JP2014190990A - Eliminator and sheet reading control method of eliminator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an eliminator and a sheet reading control method of the eliminator capable of precisely recognizing the state of a sheet surface in a reading operation by a reading unit to determine the possibility of reuse of a sheet.SOLUTION: The eliminator includes: a conveyance unit, a reading unit, an erasure unit, a drive mechanism and a controller. The conveyance unit transports a sheet on which an image is formed along a conveyance path. The reading unit reads the sheet on the conveyance path at a predetermined reading distance. The erasure unit erases the image formed on the sheet. The drive mechanism changes the reading distance by driving the reading unit a direction to get closer to the conveyance path or a direction to get farther therefrom. When carrying out a first reading processing, the controller sets the reading distance to a first distance, and when carrying out a second reading processing, the controller sets the reading distance to a second distance larger than the first distance.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an erasing apparatus that erases an image formed on a sheet, and a sheet reading control method of the erasing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an erasing device that erases an image formed on a sheet such as recording paper and makes the sheet reusable. The erasing device includes a reading unit that reads an image in order to leave an image before erasing, and an erasing unit that erases the image. The reading unit also performs image reading when determining whether or not the sheet that has passed through the erasing unit is reusable.

  However, there is a problem that it is difficult to recognize the state of the sheet such as a fold in reading when the reading unit determines whether or not the sheet can be reused.

JP 2002-171391 A

  A problem to be solved by an embodiment of the present invention is an erasing apparatus capable of recognizing the surface state of a sheet with high accuracy in reading when the reading unit determines whether or not the sheet can be reused. It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet reading control method for such an erasing apparatus.

  The erasing device of the embodiment includes a transport unit, a reading unit, an erasing unit, a driving mechanism, and a control unit. The conveyance unit conveys a sheet on which an image is formed along a conveyance path. The reading unit reads the sheet on the conveyance path at a predetermined reading distance. The erasing unit erases an image formed on the sheet. The drive mechanism drives the reading unit in a direction toward or away from the conveyance path to change the reading distance. The controller sets the reading distance to the first distance when executing the first reading process, and sets the reading distance to a second distance longer than the first distance when executing the second reading process. To do.

Sectional drawing explaining the structure of the erasing apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The control block diagram of the hardware constitutions of the erasing apparatus in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a reading unit according to the first embodiment. 10 is a control flowchart of a fourth decoloring mode in the first embodiment. The control flowchart of the 4th decoloring mode in 2nd Embodiment.

Embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)

  The erasing device performs a decoloring process for erasing the color of an image on a sheet of recording paper or the like on which an image is formed with a decolorable color material such as decolorable toner or decolorable ink. The erasable color material includes a color developing compound, a color developer, and a color erasing agent. Examples of the color developing compound include leuco dyes. Examples of the developer include phenols. The decolorizer includes a substance that is compatible with the color developing compound when heated and does not have an affinity for the developer. Colors that can be erased develop color due to the interaction between the color developing compound and the developer, and the interaction between the color developing compound and the developer is interrupted by heating above the color erasing temperature. To do. Hereinafter, the erasable color material is simply referred to as a recording material.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the erasing apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the erasing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The erasing apparatus 100 includes a paper feed tray 110, a paper feed member 120, a reading unit 130, an erasing unit 140, a first tray 160, a second tray 170, a discharge member 180, a first transport path 190, a second transport path 200, a first transport path. 3 conveyance path 210, the 4th conveyance path 215, the 1st branch member 220, the 2nd branch member 225, the branch point 230, the junction point 235, the operation part 240, and the some conveyance roller 282.

  The sheet feed tray 110 stacks sheets to be reused. The sheet to be reused is, for example, a sheet on which an image is formed with a recording material. The sheet may be various sizes such as A3, A4, and B5. The sheet feeding member 120 includes a pickup roller, a sheet supply roller, a separation roller disposed to face the sheet supply roller, and the like. The sheet feeding member 120 conveys the sheets on the sheet feeding tray 110 one by one to the first conveyance path 190 inside the erasing apparatus 100.

  The paper feed tray 110 has a detection sensor 112 that detects the presence or absence of a sheet on the paper feed tray 110. The detection sensor 112 may be, for example, a microsensor or a microactuator.

  The first transport path 190 includes a plurality of transport rollers 282 and forms a transport path from the paper feed tray 110 toward the branch point 230. The first conveyance path 190 conveys the fed sheet to the reading unit 130 and the branch point 230.

  The reading unit 130 is disposed along the first conveyance path 190 downstream of the sheet feeding tray 110 in the sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as downstream). The reading unit 130 includes, for example, a first reading unit 132a and a second reading unit 132b that are opposed to each other with the first conveyance path 190 interposed therebetween. The first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b read the image on the first side and the image on the second side of the conveyed sheet. That is, the reading unit 130 reads images on both sides of the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 190 by the first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b. The image read by the reading unit 130 is stored in a storage unit (see FIG. 2) described later.

  The first branch member 220 is disposed at the branch point 230 of the first transport path 190 downstream of the reading unit 130. The first branch member 220 switches the conveyance direction of the sheet that leaves the reading unit 130 and is conveyed to the branch point 230. The first branch member 220 conveys the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 190 to the second conveyance path 200 or the third conveyance path 210.

  The second transport path 200 has a plurality of transport rollers 282 and branches from the first transport path 190 at a branch point 230. Further, the second conveyance path 200 merges with the first conveyance path 190 at a merge point 235 located upstream of the reading unit 130 in the sheet conveyance direction. That is, the first transport path 190 and the second transport path 200 form a circulating transport path. A decoloring unit 140 described later is disposed in the second conveyance path 200. Accordingly, the circulating conveyance path enables the sheet conveyed from the reading unit 130 to be conveyed again to the reading unit 130 via the erasing unit 140. In other words, the erasing apparatus 100 controls the first branch member 220 to convey the sheet supplied from the paper feeding member 120 in the order of the reading unit 130, the erasing unit 140, and the reading unit 130.

  The erasing unit 140 erases the color of the image of the conveyed sheet. For example, the erasing unit 140 erases the color of the image formed on the sheet by the recording material by heating the sheet to the decoloring temperature in a state where it is in contact with the conveyed sheet. For example, the erasing unit 140 of the erasing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes two erasing units 150a and 150b for the first surface erasing and the second surface erasing of the sheet. The decoloring units 150a and 150b are disposed to face each other with the second conveyance path 200 interposed therebetween. The decoloring unit 150a contacts and heats the sheet from one side of the sheet. The decoloring unit 150b contacts and heats the sheet from the other surface side of the sheet. That is, the erasing unit 140 erases the images on both sides of the conveyed sheet with a single conveyance.

  The operation unit 240 includes a touch panel type display unit and various operation keys, and is disposed, for example, at the top of the main body of the erasing apparatus 100. The operation keys include, for example, a numeric keypad, a stop key, and a start key. The user instructs a functional operation of the erasing apparatus 100 such as start of erasing processing or reading of an image of a sheet to be erased via the operation unit 240. The operation unit 240 displays setting information, operation status, log information, and the like of the erasing device 100.

  The operation unit 240 may be configured to be connected to an operation device of an external device via a network and to be operated from the external operation device, for example. Alternatively, the operation unit 240 may be configured to operate the erasing device 100 by wired or wireless communication in a form independent of the erasing device 100 main body. That is, the operation unit 240 according to the first embodiment may be anything that can instruct the erasing apparatus 100 to perform processing, browse information, and the like.

  The third conveyance path 210 illustrated in FIG. 1 conveys the sheet that has passed the branch point 230 to the second branch member 225. As shown in FIG. 1, the first tray 160 and the second tray 170 that store sheets are arranged vertically. The second branch member 225 is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge member 180 (described later) of the first tray 160, and the sheet conveyed via the first branch member 220 is secondly transferred to the first tray 160 or the third conveyance path 210. It conveys to the 4th conveyance path 215 connected via the conveyance member 225. FIG. The fourth conveyance path 215 includes a conveyance roller 282 and conveys the sheet to the second tray 170.

  The discharge member 180 is provided in each of the first tray 160 and the second tray 170 that are disposed above and below the erasing apparatus 100. The discharge member 180 discharges the sheet to the first tray 160 or the second tray 170, respectively. For example, the first tray 160 accommodates sheets that have been erased and can be reused. The second tray 170 accommodates sheets that are determined not to be reusable. Hereinafter, the first tray 160 is referred to as a reuse tray, and the second tray 170 is referred to as a reject tray. In the reuse tray and the reject tray, it is possible to exchange sheets to be received. The setting of what sheets each tray accommodates, that is, the setting of the sheet transport destination can be made from the operation unit 240, for example.

  The erasing apparatus 100 has a plurality of processing modes. The above-described sheet conveyance path is appropriately changed based on the processing mode executed by the erasing apparatus 100. For example, the erasing apparatus 100 includes (1) a first erasing mode in which only the erasing process is performed without performing the first reading process, and (2) a second erasing mode in which the erasing process is performed after the first reading process. (3) A third erasing mode in which the second reading process is performed after the erasing process without performing the first reading process. (4) After the first reading process, the erasing process is performed, and further the second reading process is performed. A fourth erasing mode, and (5) a reading mode in which the first reading process is performed without performing the erasing process. Each processing mode described above can be selected by the operation unit 240 of the erasing apparatus 100. The selection of each processing mode is not limited to the operation unit 240 of the erasing apparatus 100, and may be set from an external terminal. In the first to fourth erasing modes, the sheet is always conveyed to the erasing unit 140. On the other hand, in the reading mode, the erasing apparatus 100 controls the first branch member 220 and discharges the sheet via the reading unit 130 without conveying the sheet to the erasing unit 140. The first reading process and the second reading process will be described later.

  The erasing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of sheet detection sensors (not shown) that detect sheets conveyed through the first to fourth conveyance paths. The sheet detection sensor may be, for example, a microsensor or a microactuator. The sheet detection sensor is disposed at an appropriate position on the conveyance path.

  Hereinafter, control of the erasing apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the hardware configuration of the erasing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The erasing apparatus 100 includes a reading unit 130, an erasing unit 140, an operation unit 240, a control unit 250, a storage unit 260, a detection unit 270, a transport unit 280, and a communication interface (I / F) unit 290. Each unit of the erasing apparatus 100 is connected via the bus 300.

  The control unit 250 includes a processor 252 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and a memory 254. The memory 254 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 256 that stores various control programs and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 258 that provides a temporary work area to the processor 252. For example, the ROM 256 stores a sheet printing rate as a threshold value for whether or not reuse is possible, a density threshold value for determining whether or not an image has been erased, and the like. The RAM 258 may temporarily store the image read by the reading unit 130.

For example, the control unit 250 controls the reading unit 130, the erasing unit 140, and other configurations according to the first to fifth erasing modes set by the operation unit 240. For example, when the first to fourth erasing modes are selected, the control unit 250 causes the erasing unit 140 to erase the image on the sheet. When the reading unit 130 reads an image of the sheet before the sheet is conveyed to the erasing unit 140 (second erasing mode and fourth erasing mode), the control unit 250 reads the image read by the reading unit 130. Is stored in the storage unit 260 (first reading process). Here, the control unit 250 may determine whether or not the image data of the sheet read by the reading unit 130 includes prohibited data that should be prohibited from being decolored such as confidential data. When the erasing unit 130 erases the sheet image and then the reading unit 130 reads the erased sheet image (the third erasing mode and the fourth erasing mode), the control unit 250 erases the sheet image. Then, based on the image data read by the reading unit 130, it is determined whether or not the sheet can be reused from the remaining state of decoloring of the sheet. The control unit 250 determines a sheet conveyance destination based on the determination result (second reading process). When the reading mode for reading the sheet image without performing the decoloring process is set, the control unit 250 controls the first branch member 220, and after the reading unit 130 reads the sheet image, The sheet read by the reading unit 130 is stored in the storage unit 260 without conveying the sheet to the erasing unit 140. The first reading process is a process in which the reading unit 130 reads a sheet before the decoloring process in order to save an image on the sheet, and the second reading process determines whether or not the sheet can be reused. Therefore, the reading unit 130 reads the sheet after the decoloring process.

  The storage unit 260 stores the image read by the reading unit 130. The storage unit 260 may be, for example, a hard disk drive or other magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, a semiconductor storage device such as a flash memory, or any combination thereof. For example, when the image of the sheet read by the reading unit 130 is digitized and stored in the storage unit 260 before the erasing unit 140 performs the color erasing process, the data of the image erased later is required. Image data can be acquired.

  The detection unit 270 includes a detection sensor 112 and a sheet detection sensor. The control unit 250 determines whether or not there is a sheet on the paper feed tray 110 based on a signal from the detection sensor 112.

  The transport unit 280 includes first to fourth transport paths 190, 200, 210, and 215, a plurality of transport rollers 282 arranged in the transport path, and a plurality of transport motors that drive the transport rollers 282.

  The communication I / F unit 290 is an interface connected to an external device. The communication I / F unit 290 is, for example, an external device on a network via an appropriate wireless or wired connection such as IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 3304, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared connection, or optical connection. Communicate with. The communication I / F unit 290 may further include a USB connection unit to which a USB standard connection terminal is connected, a parallel interface, and the like. The control unit 250 communicates with the multifunction peripheral and other external devices via the communication I / F unit 290. For example, although the image read by the reading unit 130 is stored in the storage unit 260 of the erasing apparatus 100, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 250 communicates with a user terminal (Personal Computer), a multifunction device, or a server, which is an external device, via the communication I / F unit 290, and stores an image in a storage unit of these external devices. Also good. The image data stored in the external device may be read from the operation unit of the multifunction peripheral or the user terminal. If the erasing apparatus 100 has a login / logout function for personal authentication of the user, the image data stored in the RAM 258 or the storage unit 260 of the erasing apparatus 100 is externally stored when the erasing apparatus 100 logs out. It may be transmitted to the apparatus and stored.

  Hereinafter, the control of the reading process of the reading unit of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the reading unit 130 according to the first embodiment. The reading unit 130 includes a first reading unit 132a that reads the first surface of the sheet and a second reading unit 132b that reads the second surface of the sheet. The first reading unit 132a reads an image formed on the surface of the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 190. The first reading unit 132 a includes a reflection mirror 134, a lens 136, and a light receiving element 138. When the first reading unit 132 a reads an image formed on the sheet on the first conveyance path 190, the reflection mirror 134 reflects the image to the lens 136. The lens 136 condenses the reflected light from the reflection mirror 134 onto the light receiving element 138. The light receiving element 138 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) scanner or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. Since the second reading unit 132b has the same configuration as the first reading unit 132a, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted. Next, the first drive mechanism 139a and the second drive mechanism 139b will be described. The first drive mechanism 139a and the second drive mechanism 139b are constituted by, for example, stepping motors, and are connected to the first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b, respectively. The first drive mechanism 139a and the second drive mechanism 139b move the first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b by the same distance in a direction approaching or moving away from the first transport path 190, respectively, according to a command from the control unit 250. Moving. That is, the distance between the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path 190 and each of the reading units 132a and 132b changes. In the following description, the drive mechanism 139 is a generic term for the first drive mechanism 139a and the second drive mechanism 139b.

  Next, the operation of the reading unit 130 will be described. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the reading unit 130 when the first reading process is performed. In the case of the first reading process, the control unit 250 controls the drive mechanism 139 so that the reading distance that is the distance between the first reading unit 132a and the first transport path 190 becomes the first distance. The first distance is, for example, 0.3 mm. On the other hand, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view when the second reading process is performed. When performing the second reading process, the control unit 250 controls the drive mechanism 139 so that the reading distance is a second distance longer than the first distance. The second distance is, for example, 1.0 mm. When the reading unit 130 performs the second reading process, the width of the first transport path 190 is widened by setting the reading distance to the second distance longer than the first distance. That is, since the folding or wrinkle of the sheet appears remarkably, the recognition accuracy of the state of the sheet surface can be increased.

  Next, the control flow of the control unit 250 will be described using the fourth color erasing mode as an example. FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the fourth decoloring mode in the first embodiment. When the user selects the fourth erasing mode, the control unit 250 drives the pickup roller of the paper feeding member 120 to feed the sheet placed on the paper feed tray 110 (ACT 101). Next, the control unit 250 conveys the fed sheet to the first conveyance path 190 by the conveyance roller 282 (ACT 102). Next, the control unit 250 performs the first sheet reading process (ACT 103). The control unit 250 controls the reading distance to be the first distance via the drive mechanism 139 and performs the first reading process. In the first reading process, the control unit 250 reads images on both sides of the sheet with the first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b, and stores the read images in the storage unit 260. When the reading process ends, the control unit 250 conveys the sheet that has undergone the reading process to the second conveyance path 200 (ACT 104). The controller 250 conveys the sheet from the first conveyance path 190 to the second conveyance path 200 by driving the first branch member 220. The control unit 250 applies a color erasing process to the sheet conveyed to the second conveyance path 200 in the erasing unit 140 (ACT 105). Next, the control unit 250 conveys the sheet that has been decolored from the second conveyance path 200 to the first conveyance path 190 via the junction point 235 (ACT 106).

  The controller 250 performs a second reading process for the sheet conveyed again to the first conveyance path 190 (ACT 107). The controller 250 controls the reading distance to be the second distance via the drive mechanism 139 and performs the second reading process. In the second reading process, the control unit 250 reads images on both sides of the sheet with the first reading unit 132a and the second reading unit 132b. The control unit 250 determines whether the sheet can be reused based on the read image (ACT 108). The reusability is determined based on the presence or absence of folds or wrinkles, the printing rate, or the like. When the sheet is reusable (ACT 108, Yes), the control unit 250 discharges the sheet to the first tray 160 (ACT 109). When the sheet cannot be reused (ACT 108, No), the control unit 250 discharges the sheet to the second tray 170 (ACT 110).

According to the first embodiment described above, in the case of the first reading process, by reducing the reading distance, the reading quality of the image is not deteriorated, while the reading distance is increased in the case of the second reading process. As a result, sheet folding and wrinkling become prominent, and the recognition accuracy of the state of the surface of the sheet can be increased.
(Second Embodiment)

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The erasing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment changes the reading distance according to the thickness of the sheet in the second reading process.

  FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the fourth decoloring mode in the second embodiment. The control flow of the control unit 250 will be described using the fourth color erasing mode as an example. Since ACTs 201 to 206 are the same as ACTs 101 to 106 in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit 250 acquires thickness information of the sheet conveyed to the first conveyance path 190 (ACT 207). The thickness information of the sheet is acquired by, for example, a thickness sensor or a user inputting from the operation unit 240. Next, the control unit 250 determines whether or not the acquired sheet thickness information is greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness (ACT 208). When the thickness of the sheet is equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness (ACT 208, Yes), the control unit 250 causes the reading distance to be a third distance that is longer than the first distance and the second distance via the drive mechanism 139. To perform the second reading process (ACT 209). On the other hand, when the thickness of the sheet is equal to or smaller than the predetermined thickness (ACT 208, No), the control unit 250 controls the reading distance to be the second distance via the drive mechanism 139, and performs the second reading process. Perform (ACT 210). Since ACT 211 to ACT 213 are the same as ACT 108 to ACT 110 in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the second embodiment described above, when the sheet is thicker than a predetermined thickness, the reading distance of the second reading process is set to the third distance that is longer than the second distance. Also, the accuracy of recognizing the surface state of the sheet can be kept high.

  When the sheet is thinner than a predetermined thickness, the reading distance in the second reading process may be set shorter than the second distance, for example, the first distance.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, since the folding distance and the wrinkle of the sheet appear significantly by increasing the reading distance in the case of the second reading process, it is possible to improve the recognition accuracy of the surface state of the sheet. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above embodiment, the reading unit has two reading units, but may be one reading unit. In the above embodiment, the control flow for applying the fourth decoloring mode to the sheet has been described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to other modes.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the “decoloring process” is described as erasing the color of the image, but may include the meaning of erasing the image. That is, the decoloring apparatus described in this embodiment is not limited to an apparatus that erases the color of an image by heat. For example, a device that erases the color of an image on a sheet by light irradiation or a device that removes (erases) an image on a sheet, such as a device that erases an image formed on a special sheet, may be used. The erasing device may be configured so as to make the image on the sheet invisible so that the sheet can be reused.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Erase device 130 ... Reading part 139 ... Drive mechanism 139a ... 1st drive mechanism 139b ... 2nd drive mechanism 140 ... Erase part 190 ... 1st conveyance path 200 ... 2nd conveyance path 250 ... Control part 270 ... Detection part 280 ... Transport unit

Claims (5)

A transport unit that transports a sheet on which an image is formed along a transport path;
A reading unit that reads the sheet on the conveyance path at a predetermined reading distance;
An erasing unit that erases an image on the sheet; and a driving mechanism that drives the reading unit in a direction toward or away from the conveyance path to change the reading distance;
A controller that sets the reading distance to the first distance when executing the first reading process, and sets the reading distance to a second distance that is longer than the first distance when executing the second reading process;
An erasing device comprising: The first reading process is a process in which the reading unit reads a sheet in order to save an image on the sheet;
The erasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second reading process is a process in which the reading unit reads the sheet in order to determine whether or not the sheet can be reused.   The erasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires sheet thickness information, and changes the reading distance based on the acquired thickness information. The transport path includes a first transport path in which the reading unit is positioned and a second transport path in which the decoloring unit is positioned.
The second conveyance path starts from a branch point located downstream of the reading unit in the sheet conveyance direction of the first conveyance path, and passes through the erasing unit in the sheet conveyance direction of the first conveyance path. 4. The decoloring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing apparatus is connected to the first conveyance path with an end point located upstream of the reading unit as an end point. 5. Convey the image-formed sheet,
When executing the first reading process, the reading distance is set to the first distance, and when executing the second reading process, the reading distance is set to a second distance longer than the first distance;
Read the conveyed sheet at the set reading distance,
A sheet reading control method for an erasing apparatus.

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