot chain line. Selectively occupies position. The paper P that has passed between the plate cylinder 11 and the press roller 12 is guided to the paper discharge unit 6 when the guide member 10 occupies the first position, and the guide member 10 occupies the second position. Is guided to the auxiliary tray 8.

  A plate making unit 3 is disposed on the upper right side of the printing unit 2. The plate making unit 3 includes a master holding member 23 that holds a master roll obtained by winding a master 22 in a roll shape, a platen roller 24, a thermal head 25, a master cutting unit 26, a master stock unit 27, a tension roller pair 28, and a reverse roller pair. In the plate making unit 3, a divided plate-made master 14 is created during double-sided printing, and a plate-made master 15 is created during single-sided printing.

  A sheet feeding unit 4 is disposed below the plate making unit 3. The paper feed unit 4 has a known configuration including a paper feed tray 30 on which the paper P is stacked, a paper feed roller, a separation roller, a separation pad, a registration roller pair, and the like. The paper feed tray 30 is provided with a plurality of paper size detection sensors 30A for detecting the size of the paper P stacked in the same example.

  The plate discharging unit 5 disposed on the upper left side of the printing unit 2 also has a well-known configuration including an upper plate discharging member, a lower plate discharging member, a plate discharging box, a compression plate, and the like. 15 is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 11 and discarded in the discharge box.

  A paper discharge unit 6 is disposed below the plate discharge unit 5. The paper discharge unit 6 has a well-known configuration including a peeling claw, a paper discharge conveyance unit, a peeling fan, and the like. 41 is discharged.

  An image reading unit 7 is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 100. Although not shown, the image reading unit 7 is a contact glass for placing a document, a pressure plate provided so as to be able to come in contact with and away from the contact glass, a reflection mirror and a fluorescent lamp for scanning and reading a document image, scanning A lens that focuses the focused image, an image sensor that processes the focused image, and the like.

  The paper discharge device 40 includes a paper discharge tray 41 on which printed paper P is stacked, a plurality of side fences 42 and 43 arranged in the width direction of the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 41, and a paper discharge tray 41. And an end fence 44 that can collide with the leading edge Pa of the paper loaded on the paper and can move in the direction of approaching / separating from the apparatus main body 100 on the paper discharge side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge device 40 includes a fence position changing unit 50 that moves the end fence 44 based on the paper type information to change the collision position with the leading edge Pa of the paper P. The fence position changing means 50 includes a fence drive system 52 including a stepping motor 51 serving as a drive source for moving the end fence 44 in the direction of approaching / separating from the apparatus main body 100, and control for controlling the operation of the stepping motor 51. Means 53.

  The fence drive system 52 is a drive transmission mechanism using a well-known pulley and belt in which a stepless endless belt is wound around a plurality of toothed pulleys, and a slider is mounted on a part of the belt. This slider is fixed to the lower part of the end fence 44, and when the stepping motor 51 is operated, the slider is moved in the proximity direction and the separation direction according to the rotation direction. In this embodiment, the end fence 44 moves in the separating direction when the stepping motor 51 rotates forward, and moves in the proximity direction when rotating reversely.

  Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 2 indicates a moving unit that moves the side fences 42 and 43 closer to / away from each other in the width direction. The moving means has a known configuration composed of a stepping motor 61 as a driving source and a drive transmission means 62 for transmitting the rotation of the stepping motor 61 to the pinions meshed with the racks provided at the lower portions of the side fences 42 and 43, respectively. take. These fence position varying means 50 and moving means 60 are mounted inside the paper discharge tray 41, respectively.

  The paper discharge tray 41 is provided with a side fence initial position detection sensor 70 for detecting the initial positions of the side fences 42 and 43 and an end fence initial position detection sensor 71 for detecting the initial position of the end fence 44.

  FIG. 3 shows an operation panel 31 provided in the apparatus main body 100. In the figure, an operation panel 31 includes a plate making start key 32, a print start key 33, a stop key 34, a numeric key 35, a display means 36 including an LCD, a double-sided printing key pressed when performing double-sided printing (not shown), and a single-sided side. In addition to a known configuration such as a single-sided printing key that is pressed when performing printing, a printing speed key 37 serving as a setting means for setting an arbitrary printing speed from a plurality of printing speeds, and a paper type selection for calling a paper type setting screen A key 38, a fence adjustment key 39 as an operation means, and a direction designation key 80 are provided. The display means 36 is a so-called touch panel switch, and is configured to display various information, various switches, and warning contents.

  The printing speed key 37 is composed of a speed up key 37a and a speed down key 37b. When the speed up key 37a is operated once, a printing speed one step higher than the current printing speed is set, and the speed down key 37b is set to 1. When the rotation operation is performed, a printing speed one step slower than the current printing speed is set.

  The paper type selection key 38 is operated when displaying the setting screen for setting the paper type [thickness] shown in FIG. 4 on the display means 36. When the selection key 38 is operated, the display means 36 is operated. Then, the paper type selection screen 101 in FIG. 4 is displayed. On the paper type selection screen 101, paper types correlated with the thickness of paper such as standard, thick paper, thin paper, special, and user 1, and arrow keys 102 and 103 for selecting the displayed paper types are displayed.

  The fence adjustment key 39 is a key used when the end fence 44 is moved by manual operation. When this key is operated, the adjustment screen 104 of the discharge table 41 is displayed on the display unit 36 as shown in FIG. Is displayed, and the end fence 44 is moved in the direction instructed by the fence movement key 80 by operating the fence movement key 80 for designating the movement direction in the up, down, left, and right directions.

The end fence 44 is configured to move in a direction closer to the apparatus main body 100 when the fence movement key 80a is operated, and to move in a direction away from the apparatus main body 100 when the fence movement key 80b is operated. In this embodiment, the fence movement key 80 is effective only in the direction in which the size increases, that is, only the fence movement key 80b that moves in the direction in which the distance between the end fence 44 and the apparatus main body 100 is separated. FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the control system of this embodiment. The stencil printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 90 composed of a well-known computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like on the apparatus main body 100 side, and a well-known computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like on the paper discharge apparatus 40 side. The control means 53 comprised by these is provided. The control means 90 controls operations related to the printing operation from reading of the document to printing. Based on an operation signal from a rotary encoder (not shown) and the operation panel 31, the printing unit 2, the plate making unit 3, the paper feeding unit 4, The operations of the plate discharge unit 5, the paper discharge unit 6, the image reading unit 7, the refeed unit 9, and the guide member 10 are controlled. The control means 90 and the control means 53 are connected via a signal line and configured to transmit and receive various types of information.

  A plurality of printing speed information is set in advance in the control unit 90, and a program for processing from printing to plate making operation and printing processing is stored. Input information from the operation panel 31 and a paper size detection sensor Based on the detection information of 30A, each program is started and the corresponding operation is executed by each unit.

  The control means 53 controls the overall operation of the side fences 42 and 43 and the end fence 44, and includes basic position information of the side fences 42 and 43 and the end fence 44 according to the printing speed, the paper size and the paper thickness. The correction position information of the end fence 44 corresponding to the paper type information including is preset. The basic position information and the corrected position information include the stepping motor 51 based on the initial position of the side fences 42 and 43 and the end fence 44 detected by the side fence initial position detection sensor 70 and the end fence initial position detection sensor 71. 61 steps are set.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 53 is characterized by a function of prohibiting the movement of the end fence 44 by driving the stepping motor 51 when a printing speed different from the current printing speed is set by the printing speed setting key 37 during the printing operation. When,
A function for operating the stepping motor 51 so as to move the end fence 44 to a position corresponding to the fast printing speed when a printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set by the printing speed key 37 during the printing operation;
A function of operating the display means 36 to display a warning content when the movement of the end fence 44 is prohibited;
A function of operating the stepping motor 44 so as to move the position of the end fence 44 based on the image ratio information printed on the paper P;
A function for operating the stepping motor 51 so that the end fence 44 moves in this movement direction when the fence adjustment key 39 and the fence movement key 80 are operated and an operation command for instructing the movement direction is output from the fence movement key 80. When,
Until the operation end signals of the side fences 42 and 43 and the end fence 44 are detected, a printing operation is prohibited.

  In the present embodiment, the operation end signal indicates a stop signal after the operation of the stepping motor 51. The image ratio information is an area of an image printed on the paper P, and indicates plate-making image information used for a drive signal to a thermal head provided in the plate-making unit 3.

  Next, the operation of the entire printing apparatus and the operation of the paper discharge apparatus 40 unique to the present invention will be described. Since the operation specific to the paper discharge apparatus 40 is the same in the case of single-sided printing or double-sided printing, the entire printing apparatus is also described. The explanation of the operation is only for single-sided printing, and the operation for double-sided printing is omitted.

  When a document is set in the image reading unit 7 and the user presses the single-sided printing key 39, the fact that single-sided printing has been set is stored in the control means 90, and an operation program for single-sided printing is called up. After that, when the plate making start key 32 is pressed by the user, the image reading unit 7 performs the reading operation of the original image and the plate discharging unit 5 is operated to use the divided plate making master 14 used from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 11. Alternatively, the master-made master 15 is peeled off. After the plate removal, the plate making unit 3 is operated to form a plate making image based on the plate making image information on the master 22 to make a new plate making master 15, which is wound around the plate cylinder 11.

  After the winding operation is completed and the stencil printing apparatus 1 enters the single-sided printing standby state, when the user presses the print start key 33 after setting various printing conditions such as the printing speed, the paper type and the number of printed sheets, the plate cylinder 11 is rotated at the set printing speed, and one sheet P is separated and fed from the sheet feeding unit 4. The fed paper P is temporarily stopped by a pair of registration rollers, and then sent between the plate cylinder 11 and the press roller 12 at a predetermined timing.

  When the plate cylinder 11 rotates to a predetermined angle and the surface area occupies a position corresponding to the press roller 12, the press roller 12 occupies the press contact position, so that the sheet P is made by the plate-making master 15 on the plate cylinder 11. Pressed against the image and transferred.

  After the image P is transferred to the printed sheet P, the sheet P is guided to the paper discharge unit 6 by the guide member 10 occupying the first position, and the leading end is lifted by the air blown from the peeling fan. It is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 11 by the tip of the peeling claw. The peeled printed paper P is sent to the paper discharge transport unit, then transported to the paper discharge device 40 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 41. Thereafter, the above operation is repeated until the set number of printed sheets is consumed, and when the set number of single-sided printing operations are completed, the operation of each part is stopped.

  Next, the operation content on the paper discharge device 40 side will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIG. The control means 53 checks (reads) the printing speed information set by the printing speed key 37 in step A1, and calls the basic position information corresponding to the printing speed. In Step A2, it is determined whether or not the set printing speed is the lowest speed. If it is the lowest speed, there is no need to correct the position of the end fence 44. The stepping motor 51 is actuated to move the end fence 44 to the position.

  If the set printing speed is not the lowest speed, the control means 53 proceeds to step A4 and checks (reads) the paper information. Here, each piece of information on the paper size and the paper type selected by the arrow keys 102 and 103 is checked from the paper size detection sensor 30A.

  In step A5, a correction value of the end fence 44 corresponding to the sheet information is calculated. The correction value corresponding to the sheet information is set in advance as a table in the control means 53 and calculated from this table.

  In step A6, the optimum number of steps of the end fence 44 is obtained from the basic position information and the correction value (the number of steps of the stepping motor), and the end fence 44 is moved. Specifically, the end fence 44 is moved by operating the stepping motor 51 by the number of steps obtained from the basic position information and the correction value.

  In step A7, it is determined whether or not the movement of the end fence 44 has been completed. If there is a stop signal for the stepping motor 51, it is determined that the fence movement has been completed, and the process proceeds to step A8 where a printing operation command signal is sent to the control means 90. This control is finished by transmitting and executing the printing operation.

  In the conventional stencil printing apparatus 1, as the printing speed increases, the speed of the paper P discharged to the paper discharge tray 41 also increases. Since the sheet alignment on the paper discharge tray 41 (hereinafter referred to as paper discharge alignment) deteriorates due to the rebound, the stepping motor 51 is operated based on the basic position information corresponding to the printing speed to change the position of the end fence 44. However, the sheet delivery was not enough.

  This is because the contact length with the side fences 42, 43 is shorter than when the large-size paper P such as A3 size or B4 size is used, and the contact length with the side fences 42, 43 is shorter. This appears prominently when a small size paper P such as a size is used. The cause is that in the case of large-size paper P, even if it hits the end fence 44 and bounces back to the apparatus main body 100 side, the bounce is suppressed if the contact resistance with the side fences 42 and 43 is large. In the case of P, even if it hits the end fence 44 and bounces back to the apparatus main body 100 side, the bounce is not suppressed because the contact resistance with the side fences 42 and 43 is small.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, when the paper size is large, the position of the end fence 44 is not corrected, and when the paper size of the paper P is small, the position of the end fence 44 is set to the printing speed in order to suppress bounce. The operation of the stepping motor 51 is controlled so as to move in a direction away from the apparatus main body 100 from the reference position corresponding to.

  Further, the rebound of the paper P varies depending on the type (thickness) of the paper. That is, in the case of a loose paper type, the paper P is twisted at the time of collision with the end fence 44, and there is a problem that the paper discharge alignment cannot be improved. In addition, when the paper size is the same and the thick paper and the thin paper are thicker, the thick paper P has a larger energy when colliding with the end fence 44, so the rebound becomes larger. In this case, the number of steps of the stepping motor 51 is corrected in a direction in which the position of the end fence 44 is separated from the apparatus main body 100 with respect to the reference position. The number of steps of the stepping motor 51 is corrected in the direction approaching the main body 100 side.

  That is, when the paper size is small and thick paper, the rebound due to the collision of the end fence 44 is the largest, so the correction amount in the direction farthest from the apparatus main body 100 with respect to the reference position based on the printing speed. The number of steps of the stepping motor 51 is corrected so that

  In this embodiment, the end fence 44 provided on the paper discharge tray 41 is moved based on the paper type such as the paper size and the paper thickness to change the collision position with the front end of the paper, so that the thick paper P or the small paper P Even when the printer is used, the paper alignment on the paper discharge tray 41 can be performed with higher accuracy, and good paper discharge performance can be obtained. Further, since the printing operation is not started until the operation end signal of the end fence 44 is detected, that is, the printing operation is prohibited, the printed paper P is prevented from being discharged while the end fence 44 is moving. can do.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 shows the control contents relating to a warning when a printing speed different from the current printing speed is set by the speed setting key 37 during the printing operation. The contents of steps B1 to B8 in the flowchart of FIG. 8 are the same as the contents of steps A1 to A8 in the flowchart of FIG.

  After the printing operation is started in step B8, the control means 80 determines in step B9 whether the printing speed is the current printing speed, that is, whether a printing speed different from the printing speed set before starting printing is input. If a different printing speed is input by the speed setting key 37, the operation of the stepping motor 51 is prohibited in step B10, and the process proceeds to step B11 to operate the display means 36 to display the warning content.

  For this reason, even when the speed setting key 37 is erroneously operated and a printing speed different from the current printing speed is set during the printing operation, the end fence 44 can be prevented from moving, and the paper P on the paper discharge tray 41 can be prevented. Can be prevented, and better paper discharge performance can be obtained. Further, since the warning content is displayed when the movement of the end fence 44 is prohibited, it is possible to notify the operator of the prohibited content and to improve the operability. It should be noted that displaying on the display means 36 is not a prohibited content, but may indicate that the end fence 44 is being corrected.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 shows control contents when a printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set during the printing operation. The contents of steps C1 to C8 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 are the same as the contents of steps A1 to A8 in the flowchart of FIG.

  After the printing operation is started in step C8, in step C9, it is determined whether or not a current printing speed, that is, a printing speed higher than the printing speed set before the start of printing has been input, and a speed setting key If the printing speed input at 37 is not faster than the set printing speed, this control is terminated. On the other hand, when a printing speed faster than the set printing speed is input, the process proceeds to step C10 to operate the stepping motor 51 by the number of steps corresponding to the increased speed to move the end fence 44 away from the apparatus main body 100. Move to finish this control.

  As described above, when a printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set during the printing operation, the end fence 44 is moved to a position corresponding to the high printing speed, so that the end fence is positioned at a position in consideration of the paper type and the printing speed. Since 44 moves, the rebound from the end fence due to the speed increase can be further reduced, and the disturbance of the paper P on the paper discharge tray 41 can be prevented, so that better paper discharge performance can be obtained.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 shows the control contents for moving the position of the end fence based on the image ratio information printed on the paper P.

  In step D1 of FIG. 10, the printing speed information set by the printing speed key 37 is checked (read), and the basic position information corresponding to the printing speed is called up. In Step D2, it is determined whether or not the set printing speed is the lowest speed. If it is the lowest speed, there is no need to correct the position of the end fence 44. The stepping motor 51 is actuated to move the end fence 44 to the position.

  If the set printing speed is not the lowest speed, the control unit 53 proceeds to step D4 and checks (reads) the paper information. In step D5, the image ratio information is checked (read).

  In step D6, the correction value of the end fence 44 in the paper information and the correction value of the end fence 44 in the image ratio information are calculated. The correction value in the image ratio information is set in advance as a table in the control means 53 and is calculated from this table. As a table characteristic, when the image ratio (image area with respect to the paper) is large, the amount of ink attached is large, the discharged paper P becomes heavy, the rebound at the time of collision of the end fence 44 is small, and the image ratio (paper) When the image area) is small, the amount of ink attached is small and the paper P becomes lighter, and the rebound at the time of collision of the end fence 44 increases. Therefore, the end fence 44 is removed from the apparatus main body 100 as the image ratio to the paper P decreases. The number of steps of the stepping motor 51 is set so as to increase in the direction of separation.

  In step D7, the optimum number of steps of the end fence 44 is obtained from the basic position information and the correction value (the number of steps of the stepping motor), and the end fence 44 is moved. Specifically, the end fence 44 is moved by operating the stepping motor 51 by the number of steps obtained from the basic position information and the correction value.

  In step D8, it is determined whether or not the movement of the end fence 44 has been completed. If there is a stop signal of the stepping motor 51, it is determined that the fence movement has been completed, and the process proceeds to step D9 to send a printing operation command signal to the control means 90. This control is finished by transmitting and executing the printing operation.

  As described above, since the stepping motor 51 is set and operated so as to correct the position of the end fence 44 based on the image ratio information printed on the paper P, the position considering the amount of ink adhering to the paper P is considered. In addition, the position of the end fence 44 can be adjusted, the paper can be aligned on the paper discharge tray 41 more accurately, and good paper discharge performance can be obtained.

  The operation of the end fence 44 has been described as being the same for single-sided printing and double-sided printing. However, in double-sided printing, the amount of ink adhering increases and the paper P becomes heavier. In the case of single-sided printing, the end fence 44 may be corrected so as to be moved away from the apparatus main body 100.

The flowchart of FIG. 11 shows the control content when the end fence 44 is moved manually.
In step E1 of FIG. 11, it is determined whether or not the fence adjustment key 39 is valid. If the fence adjustment key 39 is operated and turned on, the fence adjustment key 39 is determined to be valid, and the process proceeds to step E2. In step E2, it is determined whether or not the fence movement key 80 is pressed. If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step E3 to operate the stepping motor 51 to move the end fence 44. This movement is continued until the fence movement key 80 is no longer pressed in step E4.

As described above, since the stepping motor 51 is operated according to the operation commands from the fence adjustment key 39 and the fence movement key 80b, the user manually operates the fence adjustment key 39 and the fence movement key 80, so that the end fence 44 The position can be adjusted arbitrarily. The adjustment range (limit of moving distance) may be limited.
Further, since the movement operation of the end fence 44 by such manual operation is assumed to be executed at the time of fine adjustment while printing, an operation command from the fence adjustment key 39 and the fence movement key 80 is performed during the printing operation. If there is, the paper P from the paper feed unit 4 is fed and the contact operation of the press roller 12 is stopped, and the printing operation is avoided (prohibited) by the idle rotation operation of the plate cylinder 11, and a series of manual corrections are performed. When the printing operation is completed, the printing operation is resumed, so that the position of the end fence 44 can be corrected without stopping the printing apparatus and without deteriorating the paper discharge alignment, and obtaining good paper discharge performance. Thus, workability can be improved and printing time can be shortened.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a paper discharge device attached to the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating an embodiment of an operation panel included in the printing apparatus. It is an enlarged view of a display means periphery provided in the operation panel. It is an enlarged view of the screen displayed on a display means when operating the operation means used when moving an end fence manually. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of a printing apparatus and a paper discharge apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows one form of the movement control of the end fence by the control means of a paper discharge apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows another form of the movement control of an end fence by the control means of a paper discharge apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows another form of the movement control of an end fence by the control means of a paper discharge apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows another form of the movement control of an end fence by the control means of a paper discharge apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control content at the time of the manual apparatus of an end fence by the control means of a paper discharge apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 4 Paper feed part 36 Display means 37 Printing speed setting means 39 Operation means 40 Paper discharge apparatus 41 Paper discharge tray 44 End fence 50 Fence position variable means 51 Drive source 52 Fence drive system 53 Control means P Paper Pa Paper front edge

Claims (10)

In a printing apparatus in which a sheet fed from a sheet feeding unit is printed by a printing operation and is discharged to a sheet discharge apparatus.
The paper discharge device is capable of colliding with a paper discharge tray on which printed paper is stacked and a front end of the paper stacked on the paper discharge tray, and is movable in a direction approaching / separating from the paper discharge side. A printing apparatus comprising: an end fence; and a fence position changing unit that moves the end fence based on paper type information to change a collision position with the leading edge of the paper.   The fence position varying means includes a fence drive system including a drive source that moves the end fence in the approaching / separating direction, and a control means for controlling the operation of the drive source. The printing apparatus according to 1.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper type information is paper size information.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper type information is paper thickness information. The printing speed of the paper is variable to a plurality of printing speeds, and has setting means for setting an arbitrary printing speed from the plurality of printing speeds,
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the setting unit sets a printing speed different from a current printing speed during a printing operation, the control unit prohibits movement of the end fence by driving the driving source. The printing apparatus according to any one of 4. It has a display means for displaying warning details,
The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit operates the display unit so that a warning content is displayed when the movement of the end fence is prohibited. The printing speed of the paper is variable to a plurality of printing speeds, and has setting means for setting an arbitrary printing speed from the plurality of printing speeds,
The control means operates the drive source so as to move the end fence to a position corresponding to the high printing speed when a printing speed faster than the current printing speed is set by the setting means during the printing operation. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   5. The printing according to claim 1, wherein the control unit operates the driving source so as to move the position of the end fence based on image ratio information printed on the paper. apparatus. Operating means for operating the drive source;
9. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit operates the drive source in response to an operation command from the operation unit.   10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit prohibits the printing operation until an end-of-operation signal of the end fence is detected.

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