JP2010002463A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which enables a user to easily search the position where sequence is ruined due to waste paper, decide the waste paper without stopping a machine, and change and correct a detection level, upon waste paper decision of the image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: a storage part for storing image data; an image forming part for forming an image on a form based on the image data; a waste detection part for detecting the waste of the form; a control part which receives an output of the waste paper detection part and performs waste paper decision of the form based on the set waste paper decision standard; and a paper ejection part for ejecting the form on which the image formation is performed, wherein the control part, when deciding that the form is a waste paper on the waste paper decision, the form as a mark of the waste paper decision is ejected together with the form decided so as not to be waste paper to the paper ejection part without stopping an operation of the image formation, and an image on the form decided so as to be a waste paper upon the waste paper decision is stored in the stored part for re-outputting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a sheet based on image data and making a judgment on the sheet.

  In copiers, printers, facsimiles, multifunction devices, etc. that perform image formation based on image data, image formation is performed on paper based on image data in accordance with set image formation conditions (image formation position, color, density, etc.). . Since the image forming conditions may change temporarily or gradually with the operation of the image forming apparatus, the quality is maintained by various automatic correction operations and adjustment mode settings.

  However, if the image quality deteriorates more than expected, the quality of the printed material cannot be maintained. Therefore, the printed material whose quality is deteriorated to a certain degree may be excluded from the product as a waste paper. In particular, visual inspection is the mainstream for checking the Yale paper in production printing, and the level of Yale paper handling varies depending on differences in judgment criteria on the check side, convenience of delivery deadlines, and the like. In response to this, there has also been proposed an image forming apparatus that is provided with means for determining a slip sheet and that can automatically detect the slip sheet by the determination means. However, in such an image forming apparatus, it is troublesome to search for a position where the paper is NG, and when the paper is detected, the user makes a determination to change or correct the detection level. Has a problem that the machine must be stopped and the working efficiency is poor.

In order to clarify various partitions, for example, when stacking a sheet bundle in an unbound state, an image forming apparatus that inserts a blank sheet to clarify the boundary of the sheet bundle to clarify the boundary (see Patent Document 1) ), An image forming apparatus (see Patent Document 2) that detects an image formation break (JOB) and feeds a separated sheet and then forms a next image (JOB), and detects whether or not a discharge tray can be stacked. An image forming apparatus has been proposed that automatically ejects paper to another tray if it is full, and puts and stacks partition paper if it can be stacked (see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-9-30715 JP-A-9-114328 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-330018

  However, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, in order to change or correct the detection level by the user judging the scan paper even though a partition can be provided when an abnormality occurs like the scan paper, The machine must be stopped and it is difficult to solve the problem of poor work efficiency.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and does not require the user to stop the machine in order to determine the error, and to change or correct the detection level. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that makes it easy to search for a position.

  That is, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores image data, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image data, a deviation detection unit that detects a deviation of the sheet, and the deviation detection A control unit that receives the output of the image forming unit and performs the determination of the paper on the basis of a set paper sheet determination criterion, and a paper discharge unit that discharges the paper on which the image has been formed. When the paper is determined to be paper in the paper determination, the paper discharge unit together with the paper that is determined as not being paper is used as a mark for determining the paper without stopping the image forming operation. And the image of the paper determined as the paper is determined to be stored in the storage unit for re-output.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit that stores the image data, the image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet based on the image data, and the deviation detection that detects the deviation of the sheet. , A control unit that receives the output of the sag detection unit and determines the sag of the paper based on a set sag paper determination criterion, and a paper discharge unit that discharges the paper on which the image has been formed And determining that the paper serving as a marker for the paper is not a paper without stopping the image forming operation when the control determines that the paper is a paper. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit together with the paper, and the image of the paper determined to be paper by the paper detection is stored in the storage unit for re-output. Therefore, even in the case of paper detection, the machine is stopped. Continue image formation without completing image formation And the spoiled paper position determination even during image formation can be easily checked, it is possible to further or subjected to operator judgment or detection level change or correction of the wastepaper by. The image data stored in the storage unit for re-output can be re-output as it is or as desired, by changing the detection level for judging the paper, changing the image forming conditions, or the like.

Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic mechanical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an image forming unit, 20 denotes a plurality of paper supply trays, a paper supply unit including a large capacity tray unit, 30 denotes a conveyance unit, and 40 denotes an automatic document conveyance device that automatically conveys a document. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 has a display operation unit 50 constituted by a touch panel or the like on the upper side, and the display operation unit 50 can display various information and input operations.

  A post-processing device 100 having a stapling mechanism 101 is connected to the downstream side of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. The post-processing device 100 includes a paper feeding unit 110 including a plurality of paper trays for inter sheets, The image forming apparatus main body 1 a includes a conveyance unit 120 that conveys sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body 1 a and inter-sheet sheets. A main discharge tray 130 and a sub discharge tray 131 are provided at a discharge destination of the conveyance unit 120. It has been. The main paper discharge tray 130 and the sub paper discharge tray 131 constitute the paper discharge unit of the present invention, and the discharge destination can be switched. The intersheet function has different types of paper loaded in multiple trays, and inserts colored paper or white paper for the front cover or middle separator, or inserts image-formed paper on the front or back depending on the settings. is there.

An image such as a document transported by the automatic document transport device 40 is read by a document reading unit (not shown) and temporarily recorded in the image memory of the storage unit 3 shown in FIG.
The image forming unit 10 is provided with a charger, an image exposure unit, and a developing unit around the periphery of the photosensitive member that rotates. The surface of the photosensitive member charged by the charger is a document recorded in the storage unit 3. The image exposure of the image exposure device is performed based on the image information, and a latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor. The latent image is developed by a developing device to become a toner image.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, a plurality of paper feed trays that respectively store sheets are arranged in the upper and lower stages (two stages in the figure) below the image forming unit 10, and further on the side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 a. A large capacity paper tray is placed. The sheet feeding unit 20 is constituted by these sheet feeding trays and a large capacity sheet feeding tray.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 includes the transport unit 30 that transports the paper fed from the paper feeding unit 20 to the image forming unit 10 and transports the paper after image formation to the post-processing device 100. Yes. The conveyance unit 30 includes a conveyance path, a conveyance roller, and the like.
In the transport unit 30, a paper bending detection unit 35 that detects paper bending of the transported paper is provided as an error detection unit. The paper bending detection unit 35 has two sensors arranged in a direction crossing the transport direction, and detects the amount of paper bending based on a time difference when the leading edge of the paper is detected by the sensor. Note that the paper skew detection unit 35 is arranged on the upstream side of the image forming unit 10, and detects a paper curl before image formation, thereby enabling detection of a deviation of the paper on which the image is formed. . Naturally, the deviation detecting unit may be disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 10.

  The toner image on the photoconductor is transferred to the sheet conveyed through the conveyance unit 30 by the image forming unit 10. The sheet holding the toner image is fixed by being pressed and heated by the fixing unit, and is conveyed to the post-processing apparatus 100.

Next, FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 2 that controls the entire image forming apparatus. The control unit 2 mainly includes a CPU and a program that operates the CPU. The control unit 2 is connected to a storage unit 3 having an image memory and a nonvolatile memory. The non-volatile memory of the storage unit 3 stores image data acquired by reading a document, setting data of the image forming apparatus 1, process control parameters, paper bending amount data serving as a reference when performing sag paper determination, and the like. And is read and written by the control unit 2 as necessary. These data may be set as initial values, or may be set and input by the operator through the display operation unit 50 as necessary.

The control unit 2 is connected to the image forming unit 10 described above, and controls to form an image on a sheet based on the image data.
Furthermore, the display operation unit 50 is connected to the control unit 2 in a controllable manner as described above. The display operation unit 50 is controlled by the control unit 2 so that a user can perform a predetermined operation on the image forming apparatus 1. In the display operation unit 50, the display and the operation may be performed independently, or may be performed on the display screen like an LCD touch panel.

Further, as described above, the sheet feeding unit 20 including each sheet feeding tray is connected to the control unit 2 in a controllable manner. In the control unit 2, the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 20 is transported to the transfer position of the image forming unit 10, and then transported to the post-processing apparatus 100 from the fixing position is controllably connected. Has been.
Further, the post-processing apparatus 100 is connected to the control unit 2 so as to be controllable, and the paper feeding unit 110 and the conveyance unit 120 included in the post-processing apparatus 100 can be controlled.

The procedure for determining the slip sheet in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When a job using the image data stored in the storage unit 3 is started, a sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding tray of the sheet feeding unit 20 via the conveying unit 30, and the sheet bending detection unit 35 detects the sheet bending. The The detection result of the paper bending detection unit 35 is transmitted to the control unit 2. In the control unit 2, the amount of paper bending that is a reference for determining the paper skew is read from the storage unit 3, and compared with the detection result, if the detection result is equal to or larger than the reference bending, it is determined that the paper is curled and is less than the reference bending. In this case, it is determined that the paper is not scraped paper (step s1). If it is determined that the paper is not scraped paper (step s1, NO), the paper on which the image has been formed is discharged to a designated paper discharge tray (for example, the main paper discharge tray 130) (step s5), and until JOB ends. The above-mentioned slip sheet determination (step s1) is continued for each page.

  On the other hand, when the slip sheet determination is made in the above-mentioned slip sheet determination (step s1), the image information of the sheet determined to be slip sheet is stored in the storage unit 3 for re-output (step s2). The image data stored in the storage unit 3 at the time of image formation is normally deleted along with the image formation. For this reason, the corresponding image data is newly stored in the storage unit 3 for the re-output. The storage may be performed by shifting the image data in the storage unit 3. Further, when the image data is not erased after the image formation, the image data is stored in the storage unit 3 for re-outputting by storing the address of the image data of the paper judged to be the paper in the storage unit. It will be a thing.

After the image data is stored in the storage unit 3 for re-output, a blank sheet is inserted as a mark for determining the slip sheet after the sheet determined to be scraped (step s3). The blank sheet can be inserted by conveying the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit 30 next to the sheet determined to be scraped by the image forming unit 10 without forming an image. In the post-processing apparatus 100, a blank sheet may be inserted from the sheet feeding unit 110 as an inter sheet.
In this embodiment, blank paper is used as a mark for judging the paper, but a different shape paper, a different paper type, and a different paper color are used. Also good. The point is that the operator can easily find it as a landmark. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a mark sheet is inserted next to the paper that has been judged to be scraped, but depending on the details of the judgment and the judgment position, it may not be in time. A sheet serving as a mark may be inserted after several pages. In this case, it is desirable to display the information on a sheet as a mark so that the operator can understand how many pages before the paper is determined to be scraped.

After inserting the sheet as the mark, it is determined whether or not the paper discharge tray of the paper that has been judged to have a wrong paper setting is different from the normal setting (step s4). The setting is stored in advance in the storage unit 3, and the setting data is read in advance by the control unit 2. The setting may be changed by the operator using the display operation unit 50. If the setting for changing the paper discharge destination is not made (step s4, none), the paper is discharged to the designated paper discharge tray (for example, the main paper discharge tray 130) (step s5), until the job is completed. The above-mentioned slip sheet determination (step s1) is continued for each page.
On the other hand, when the setting is made to change the discharge destination of the waste paper (Yes in step s4), the waste paper is discharged to the discharge tray for discharging the waste paper (for example, the sub discharge tray 131) according to the setting. Then (step s6), the above-mentioned slip sheet determination (step s1) is continued for each page until JOB is completed.

After the end of JOB (step s7, YES), as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 2 displays a waste paper image re-output selection screen 51 on the display operation unit 50, and determines whether or not to re-output the waste paper. Allow the operator to select. At this time, it is also possible to change or correct the detection level for the judgment paper.
The spear paper image re-output selection screen 51 has a spear paper display section 52 that displays information on the paper on which the spear paper determination has been made. The slip sheet display unit 52 allows the operator to easily grasp the contents of the slip sheet by displaying the page position of the paper for which the slip sheet has been determined, a simple image display, or the like. When there are a plurality of pieces of paper, the information on each piece of paper is displayed in a selectable manner on the paper sheet display section 52, and the information on the paper can be selected by pressing one of the information displays. It has become. In addition, on the waste paper image re-output selection screen 51, a print button 53 and an erase button 54 are displayed so as to be operable. The print button 53 is a button which is displayed on the paper sheet display unit 52 and is used to instruct to output again the image of the paper paper selected by the operator to a new paper. This is a button for erasing the image of the waste paper displayed on the unit 52 and selected by the operator from the storage unit 3. The cancel button 55 is a button for canceling the procedure for re-outputting the waste paper image and ending the process.

When the print button 53 is pressed (there is step s8), the control unit 2 stores the reprint paper displayed on the spear paper display unit 52 and selected by the operator in the storage unit 3 for re-output. The read image data is read out, re-output to a new sheet and discharged (step s9). For the paper, the waste paper determination procedure can be performed in the same manner as described above (to step s1). If re-output is not selected (No at step s8), the process ends.
According to the above, the mark determined to be scraped paper is discharged without stopping the machine, and an image determined to be scraped paper can be output again if desired.

Next, another embodiment in which the paper discharge method for the paper that has been judged to be scraped is changed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, at the same time as the start of the job, judgment of the paper is performed for each page as described above (step s10). If it is determined that the paper is not scraped paper (NO in step s10), the paper on which the image has been formed is discharged to the designated paper discharge tray (step s15), and the above-mentioned paper slip determination is performed for each page until JOB is completed. (Step s10) is continued.

  If the slip paper determination is made in the slip paper determination (step s10) (YES in step s10), the image information of the paper determined to be the slip paper is stored in the storage unit 3 for re-output (step s11). Next, a blank paper is inserted as a paper to be used as a marker for the judgment of the paper, next to the paper for which the paper is judged (step s12). The paper for which the paper is judged and the mark paper are discharged to the designated paper discharge tray in the same manner as the paper that is not judged for the paper, but at that time, the paper that is not judged for the paper is The paper on which the paper is judged and the paper that serves as a marker for the paper judgment are shifted and discharged (step s13). Shift paper discharge is a function that makes it easy to sort by changing the paper discharge position to the left and right in the paper discharge unit. In the present invention, this function is used to shift and discharge paper sheets and mark sheets. In this embodiment, both the paper and the mark paper are shifted and discharged. However, for example, only the paper and the mark paper may be shifted and discharged.

After the end of JOB (step s14, YES), as in the above embodiment, the spear paper image re-output selection screen 51 is displayed on the display / operation unit 50 so that the operator can select whether or not to perform re-output. . When the image information of the sheet paper displayed on the sheet paper display unit 52 is selected and the print button 53 is pressed (Yes in step s16), the control unit 2 stores the information in the storage unit 3 for re-output. The image data is read out, re-output on a new sheet and discharged (step s17). For the paper, a scrap paper determination procedure is performed in the same manner as described above (to step s10). If re-output is not selected (No at step s16), the process ends.
In the above-described embodiment, the method for determining the paper slip is performed by detecting the paper bending, but it is natural that the method for determining the paper slip is not limited to this.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the content of the said embodiment, As long as it does not deviate from this invention, an appropriate change is possible.

1 is a diagram showing a mechanical outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is a functional block diagram. Similarly, it is an enlarged view showing a paper bending detection unit. Similarly, it is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of a waste paper determination. Similarly, it is a figure which shows a spear paper re-output selection screen. Similarly, it is a flowchart which shows the other example of the procedure of a waste paper determination.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Control part 3 Memory | storage part 10 Image forming part 20 Paper feeding part 30 Conveying part 50 Display operation part 100 Post-processing apparatus 110 Paper feeding part 120 Conveying part 130 Main paper discharge tray 131 Sub paper discharge tray

Claims (8)

A storage unit that stores image data, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the image data, a deviation detection unit that detects a deviation of the sheet, and an output of the deviation detection unit, and is set A control unit that performs a judgment on the paper on the basis of a judgment paper judgment criterion, and a paper ejection unit that ejects the paper on which the image has been formed.
If the control unit determines that the paper is a paper in the paper determination, the control unit does not stop the image forming operation, and the paper used as a mark for the paper determination is discharged together with the paper determined not to be a paper. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image is discharged to a paper portion, and an image of the paper determined to be paper paper by the paper paper determination is stored in the storage unit for re-output.   A display operation unit capable of an input operation by an operator is provided, and the display operation unit selects whether or not to form an image again on a sheet based on image data that is determined to be scrap paper and stored in the storage unit The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit inserts and discharges a sheet serving as a mark for determining the slip sheet when the slip sheet is detected.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit uses a blank sheet as a sheet serving as a mark for determining the slip sheet.   The paper discharge unit includes a plurality of paper discharge destinations, and the control unit discharges the paper determined to be the paper with the paper discharge determination to a paper output destination different from the paper determined to be not the paper. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is paper.   6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit uses a paper having a different size, paper type, or paper color from a paper on which image formation is performed, as a paper to be used as a judgment paper. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit shifts and outputs a sheet serving as a mark for determining the sheet paper with respect to a sheet determined not to be a sheet paper.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit shifts and outputs a paper determined to be scraped paper to a paper determined to be not scraped paper. 9.

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