JP2011241055A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the time until the printing starts, and to shorten the time until the printing finishes when executing print processing by automatically switching a plurality of paper feed trays.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of paper feed trays including movable plates 131 on which recording media are placed; a movable plate driving motor 140 lifting each of the movable plates 131; a tray selection unit 12 selecting the paper feed trays corresponding to the recording medium for which the print processing is executed from the plurality of paper feed trays on the basis of information on image data included in a print job when setting information specifying the paper feed tray for use in the print processing is not included in the print job; and a device control unit 14 controlling the movable plate driving motor 140 so that the movable plates 131 of at least two or more paper feed trays are located at positions allowing the feed of paper out of the paper feed trays selected by the tray selection unit 12 at least during the execution of the print processing.

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feed mechanism of an image forming apparatus that supplies a recording medium stacked on a movable plate in a paper feed tray to a conveyance path and executes print processing on the recording medium.

  In recent years, with the improvement of the processing capability of the image forming apparatus, a large amount of recording media is used, and the number of user operations for supplying the recording media to the paper feed tray is also increasing. With regard to sheet feeding of recording media in this image forming apparatus, a bundle of recording media of a predetermined size is stacked in a sheet feeding tray, and the loaded recording medium is fed out from the sheet feeding tray to an image forming unit via a conveyance path. There is a paper mechanism.

  In the paper feed tray on which a large number of recording media are placed, the bottom plate disposed at the bottom of the paper feed tray moves up and down according to the remaining amount of the recording medium. Specifically, in a general paper feed tray, paper is fed by raising the tray bottom plate to a predetermined height at which the recording medium can be supplied to the transport path.

  By the way, in this conventional image forming apparatus, since the driving force from the driving means on the main body side is transmitted to the tray bottom plate and moved up and down, the paper feed tray is removed from the image forming apparatus main body. At this time, when the driving force from the driving means is instantaneously separated, the bottom plate falls, and the dropped tray bottom plate collides with the tray case, and noise is generated.

  Conventionally, in order to respond to these, there is, for example, a technique for providing a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of paper in the paper feed tray and lowering the bottom plate when there is no paper in the paper feed tray (Patent Document 1).

JP 61-106374 A

  However, since the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the bottom plate is lowered in advance when the paper runs out, when the user pulls out the paper feed tray before the paper runs out, Since the bottom plate is in the raised state, as a result, the bottom plate falls and noise is generated.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for downsizing and space saving of the apparatus. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the size of the paper feed tray. It is necessary to increase the loading capacity of the recording medium. For this reason, when a recording medium is fed from a miniaturized paper feed tray, the bottom plate is raised with a decrease in the recording medium in the paper feed tray. It will be necessary to rush to. Therefore, when the sheet feed tray is pulled out by the user while the bottom plate is raised and a part of the bottom plate is detached from the sheet feed tray, the pushed-out bottom plate and the apparatus main body come into contact with each other, and the image forming apparatus may be damaged. There was sex.

  In order to prevent the above-described problems, it is preferable to control the lowering of the bottom plate for the unused paper feed tray. However, if this control is executed uniformly, when there is no print medium loaded in the first paper feed tray including the side paper feed tray (manual paper feed tray), paper is fed to another paper feed tray. In the case of so-called continuous printing in which the original is automatically switched sequentially and printing processing is performed continuously, paper cannot be fed while the bottom plate of the switched second paper feed tray is raised to the paper feed position, and printing is performed. It took considerable time to start.

  In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above points. In the case where a plurality of paper feed trays are automatically switched to execute print processing, the time until the start of printing is shortened and the time until the end of printing is reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be shortened.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that executes a printing process on a recording medium based on a print job, in which the recording medium is stacked. A plurality of paper feed trays having movable plates; lifting means for raising and lowering the movable plates; and setting information for designating a paper feed tray to be used for print processing is not included in the print job. A tray selection unit that selects a paper feed tray corresponding to the recording medium that executes print processing from the plurality of paper feed trays based on information relating to image data included in the image data, and a tray selection unit that selects during execution of the print processing And a control means for controlling the elevating means so that the movable plates of at least two of the paper feed trays can be fed.

  A second feature of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is that, when the print job is supplied, the control unit raises all the movable plates of the plurality of paper feed trays to a paper feedable position. Then, the raising / lowering means is controlled to lower the movable plate other than the movable plate included in the paper feed tray selected by the tray selecting means.

  According to a third aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a remaining amount detecting unit that detects a remaining amount of the recording medium loaded on the sheet feeding tray, and the tray selecting unit includes the remaining amount detecting unit. Is to select a paper feed tray on the basis of the remaining amount of the recording medium detected in step (b) and the number of prints related to the print job.

  A fourth feature of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is that the control unit is selected by the tray selecting unit when the remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the remaining amount detecting unit is less than a predetermined amount. The elevating means is controlled so that the movable plate of the paper feed tray is in a position where paper can be fed.

  According to the first feature of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the print job does not include setting information for designating the paper feed tray used for the printing process, at least two movable plates of the paper feed tray are provided. Since the feed position is set (tray feed position), the time to raise the movable plate to the tray feed position at the start of printing can be shortened, the time to start printing and the time to finish printing Can be shortened.

  According to the second feature of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when a print job is supplied, the elevating means is controlled so as to raise all the movable plates of the plurality of paper feed trays to a paper feedable position. After that, since the elevating means is controlled so as to lower the movable plate other than the movable plate included in the paper feed tray selected by the tray selecting means, it is possible to suppress a loss corresponding to the time for analyzing the print job.

  According to a third aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of the recording medium loaded on the sheet feeding tray, and the tray selecting unit is detected by the remaining amount detecting unit. Since the paper feed tray is selected based on the remaining amount of the recorded recording medium and the number of prints related to the print job, it is possible to appropriately select the paper feed tray that is actually used. As much as possible, noise at the time of pulling out the paper can be avoided and contact between the paper feed tray and the apparatus main body can be reduced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the remaining amount detecting unit becomes less than a predetermined amount, the sheet feeding tray selected by the tray selecting unit Since the lifting / lowering means is controlled so that the movable plate can be fed, the movable plate of the paper feed tray can be set to the intermediate position of the tray until just before use, and this makes it possible to further pull out the paper feed tray. Noise can be avoided as much as possible, and contact between the paper feed tray and the apparatus main body can be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a paper feed tray provided in the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a standby state and FIG. 2B shows a paper feed state. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a driving mechanism of each configuration provided in a paper feed tray provided in the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a shielding plate and a remaining amount detection sensor included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A) shows the case where the shielding plate is not at the position of the remaining amount detection sensor, (b) shows the case where the shielding plate is at the position of the remaining amount detection sensor, and (c) shows the other It is the figure which showed the positional relationship of the shielding board and remaining amount detection sensor in the Example of. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a print preparation process of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of print processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing operations of steps S103 to S105 shown in FIG. 6 and steps S203 shown in FIG. 7 in the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of printing processing in an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of printing processing in an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, a line type image formation is performed in which a plurality of inkjet heads each having a large number of nozzles are provided, and black or color ink is ejected from each inkjet head and printing is performed on a printing sheet line by line. The apparatus will be described as an example.

<Configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has a side sheet feed table 320 exposed outside the side surface of the casing and a plurality of sheet feeds provided inside the casing as a sheet feeding mechanism that supplies printing paper. The tray 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d) is provided.

  Then, the printing paper fed one by one from one of the side paper feed tray 320 and the paper feed tray 330 is fed by a feed mechanism such as a roller in a paper feed system conveyance path (black in the figure). And is guided to the resist unit 350. The fed printing paper is temporarily stopped at the registration unit 350 and conveyed toward the printing mechanism at a predetermined timing.

  A plurality of inkjet heads 370 are provided further on the conveyance direction side of the resist unit 350, and K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are arranged in order from the resist unit 350. Arranged in order. The printing paper is printed line by line with ink ejected from each inkjet head 370 while being conveyed at a speed determined by printing conditions by an annular conveyance belt 360 provided on the opposite surface of the inkjet head 370.

  The printed printing paper is attracted to the transport belt 360 and transported, and further transported in the housing by a driving mechanism such as a roller. In the case of single-sided printing in which printing is performed only on one side of the printing paper, the paper is guided to the paper discharge port 340 and discharged as it is, and the print surface is lowered to a paper discharge tray 345 provided as a receiving tray for the paper discharge port 340. To be loaded.

  In the case of double-sided printing in which printing is performed on both sides of printing paper, the front side (the first printed side is “front side” and the next printed side is “back side”) is not guided to the paper discharge outlet 340 at the end of printing. In addition, it is transported in the housing. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a switching mechanism 380 for switching the conveyance path for backside printing. The printing paper that has not been led to the paper discharge port 340 by the switching mechanism 380 is drawn into the switchback path SR, and is switched back, so that the front and back are reversed with respect to the transport path. Then, it is guided again to the registration unit 350 by a driving mechanism such as a roller and temporarily stops. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed in the direction of the printing mechanism at a predetermined timing, and the back side is printed by the same procedure as that for the front side. The printing paper on which the back side is printed and images are formed on both sides is guided to the paper discharge port 340 and discharged, and is stacked on a paper discharge table 345 provided as a receiving base for the paper discharge port 340. .

  Next, the configuration of the paper feed tray 330a provided in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described.

  2A and 2B are perspective views of the paper feed tray 330a included in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2A shows a standby state, and FIG. 2B shows a paper feed state. ing. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the drive mechanism of each component provided in the paper feed tray 330a provided in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention. Since the paper feed trays 330b, 330c, and 330d have the same configuration as the paper feed tray 330a, the paper feed tray 330a will be described below as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an end fence 134, a pair of side fences 135, and a movable plate 131 are provided on the bottom surface 138 of the paper feed tray 330 a.

  The end fence 134 is provided in the paper feed tray 330a so as to be relatively movable in the print paper feeding direction X. The end fence 134 can be set according to the paper size, regulates the feeding direction X of the stacked printing paper, and performs paper alignment.

  The pair of side fences 135 is provided on both sides of the printing paper feed direction X so as to be relatively movable in the paper width direction perpendicular to the feed direction X. The pair of side fences 135 can be set according to the paper size, regulate the paper width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction X of the stacked printing paper, and perform paper alignment.

  The movable plate 131 is a bottom plate member on which printing paper is stacked, and is attached to the inner surface of the paper feed tray 330a so as to be swingable about the pin member 131a. As shown in FIG. 3, a movable plate support 139 is mounted below the movable plate 131 so as to be movable up and down. The movable plate support 139 attaches the rear end 131c of the movable plate 131 to the movable plate 131. The tip portion 131b of the movable plate 131 is lifted up and the inclination angle is changed. The movable plate 131 is driven so as to move up and down the loaded printing paper, with the inclination changed according to the amount of printing paper loaded.

  In addition, the movable plate support portion 139 moves up and down (up / down) by driving a movable plate drive motor 140 (described later) via the connecting portion 137.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 137 includes a lower gear 137b and an upper gear 137a, and the lower gear 137b is connected to the movable plate support portion 139 via a shaft 139a. The movable plate support portion 139 is disposed so as to support the movable plate 131 located above the movable plate support portion 139. The movable plate support portion 139 is moved up and down by the rotation of the shaft 139a. The movable plate 131 is moved up and down.

  The upper gear 137a and the lower gear 137b are gear mechanisms that are rotated by the driving force of a movable plate driving motor 140 described later. The upper gear 137a is in a state where the paper feed tray 330a is loaded in the image forming apparatus 1. It is engaged with the movable plate drive motor 140 and can rotate. When the upper gear 137a rotates, the lower gear 137b rotates following the rotation of the upper gear 137a to rotate the shaft 139a. With the rotation of the shaft 139a, the inclination angle of the movable plate support portion 139 changes, and the upper movable plate 131 is moved up and down according to the inclination angle.

  Further, a shielding plate 136 is attached to the upper gear 137a. The shielding plate 136 is a member in which a curved member 136a is formed integrally with an arc portion of a fan-shaped member 136b concentric with the upper gear 137a that is a gear, and the curved member 136a responds to the vertical movement of the movable plate 131. This is a detection sensor shielding member that displaces.

  Further, the paper feed tray 330 a includes an upper limit sensor 402, a paper presence / absence sensor 401, and a remaining amount detection sensor 403.

  The sheet presence / absence sensor 401 is a reflective sensor that detects the presence / absence of a printing sheet stacked on the movable plate 131. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the sheet presence / absence sensor 401 is turned on when the printing sheet is stacked, and the printing sheet is printed. When is not stacked, it is turned off. The sheet presence sensor 401 is a reflective sensor in the first embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to this form. For example, a U-shaped transmissive sensor may be used. .

  The upper limit sensor 402 is a sensor that detects whether the upper surface of the printing paper loaded on the movable plate 131 is at the upper limit position of the paper feeding position. In the first embodiment of the present invention, when the printing paper is detected, it is turned on, and when it is not detected, it is turned off.

  The remaining amount detection sensor 403 is a sensor that is installed near the connecting portion 137 of the paper feed tray 330a and detects whether the vertical movement of the movable plate 131 is within a predetermined range.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the shielding plate 136 and the remaining amount detection sensor 403 included in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  The remaining amount detection sensor 403 is provided on the image forming apparatus 1 side, and engages with the shielding plate 136 of the connecting portion 137 in a state where the paper feed tray 330a is loaded on the image forming apparatus 1 side. The remaining amount detection sensor 403 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a U-shaped transmissive optical sensor, and has a U-shaped inner side formed by a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving sensor arranged to face each other. The presence or absence of an object inserted in is detected. That is, the light emitted from the light emitting unit is blocked by an object inserted inwardly of the U-shape, and the light receiving sensor is turned off, thereby detecting the presence of the object.

  By detecting the presence or absence of the shielding plate 136 with such a remaining amount detection sensor 403, it is determined whether or not the vertical movement of the movable plate 131 is within a predetermined range. In the connecting portion 137, when the movable plate 131 performs the ascending operation, the shielding plate 136 coupled to the upper gear 137a is rotated according to the vertical movement of the movable plate 131, and the bending member 136a is displaced. Yes. Specifically, when the movable plate 131 is raised by the lower gear 137b, the upper gear 137a is also rotated by the rotation of the lower gear 137b. As a result, the position of the bending member 136a of the shielding plate 136 coupled to the upper gear 137a is displaced.

  When the paper feed tray 330a is loaded into the image forming apparatus 1, the remaining amount detection sensor 403 is engaged so as to sandwich the bending member 136a of the shielding plate 136 from the side into the U-shaped upper inward. The Here, since the remaining amount detection sensor 403 determines whether or not the position of the movable plate 131 is within a predetermined range, whether or not the load amount of the printing paper is less than or equal to the predetermined amount is determined. Detected in value.

  Whether it is within the predetermined range is determined by, for example, whether the remaining amount of paper is 50% or less. That is, when the movable plate 131 is rotated according to the vertical movement and the shielding plate 136 is not at the position of the remaining amount detection sensor 403 as shown in FIG. It is determined that the vertical movement of 131 is outside the predetermined range, that is, the remaining amount is 50% to 100%. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the shielding plate 136 is at the position of the remaining amount detection sensor 403, the sensor is turned on with the sensor being shielded, and the vertical movement of the movable plate 131 is within a predetermined range, that is, the remaining amount. It is determined that it is 50% or less.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the remaining amount is 50% or less based on the remaining amount detection sensor 403, it is determined that the number is less than the predetermined number. Further, when the remaining amount is reduced (for example, 20%), it may be determined that the number is less than a predetermined number. For that purpose, it is necessary to provide a shielding plate that can detect the remaining amount in more detail instead of the shielding plate 136 of the remaining amount detection sensor 403.

  FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating an example of a shielding plate and a remaining amount detection sensor that can detect the remaining amount in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the shielding plate 141 includes a curved member 141a in which a plurality of through holes 141c are provided at a predetermined interval, and a fan-shaped member 141b that supports the curved member 141a.

  When the paper feed tray 330a is loaded into the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 4C, the remaining amount detection sensor 403 causes the curved member 141a of the shielding plate 141 to be laterally U-shaped. It is engaged so as to be sandwiched between the upper and inner sides. Here, the remaining amount detection sensor 403 can detect the position of the movable plate 131 based on how many through-holes 141c have been detected, and thereby detect the amount of printing paper loaded.

  That is, the remaining amount can be detected in detail by providing the shielding plate 141 in which the through holes 141c are provided at predetermined intervals.

<Functional configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an upper limit sensor 402, a paper presence / absence sensor 401, a remaining amount detection sensor 403, a side paper feed tray 320, paper feed trays 330 a to 330 d, and a control unit 10. It has. Among these configurations, the configurations of the upper limit sensor 402, the paper presence / absence sensor 401, the remaining amount detection sensor 403, and the side paper feed base 320 have been described above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

  The sheet feeding tray 330a includes a movable plate driving motor 140. The movable plate driving motor 140 transmits a driving force to the sheet feeding tray 330a via the connecting portion 137, and moves the movable plate 131 up and down. Move the loaded printing paper up and down. Specifically, in a state where the paper feed tray 330a is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the movable plate drive motor 140 is connected to the connecting portion 137 of the paper feed tray 330a. On the other hand, when the paper feed tray 330 a is detached from the image forming apparatus 1, the connection between the movable plate driving motor 140 and the connecting portion 137 is released.

  The control unit 10 includes a reception unit 11, a tray selection unit 12, a print setting unit 13, and a device control unit 14.

  For example, the receiving unit 11 receives a print job transmitted from a terminal connected via a network. Alternatively, a print job generated based on a user operation on an operation panel (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 is received.

  Based on the print job, the tray selection unit 12 selects a paper feed tray on which a recording medium suitable for executing a printing process is loaded from a plurality of paper feed trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d).

  The print setting unit 13 determines whether or not the print job includes setting information for designating a paper feed tray used for print processing. Specifically, the print setting unit 13 supplies the setting information included in the print job so that the paper feed tray is fed from one of the paper feed trays, such as “paper feed tray 330b”. If the paper tip is set to be fixed, it is determined that the setting information for specifying the paper feed tray used for the printing process is included, and the paper corresponding to the print paper is matched to the size of the image data. When “automatic” for selecting a paper tray is set, it is determined that setting information for specifying a paper feed tray to be used for print processing is not included.

  Note that the print setting unit 13 may determine whether or not setting information for specifying a paper feed tray to be used for print processing is included based on the continuous paper feed mode. Here, the continuous paper feed mode refers to the case where the paper is fed from two or more paper feed trays 330 among a plurality of paper feed trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d). This is a mode for sequentially feeding printing paper so as not to be interrupted. The print setting unit 13 specifies setting information for designating a paper feeding tray used for printing processing when the continuous paper feeding mode is set to ON. If the continuous paper supply mode is set to OFF, it may be determined that the setting information for specifying the paper supply tray used for the printing process is included. .

  When it is determined by the print setting unit 13 that the setting information specifying the paper feed tray to be used for the printing process is not included, the device control unit 14 includes at least two or more paper feed trays selected by the tray selection unit 12. The movable plate drive motor 140, which will be described later, is controlled so that the movable plate 131 becomes the sheet feeding position.

<Operation of Image Forming Apparatus>
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention mainly performs print preparation processing and print processing. Therefore, each process will be described in detail below.

≪Print preparation process≫
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the print preparation process of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the control unit 10 determines that the image forming apparatus 1 is powered on or the paper feed tray 330a is loaded in the image forming apparatus 1 and the front cover is closed (step S101), control is performed. The device control unit 14 of the unit 10 drives the movable plate driving motor 140 to the tray sheet feeding position for all the sheet feeding trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d) (step S103). Specifically, the device control unit 14 drives the movable plate driving motor 140 to transmit this driving force via the connecting portion 137, and the movable plate 131 is raised. As the movable plate 131 is raised, at least the uppermost sheet of the printing paper loaded on the movable plate 131 is raised until it exceeds the height of the paper feed port, that is, the tray paper feed position.

  Next, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 moves to the tray intermediate position (step S105). Specifically, the device control unit 14 drives the movable plate drive motor 140 for all the paper feed trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d), so that the driving force is transmitted via the connecting unit 137. Then, the movable plate 131 is lowered to a tray intermediate position lower than the tray feeding position.

≪Print processing≫
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the printing process of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a print start is requested (step S201). Specifically, it is determined whether the receiving unit 11 of the control unit 10 has received a print job including a print request signal for requesting printing.

  In step S201, when it is determined that the start of printing has been requested (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 moves the movable plate 131 for all the paper feed trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d). The movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so that is at the tray feed position (step S203). Specifically, the device control unit 14 drives the movable plate driving motor 140 to transmit this driving force via the connecting portion 137, and the movable plate 131 is raised. As the movable plate 131 is raised, the printing paper loaded on the movable plate 131 is raised to the height of the paper feed port, that is, the tray paper feed position. As a result, it is possible to send the sheet to the sheet feeding system conveyance path.

  Here, as soon as printing start is requested, the movable plates of all the paper feed trays are raised because the movable plate of the paper feed tray used for the printing process has started to rise after analyzing the print job. This is because the time until the start of printing is lost. By controlling all the paper feed trays to be ready for paper feed and lowering the movable plates of the unused trays, it is possible to reduce the time loss for analyzing the print job.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of steps S103 to S105 shown in FIG. 6 and the operation of step S203 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the power is turned off, the movable plate 131 is in a standby state, that is, in the lower limit position. When the power is turned on, as shown in FIG. The movable plate 131 is raised. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), in the ascent from the lower limit position, since the distance to the upper limit sensor 402 is long, the ascent speed increases, and passes through the upper limit sensor 402 as the stop target position. End up.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, when the movable plate 131 is raised, the positioning process is performed up to the stop position. In this positioning process, the movable plate 131 that has exceeded the sensor is temporarily lowered to a position where the upper limit sensor 402 is turned OFF and stopped (FIGS. 8D to 8F: Step S105), and the upper limit sensor 402 is turned ON again. (FIGS. 8G to 8I: Step S203). As shown in FIG. 8F, the stop position in the positioning process can be stopped at a low speed state and is not over-sensored because the moving distance is shorter than the lower limit position.

  As described above, by executing the processing of steps S103, S105, and S203, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 causes the movable plate 131 to be the tray for all the paper feed trays 330 (330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d). The movable plate driving motor 140 can be driven so as to reach the paper feeding position.

  Returning to FIG. 7, after setting the movable plate 131 to the tray paper feed position in step S <b> 203, the print setting unit 13 of the device control unit 14 determines whether or not a paper feed tray to be used is designated. (Step S205). As described above, the print setting unit 13 determines this based on the setting information included in the print job received by the receiving unit 11.

  If it is determined in step S205 that the paper feed tray to be used is not designated (NO), the print setting unit 13 of the device control unit 14 extracts the print size from the print job (step S207).

  Then, the print setting unit 13 selects a paper feed tray 330 corresponding to the extracted print size (step S209). For example, the sizes of the print sheets stacked on the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d are “A4”, “A4”, “A3”, and “B5”, respectively, and are included in the print job. When the print size is “A4”, the print setting unit 13 selects the paper feed trays 330a and 330b.

  Next, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 moves the unused paper feed tray to the intermediate tray position (step S213). For example, if the print setting unit 13 selects the paper feed trays 330a and 330b, the device control unit 14 determines that the movable plate 131 is the tray for the paper feed trays 330c and 330d other than the set paper feed trays 330a and 330b. The movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so as to be in the intermediate position.

  When it is determined in step S205 that the paper feed tray to be used is designated (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 sets the undesignated paper feed tray as an unused paper feed tray. Move to an intermediate position.

  Then, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 starts the printing process in a state where the paper feed tray 330 is at the tray paper feed position without moving all the paper feed trays 330 to the intermediate tray position (step S215).

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a paper feed tray to be used is not designated, a paper feed tray to be used is selected and selected based on the print size. Since the movable plate 131 of the paper feed tray is controlled to be the tray feed position, the time for raising the movable plate 131 to the tray feed position can be shortened, and as a result, the time until the start of printing is shortened. be able to.

  In addition, when the paper feed tray to be used is not designated, the movable plate 131 of the paper feed tray 330 that has not been selected is moved to the tray paper feed position without moving to the tray paper feed position. The noise at the time can be avoided as much as possible, and the contact between the paper feed tray 330 and the apparatus main body can be reduced.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the paper feed tray to be used is not specified, the print size is extracted from the print job, and the supply corresponding to the extracted print size is performed. Although the paper tray 330 is selected, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, at least one or more pieces of information are extracted from information about image data such as the size of the image data included in the print job and the scaling ratio, and the corresponding print paper is loaded from the extracted information. A tray may be selected.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the paper feed tray 330 to be used is not designated, the paper feed tray 330 to be used is selected based on the print size included in the print job. The image forming apparatus 1 that moves the selected paper feed tray 330 to the tray paper feed position has been described as an example. However, the side paper feed tray 320 may be included in the paper feed tray 330 as a matter of course.

  In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, when a paper feed tray to be used is not designated, a paper feed tray to be used is selected based on a print size included in the print job, and the selected paper feed tray is fed to the tray. The image forming apparatus moving to the position has been described as an example.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the paper feed tray to be used is not designated, the paper feed tray to be used is selected based on the print size and the number of prints included in the print job, and the selected paper feed tray is selected. An image forming apparatus that moves to the tray feeding position will be described as an example.

  Note that the image forming apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same functional configuration as that of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the printing process in the image forming apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Here, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the processing of steps S201 to S205 is the same as the processing of the same step number in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when it is determined in step S205 that the paper feed tray to be used is not designated (NO), the print setting unit 13 of the device control unit 14 determines the print size and print from the print job. The number of sheets is extracted (step S401).

  Next, the print setting unit 13 selects a paper feed tray 330 corresponding to the extracted print size, and an upper limit sensor 402, a paper presence sensor 401, and a remaining amount detection provided in the selected paper feed tray 330. The remaining amount of printing paper stacked on the selected paper feed tray 330 is acquired from the sensor 403 (step S403).

  Specifically, the print setting unit 13 prints paper on the paper feed tray 330 when the upper limit sensor 402 stacked on the selected paper feed tray 330 is ON and the remaining amount detection sensor 403 is OFF. Is determined to be 50% or more. When the upper limit sensor 402 is ON and the remaining amount detection sensor 403 is ON, it is determined that less than 50% of the printing paper is loaded on the paper feed tray 330. In the latter case, when the paper presence sensor 401 is OFF, it is determined that the printing paper is 0% in the paper feed tray 330.

  Then, the tray selection unit 12 selects a paper feed tray to be used (step S405). Specifically, the tray selection unit 12 selects the necessary paper feed trays in order from the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d, in order from the paper feed tray with the largest print paper stacking amount (remaining amount). For example, in the case where the stacking upper limit of each of the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d is 200 sheets, the size of the stacked printing paper is “A4”, “A4”, “ It is assumed that “A4” and “B5”, and “50”, “120”, “70”, and “130” printing sheets are stacked. In step S401, if the extracted print size is “A4” and the extracted number of prints is “100”, the print setting unit 13 determines the number of 100 from the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, and 330c. The paper feed tray 330b on which the above A4 printing paper is stacked is selected.

  In addition, the sizes of the printing sheets stacked on the sheet feeding trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d are “A4”, “A4”, “A4”, and “B5”, respectively. Assume that 20 sheets, 50 sheets, and 60 sheets are stacked. In step S401, if the extracted print size is “A4” and the extracted print number is “100”, the print setting unit 13 feeds the paper feed tray on which the “A4” size is stacked. All of 330a, 330b, and 330c are selected. In this case, since all the trays are 100 sheets or less, which is 50% of the capacity of the paper feed tray, even if the remaining amount sensor is used, an accurate remaining amount of the sheet cannot be detected.

  Next, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 moves the unused tray to the intermediate tray position (step S407). For example, if the print setting unit 13 selects the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, and 330c, the device control unit 14 sets the movable plate 131 for the paper feed trays 330d other than the set paper feed trays 330a, 330b, and 330c. The movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so that the intermediate position of the tray is reached.

  Then, the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 starts the printing process in a state where it is at the tray paper feed position (step S409). For example, if the print setting unit 13 selects the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, and 330c, the device control unit 14 determines that the device control unit 14 uses the preset priority order from the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, and 330c. Then, the printing process is executed by sequentially selecting.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S205 that the paper feed tray to be used is designated (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 in the present embodiment, except for the designated paper feed tray 330, in this embodiment. The movable plate 131 of 330d is lowered to the intermediate tray position (step S407), and the paper feed tray is selected according to the preset priority order of the trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and the printing process is started (step S409). ). Here, the priority order is preset as the order in which the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d are used.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the paper feed tray to be used is not designated, the paper feed to be used is based on the number of prints and the print size. By selecting a tray and lowering it to the intermediate tray position except for the movable tray 131 of the paper feed tray that is actually used, power saving can be achieved, and paper replenishment and paper replacement can be printed for other than the paper feed tray used by the user. Even if it is performed in the middle, the contact between the paper feed tray 330 and the apparatus main body can be reduced.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the paper feed tray to be used is not designated, the paper feed tray to be used is selected based on the print size and the number of prints included in the print job, and the selected paper feed tray is selected. The image forming apparatus that moves to the tray feeding position has been described as an example.

  In Embodiment 3 of the present invention, after the paper feed tray to be used is specified and the printing process is started, the print paper stacking amount detected by the remaining amount detection sensor 403 of the paper feed tray in use is less than a predetermined amount. In this case, an image forming apparatus that moves the next paper feed tray to the tray paper feed position will be described as an example.

  The image forming apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same functional configuration as that of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the printing process in the image forming apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Here, steps S201 and S205 and steps S401 to S405 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 are the same as the processes of the same step numbers in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, when it is determined in step S <b> 205 that the paper feed tray to be used is designated (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 determines the selected paper feed tray 330. Then, the movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so that the movable plate 131 is in the tray paper feed position (step S502).

  In step S405, when a paper feed tray to be used is selected, the print setting unit 13 determines whether there are a plurality of selected paper feed trays (step S501).

  If it is determined in step S501 that the selected paper feed tray is single (in the case of NO), the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 causes the movable plate 131 to feed the tray for the selected paper feed tray 330. The movable plate driving motor 140 is driven so as to be in the paper position (step S503).

  Then, the device control unit 14 starts the printing process with the selected paper feed tray 330 in the tray paper feed position (step S505).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S501 that there are a plurality of selected paper feed trays (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 of the control unit 10 determines the priority order among the selected paper feed trays. The movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so that the movable plate 131 of the highest feed tray is at the tray feed position (step S507). Here, the priority order is preset as the order in which the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d are used.

  For example, the sizes of the print sheets stacked on the paper feed trays 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d are “A4”, “A4”, “A4”, and “B5”, respectively, and the priority order is It is assumed that “3”, “1”, “4”, “2”. In step S401, if the extracted print size is “A4”, the print setting unit 13 selects the paper feed tray 330b as the paper feed tray having the highest priority, and the movable paper tray 330b is movable. The movable plate drive motor 140 is driven so that the plate 131 is at the tray feed position.

  Next, the print setting unit 13 substitutes the number of prints extracted in step S401 into a variable C, and substitutes “1” into a counter i (step S509).

  Then, the device control unit 14 executes the i-th printing process (step S511).

  Next, the device control unit 14 determines whether or not the value of the counter i is equal to or greater than the number of printed sheets C (step S513), and when it is determined that the value of the counter i is less than the number of printed sheets C (in the case of NO). Then, after adding “1” to the value of the counter i (step S515), it is determined whether or not the number is less than the predetermined number (step S517). Specifically, the device control unit 14 determines whether or not the remaining amount is 50% or less based on the remaining amount detection sensor 403 (step S517).

  If it is determined in step S517 that the number is less than or equal to the predetermined number (in the case of YES), the device control unit 14 moves the movable plate 131 so that the movable plate 131 of the next highest priority feed tray is at the tray feed position. The drive motor 140 is driven (step S519). For example, the movable plate driving motor 140 is driven so that the movable plate 131 of the paper feed tray 330a having the second highest priority after the paper feed tray 330b is at the tray paper feed position.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 3 according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is determined that the paper feed tray to be used is not designated, and after the printing process is started, When the load amount of the printing paper detected by the remaining amount detection sensor 403 is less than a predetermined amount, the movable plate 131 of the paper feed tray to be used next is moved to the tray paper feed position. The movable plate 131 of the paper tray can be set to the tray intermediate position. As a result, it is possible to avoid noise when the paper feed tray 330 is pulled out as much as possible, and to reduce contact between the paper feed tray 330 and the apparatus main body.

  In this embodiment, the side sheet feeding table in the embodiment has an upper limit sensor and the image forming apparatus executes the printing process while raising the sheet feeding table to the sheet feeding position and maintaining the sheet feeding position. The side paper feed tray also includes the side paper feed tray.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2, 3 ... Image forming apparatus 10 ... Control part 11 ... Reception part 12 ... Tray selection part 13 ... Print setting part 14 ... Equipment control part 131 ... Movable plate 134 ... End fence 135 ... Side fence 136, 141 ... Shielding plate 137... Connection part 139. Movable plate support part 140. Movable plate drive motor (lifting means)
320 ... Side paper feed trays 330a to 330d ... Paper feed tray 340 ... Discharge port 345 ... Discharge tray 350 ... Registration unit 360 ... Conveying belt 370 ... Inkjet head 380 ... Switching mechanism 401 ... Paper presence sensor 402 ... Upper limit sensor 403 ... Remaining amount detection sensor

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus that executes print processing on a recording medium based on a print job,
A plurality of paper feed trays having movable plates on which recording media are stacked;
Elevating means for elevating and lowering each of the movable plates;
When the print job does not include setting information for specifying a paper feed tray to be used for print processing, the print processing is executed from the plurality of paper feed trays based on information on image data included in the print job. Tray selecting means for selecting a paper feed tray corresponding to the recording medium;
Control means for controlling the elevating means so that the movable plates of at least two of the paper feed trays selected by the tray selecting means during execution of the printing process are in a feedable position;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The control means includes
When the print job is supplied, all the movable plates of the plurality of paper feed trays are raised to a feedable position, and then the movable plates other than the movable plates of the paper feed tray selected by the tray selection unit are moved. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elevating unit is controlled to lower the plate. A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the recording medium loaded on the sheet feeding tray;
The tray selecting means is
The paper feed tray is selected on the basis of the remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the remaining amount detection unit and the number of prints related to the print job. The image forming apparatus according to Item. The control means includes
When the remaining amount of the recording medium detected by the remaining amount detecting unit becomes less than a predetermined amount, the movable plate of the sheet feeding tray selected by the tray selecting unit is positioned so as to be capable of feeding. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the elevating means is controlled.

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