JP2013184764A - Paper discharge device and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promptly detect the occurrence of jam, and to prevent the bending of paper and paper jam in a conveyance path.SOLUTION: A paper discharge device includes: a first conveyance guide that is disposed on the mountainside of a curl of paper and is formed in a curved manner; a second conveyance guide that is disposed on the valley side of the curl opposed to the first conveyance guide and is formed in a curved manner so as to match the shape of the first conveyance guide; a plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers disposed on a conveyance path for conveying the paper; a sensor disposed on a paper discharge port side in the neighborhood of the curved part of the second conveyance guide for detecting that the paper has approached within a predetermined distance; and a control part that performs jam detection when inputting a detection signal from the sensor, drives the conveyance rollers in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, feeds back the paper by a prescribed amount set to a rippling amount of the paper or more in the conveying path, drives the conveyance rollers in the conveying direction again, discharges the paper, and, when the detection signal is input within a given length of time after the discharge, detects paper take-out operation.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a paper discharge apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a printer that prints on a sheet or a sheet discharge apparatus that conveys a printed sheet, a jam may occur for some reason during the conveyance.

  For example, in a printer installed in an automated teller machine at a bank or a multimedia station in a convenience store, if the customer quickly removes the printed paper and closes the paper outlet, The paper is jammed in a bent state, which may cause the apparatus not to operate normally. For this reason, when the occurrence of a jam is detected, the sheet conveyance force is kept low in order to prevent the sheet from being jammed in a narrow conveyance path.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-21001

  However, in recent years, thin paper sheets have been adopted for environmental measures. Therefore, even if the sheet conveying force is kept low, the sheet is weak and the sheet is easily bent and jammed in a narrow conveying path. In addition, in an automatic teller machine or a multimedia station of a bank, there is often no manager in the vicinity, and it takes time to remove the jammed paper and restore the device.

  Accordingly, there is a need for a paper discharge device and an image forming apparatus that can quickly detect the occurrence of a jam and prevent paper folding and paper jamming in the conveyance path.

  A paper discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a roll paper support portion that rotatably supports a roll paper on which printing paper is wound, and a first paper that is bent and formed on a peak side of a paper curl. The conveyance guide and the first conveyance guide are opposed to each other, arranged on the valley side of the curl of the paper, bent according to the shape of the first conveyance guide, and forms a conveyance path together with the first conveyance guide. A plurality of pairs of second conveyance guides are provided on the conveyance path, and a conveyance roller that pulls out the sheet from the roll paper support unit while rotating and conveys the conveyance path, and a sheet near the bent portion of the second conveyance guide. It is arranged on the discharge port side, detects that the paper is approaching within a predetermined distance, outputs a detection signal, and detects the jam when the detection signal is input from the sensor and moves the conveyance roller in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction To drive After the paper is fed back by a specified amount that is greater than the paper waving amount in the feed path, it is driven again in the transport direction and discharged from the paper discharge port, and a detection signal is input within a certain time after discharge. And a control unit that detects the sheet take-out operation in the event of a failure.

  In addition, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a roll paper support unit that rotatably supports a roll paper on which a printing paper is wound, and a bent paper that is disposed on a lower surface side of the paper and bent. 1 conveyance guide, facing the first conveyance guide, arranged on the upper surface side of the sheet, bent according to the shape of the first conveyance guide, and forms a conveyance path together with the first conveyance guide A plurality of second conveyance guides, a conveyance roller that is provided in a plurality of pairs on the conveyance path and that pulls out the sheet from the roll paper support unit by rotation driving and conveys the sheet in the conveyance path, an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet, and a sheet A sensor that is disposed on the paper discharge port side in the vicinity of the bent portion of the second conveyance guide, detects that the sheet has approached within a predetermined distance, and outputs a detection signal; Detection signal input from Jam detection is performed on the sheet, and the conveyance roller is driven in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction, the sheet is fed back by a specified amount that is greater than the undulation amount of the sheet in the conveyance path, and then the sheet is driven again in the conveyance direction. And a control unit that detects the sheet take-out operation when the detection signal is input after the discharge from the discharge port.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in a conveyance path in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing explaining the state in the conveyance path in the modification of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. Sectional drawing explaining the state in the conveyance path in the modification of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the image forming apparatus is assumed to be a terminal such as a bank automatic teller machine or a multimedia station. Further, the paper includes various sheet-like recording media other than paper media. Note that the paper discharge device used in the image forming apparatus has the same configuration, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The roll paper support unit 10 rotatably supports a roll paper 11 in which a printing paper P is wound around a core material. The first conveyance guide 12A and the second conveyance guide 12B form a conveyance path for the paper P. The first conveyance guide 12A is disposed on the curl peak side of the paper P (the lower surface side of the paper P in FIG. 1) and is bent. On the other hand, the second conveyance guide 12B is disposed on the curl valley side (upper surface side of the sheet P in FIG. 1) of the first conveyance guide 12A so as to face the first conveyance guide 12A. It is bent to match the shape.

  A plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 13 are provided on the conveyance path, rotate under the control of the control unit 19, and draw the paper P from the roll paper 11 supported by the roll paper support unit 10 while conveying the paper in the conveyance path. . The conveyance roller 13 located on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper P is disposed on the upstream side of the bent portion, and acts as a member for fixing one end of the paper P in the operation of taking out the paper P described later.

  The image forming unit 14 is driven by the control of the control unit 19 to form an image on the paper P. The image forming unit 14 may be any of a thermal head, a dot impact head, and an inkjet head. A platen 15 is provided at a position facing the sheet P of the image forming unit 14 across the sheet P. The cutter 16 is driven by the control of the control unit 19 and cuts the paper P in the transport path.

  The sensor 21 is disposed near the paper discharge port in the vicinity of the bent portion of the second transport guide 12B, detects that the paper P has approached within a predetermined distance (focal length in the case of a reflective sensor), and sends a detection signal to the control unit. 19 output. A sensor 21 shown in FIG. 1 includes a light-emitting element that emits light toward the paper P, and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light reflected from the paper P and outputs a signal based on the intensity of the reflected light. It is. In order to avoid erroneous detection when it is not a jam, it is preferable to select a sensor having a focal length smaller than the distance to the position where the paper P passes normally.

  The control unit 19 detects a jam when a detection signal is input from the sensor 21 to drive the conveyance roller 13 in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction, and feeds back the paper P more than the corrugation amount of the paper P calculated at the time of jam detection. Then, the sheet is driven again in the transport direction and discharged from the sheet discharge port. Then, when a detection signal is input within a certain time after discharge, the removal operation of the paper P is detected. In the case of a reflective sensor, the control unit 19 calculates the distance from the sensor 21 to the paper P based on the intensity of the signal. If the jam detection and the removal operation detection are performed based on the distance and the duration of the signal, the control unit 19 further calculates. This is preferable because the detection accuracy is improved.

  The image forming apparatus 1 further includes a paper collection unit 22 that stores the collected paper P. When the take-out operation is not detected for a predetermined time after discharging the paper P, the control unit 19 drives the transport roller 13 in the direction opposite to the transport direction, feeds back the paper P, and collects it in the paper collection unit 22. Let

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the image forming apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a calculation unit 191 such as a CPU and various programs stored in a storage device (not shown) and executed by the calculation unit 191. Has been. Here, the image processing unit 192 that performs image processing, the conveyance roller driving unit 193 that drives the conveyance roller 13, the cutter driving unit 194 that drives the cutter 16, the conveyance status of the sheet P and the sheet based on the detection signal from the sensor 21. Detection signal determination unit 195 for determining the presence or absence of a P extraction operation, warning message display unit 196 for displaying a warning message on a monitor (not shown) when an error occurs, warning sound output unit 197 for outputting a warning sound, host computer A communication I / F unit 198 that mediates communication with a higher model such as the above is provided.

  When the detection signal of the paper P from the sensor 21 is input, the detection signal determination unit 195 determines the conveyance status. As a result, when it is determined that the value of the detection signal input from the sensor 21 is a normal value, that is, no abnormality such as a jam has occurred in the transport path, the transport roller driving unit 193 moves the transport roller 13 in the forward direction. The image processing unit 192 causes the image forming unit 14 to execute image forming processing, and the cutter driving unit 194 drives the cutter 16.

  On the other hand, when the value of the detection signal input from the sensor 21 is an abnormal value, that is, when the determination result of the conveyance state in the detection signal determination unit 195 is determined to be untransportable, the image processing unit 192 and the conveyance roller drive Each of the unit 193 and the cutter driving unit 194 performs stop control. The warning message display unit 196 displays a warning message on a monitor (not shown), and the warning sound output unit 197 outputs a warning sound from a speaker (not shown). Further, when a host model such as a host computer is connected to the network, the communication I / F unit 198 notifies the host model that an error has occurred.

  Hereinafter, the sheet conveyance / discharge control operation in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described step by step with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the control unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 4 to 9 are cross-sectional views illustrating states in the conveyance path when paper is discharged.

  In step S <b> 301, the control unit 19 causes the image forming unit 14 to perform image forming processing on the paper P.

  In S <b> 302, the control unit 19 cuts the paper P on which image formation has been performed into a predetermined size, and drives the transport roller 13 to transport the inside of the transport path in the forward direction (paper discharge direction).

  In step S <b> 303, the control unit 19 determines whether a detection signal is input from the sensor 21 during conveyance of the paper P. If it is determined that the detection signal is input, the process proceeds to S304. If it is determined that the detection signal is not input, the process proceeds to S308. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the paper P is transported by rotating the transport roller 13 and the leading end of the paper P has just passed through the transport roller 13 on the most downstream side in the transport direction. Since the leading end of the paper P does not reach the position of the sensor 21, it is not detected. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the paper P is conveyed in the forward direction from the state of FIG. 4 and the leading end of the paper P reaches the vicinity of the paper discharge port. The sheet P passes through the position of the sensor 21, but is not detected because the upper surface of the sheet P is not within the focal length of the sensor 21.

  In S304, the control unit 19 determines whether or not the detection signal is continuously input from the sensor 21 for a certain period of time. If it is determined that the input has been continued for a certain time, the process proceeds to S305. On the other hand, if it is determined that the input has not been continued for a certain time, the process proceeds to S308.

  In step S <b> 305, the control unit 19 performs jam detection determination for the paper P in the transport path. FIG. 6 shows a state in which when the paper P is transported in the forward direction from the state of FIG. 5, the leading end of the paper P is blocked by the user's hand and the paper P is undulated in the transport path. Here, since the upper surface side of the paper P is within the focal length of the sensor 21, the control unit 19 determines whether or not a jam is detected after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  In step S <b> 306, the control unit 19 displays a warning message on a monitor (not shown) or outputs a warning sound from a speaker (not shown) in response to the jam detection, and urges the user to pay attention.

  In step S <b> 307, the control unit 19 transports the paper P in the reverse direction by a specified amount that is set to be larger than the undulation amount of the paper P. The undulation amount of the paper P may be measured in advance for each type of paper P to be used, or may be obtained by calculation from the transport speed and the structure of the transport path. Note that the jam detection state is canceled before reverse conveyance.

  In S <b> 308, the control unit 19 drives the transport roller 13 to transport the inside of the transport path in the forward direction (paper discharge direction).

  In step S <b> 309, the control unit 19 determines whether the leading end of the paper P has been discharged from the paper discharge port based on the number of rotations of the transport roller 13. If it is determined that the specified amount has been discharged, the process proceeds to S310. If it is determined that the specified amount has not been discharged, the process returns to S308.

  In S <b> 310, the control unit 19 stops driving the transport roller 13. FIG. 8 shows a state where the front end of the paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port by a specified amount. The amount to be discharged is preferably set so that the user can easily take out the paper P.

  In S <b> 311, the control unit 19 determines whether a detection signal is input from the sensor 21. If it is determined that a detection signal is input, the process proceeds to S312. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detection signal is not input, the process proceeds to S314.

  In S <b> 312, the control unit 19 detects the start of the operation of taking out the paper P by the user when the detection signal is input from the sensor 21 after the paper P is discharged.

  In S313, the control unit 19 rotates the transport roller 13 in the forward direction at a high speed to discharge the paper P faster than the normal speed (for example, the speed in S308), and ends the process. FIG. 9 shows the operation of the user after the sensor 21 detects that the sheet P is tensioned on the line connecting the sheet discharge port and the conveyance path by pulling the leading end of the discharged sheet P. In addition, a state is shown in which the paper P is discharged at a high speed (for example, a normal double speed).

  In S <b> 314, the control unit 19 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed without a detection signal being input. If it is determined that the fixed time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S315. If it is determined that the fixed time has not elapsed, the process returns to S311.

  In S315, the control unit 19 drives the transport roller 13 in the reverse direction to feed back the paper P once discharged from the paper discharge port, transports it to the paper recovery unit 22, stores it, and ends the process. The feedback is preferably started after a predetermined time has elapsed after displaying a warning message or outputting a warning sound. This is effective when the user forgets to remove the paper P.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the paper P cannot be transported downstream in the discharge direction, the paper P can automatically detect a jam in the transport path. It is possible to prevent the paper P from being folded or jammed.

  Further, after the jam detection, the transport roller 13 is driven in a direction opposite to the paper discharge direction for a predetermined time to feed back the paper P by a specified amount, and the jammed portion of the paper P is pressed again by the transport roller 13. For this reason, the curl amount of the paper P can be suppressed when the paper is discharged again.

  In addition to the jam detection function described above, when the user pulls the discharged paper P, the paper P is discharged at a high speed in accordance with the operation direction, so that it is possible to prevent the paper P from being torn. This is particularly effective when the paper P having a thin paper thickness and weak tension is discharged.

  Furthermore, since the removal operation of the paper P by the user as well as the jam can be detected by one sensor, a space-saving and low-cost apparatus configuration can be achieved. As described above, when the reflective sensor is employed as the sensor 21, the number of components is smaller than that of the transmissive sensor, the number of assembly steps is reduced, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be manufactured at low cost.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, a reflective sensor is used as the sensor 21, but a mechanical sensor can also be used. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating a state in the conveyance path in a modification of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The sensor 21 shown in these drawings is disposed near the bent portion of the second conveyance guide 12B, near the paper discharge port, and an actuator 212 that rotates around the fulcrum 211 based on the pressing force from the paper P, This is a mechanical sensor having a switch 223 that switches from an OFF state (FIG. 10) to an ON state (FIG. 11) and outputs a detection signal when the drive amount of the actuator 212 exceeds a specified amount. Unlike the case of the reflection type sensor, the occurrence of a jam cannot be detected unless it is in contact with the paper P, but there is an effect that the manufacturing cost of the apparatus and the number of parts can be suppressed. The type of actuator of the mechanical sensor is not limited to that shown in FIGS.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that roll paper around which printing paper is wound is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printing paper used may be a so-called cut paper instead of a rolled roll paper.

  As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 10 ... Roll paper support part, 11 ... Roll paper, 12A ... 1st conveyance guide, 12B ... 2nd conveyance guide, 13 ... Conveyance roller, 14 ... Image formation part, 15 ... Platen, 16 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Cutter, 19 ... Control part, 21 ... Sensor, 22 ... Paper collection part, 191 ... Calculation part, 192 ... Image processing part, 193 ... Conveyance roller drive part, 194 ... Cutter drive part, 195 ... Detection signal determination part, 196 ... warning message display part, 197 ... warning sound output part, 198 ... communication I / F part.

Claims (10)

A roll paper support that rotatably supports the roll paper around which printing paper is wound;
A first conveyance guide that is disposed on the curl crest side of the paper and is bent;
Opposite to the first conveyance guide, the sheet is arranged on the valley side of the curl of the paper, is bent according to the shape of the first conveyance guide, and forms a conveyance path together with the first conveyance guide. Two transport guides;
A plurality of pairs provided on the conveyance path, and a conveyance roller for conveying the inside of the conveyance path by rotating and driving the roll paper support unit while pinching the sheet.
A sensor that is disposed near the bent portion of the second transport guide on the side of the paper discharge port, detects that the paper has approached within a predetermined distance, and outputs a detection signal;
When a detection signal is input from the sensor, jam detection is performed to drive the transport roller in a direction opposite to the transport direction, and the paper is fed back by a specified amount that is set to be equal to or greater than the corrugation amount of the paper in the transport path. And a control unit for detecting the operation of taking out the paper when the detection signal is input within a certain time after the discharge, while being driven again in the transport direction and discharged from the paper discharge port. ,
A paper discharge device comprising:   The paper discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit drives the transport roller in the transport direction at a higher speed than normal when detecting the paper take-out operation. A paper collection unit for storing the collected paper;
If the take-out operation is not detected after the specified time has elapsed after the paper is discharged, the control unit drives the transport roller in a direction opposite to the transport direction, feeds back the paper, and enters the paper collection unit. The paper discharge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the paper discharge device is collected. The sensor is
A light emitting element that emits light toward the paper;
A light receiving element that receives reflected light reflected from the paper and outputs a signal based on the intensity of the reflected light;
A reflective sensor comprising:
The said control part performs the detection of the said jam and the said extraction operation | movement based on the intensity | strength of the said detection signal input from the said sensor, and the duration of the said signal, The detection of the said taking-out operation | movement is any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A paper discharge device according to claim 1. The sensor is
An actuator that is disposed near the bent portion of the second transport guide on the side of the paper discharge port and that is driven based on the pressing force from the paper;
A switch that switches from OFF to ON when the drive amount of the actuator exceeds a specified amount, and outputs the detection signal;
A mechanical sensor comprising:
4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects the jam and the removal operation based on a duration of the detection signal input from the sensor. 5. Paper discharge device. A roll paper support that rotatably supports the roll paper around which printing paper is wound;
A first conveyance guide that is disposed on the curl crest side of the paper and is bent;
Opposite to the first conveyance guide, the sheet is arranged on the valley side of the curl of the paper, is bent according to the shape of the first conveyance guide, and forms a conveyance path together with the first conveyance guide. Two transport guides;
A plurality of pairs provided on the conveyance path, and a conveyance roller for conveying the inside of the conveyance path by rotating and driving the roll paper support unit while pinching the sheet.
An image forming unit for forming an image on the paper;
A cutter for cutting the paper in the conveyance path;
A sensor that is disposed near the bent portion of the second transport guide on the side of the paper discharge port, detects that the paper has approached within a predetermined distance, and outputs a detection signal;
When a detection signal is input from the sensor, jam detection is performed to drive the transport roller in a direction opposite to the transport direction, and the paper is fed back by a specified amount that is set to be equal to or greater than the corrugation amount of the paper in the transport path. And a control unit for detecting the operation of taking out the paper when the detection signal is input within a certain time after the discharge, while being driven again in the transport direction and discharged from the paper discharge port. ,
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit drives the transport roller in the transport direction at a higher speed than normal when detecting the sheet take-out operation. A paper collection unit for storing the collected paper;
If the take-out operation is not detected after the specified time has elapsed after the paper is discharged, the control unit drives the transport roller in a direction opposite to the transport direction, feeds back the paper, and enters the paper collection unit. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is collected. The sensor is
A light emitting element that emits light toward the paper;
A light receiving element that receives reflected light reflected from the paper and outputs a signal based on the intensity of the reflected light;
A reflective sensor comprising:
9. The control unit according to claim 6, wherein the control unit detects the jam and the take-out operation based on an intensity of the detection signal input from the sensor and a duration of the signal. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The sensor is
An actuator that is disposed near the bent portion of the second transport guide on the side of the paper discharge port and that is driven based on the pressing force from the paper;
A switch that switches from OFF to ON when the drive amount of the actuator exceeds a specified amount, and outputs the detection signal;
A mechanical sensor comprising:
The said control part performs the detection of the said jam and the said extraction operation | movement based on the continuation time of the said detection signal input from the said sensor, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus.

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