JP2016001297A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can perform an opening/closing operation of a cover member with opening/closing means in response to a request from a user.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 includes: image forming means 20; an ejected sheet storage part 60 that is provided in a space inside the apparatus with respect to an opening in at least one side of the apparatus body, and has a sheet material loading member 67; a cover member 61 that openably/closably covers the opening for the ejected sheet storage part; and opening/closing means for opening/closing the cover member. The image forming apparatus 100 further includes: operation receiving means 63 for receiving a predetermined operation from a user; and control means 500 for controlling the opening/closing means, when the operation receiving means receives the predetermined operation, to open/close the cover member to be a second state where the cover member is open from a first state where the cover member is closed or to be the first state from the second state.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus that discharges a sheet to a so-called in-body discharge unit provided between an image reading unit that reads an image of a document and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet of paper. ing. The in-cylinder discharge unit is provided in an in-cylinder space surrounded by upper and lower walls and opening at least one side surface of the apparatus main body.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet is provided in the approximate center of the apparatus main body, and an image of a document is read above the image forming unit with a predetermined interval. An image reading unit is provided. Further, at least one side surface of the apparatus main body is opened between the image forming unit and the image reading unit, and the paper after image formation is discharged onto the paper discharge tray in the cylinder space inside the apparatus beyond the opening. An in-body paper discharge unit for paper is provided.

  As described above, the image reading unit is provided above the image forming unit, and the in-body discharge unit is provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit, thereby saving the space for installing the image forming apparatus. be able to.

  Further, the image forming apparatus is provided with a paper discharge cover that covers the opening of the in-body paper discharge portion so that it can be automatically opened and closed by a driving force from a driving motor. Further, by automatically closing the paper discharge cover during the image forming operation, it is possible to suppress leakage of mechanical noise or the like of the image forming unit to the outside of the apparatus. Further, by automatically opening the paper discharge cover after the image forming operation is completed, it is possible to take out the image-formed paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray of the in-body paper discharge unit.

  However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, only the opening / closing operation of the discharge cover at the start of the image forming operation and the end of the image forming operation is considered as the automatic opening / closing control of the discharge cover by the driving force from the drive motor. It has not been.

  Therefore, for example, after the image forming operation is completed and the paper discharge cover is automatically opened, when a new image forming operation is started before the paper is taken out from the paper discharge tray, the paper discharge cover is automatically closed. It becomes impossible to take out the paper ejected on the paper ejection tray in the previous image forming operation. In addition, after the image forming operation is completed and the paper discharge cover is automatically opened, the paper discharge cover is unnecessarily opened until the next printing operation is performed. Therefore, there is a problem that the usability of the automatic opening / closing control of the discharge cover is poor.

  The above problem is not limited to the image forming apparatus in which the image forming unit and the image reading unit are provided above and below the in-body discharge unit. That is, an opening formed on the side surface of the apparatus main body for discharging the sheet onto a sheet discharge tray provided in a space formed in the middle of the apparatus in the vertical direction inside the apparatus and taking out the discharged sheet If the configuration is such that the paper discharge cover that covers is automatically opened and closed, the same may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing an opening / closing operation of a cover member by an opening / closing means according to a user's request.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet material, and at least one side surface of the apparatus main body is opened and provided in a space inside the apparatus with respect to the opening. A discharge sheet storage portion having a sheet material stacking member on which a sheet material discharged from inside is stacked; a cover member that covers the opening of the discharge sheet storage portion; and an opening / closing means that opens and closes the cover member. The image forming apparatus includes an operation receiving unit that receives a predetermined operation from a user. When the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation, the cover member is opened from a first state in which the cover member is closed. Control means for controlling the opening and closing means to open and close the cover member so as to be in the second state or from the second state to the one state. It is characterized in that.

  As mentioned above, according to this invention, there exists the outstanding effect that the opening / closing operation | movement of the cover member by an opening / closing means can be performed according to a user's request.

The flowchart of the control performed by "the process at the time of pressing an opening / closing switch". 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an entire image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A) Perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which the cover before discharging and the left cover for discharging are opened, (b) Perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which the discharge tray is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit. Figure. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus provided with only a pre-discharge cover that covers an opening formed on the front surface of the in-body discharge unit so as to be opened and closed. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a pre-discharge cover is opened, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a discharge tray is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the functional relationship of the control system in Embodiment 1. FIG. The perspective view of an in-body paper discharge part. Sectional drawing which looked at the in-body discharge part from the front side of the apparatus. (A) The perspective view which looked at the paper discharge tray from the mounting surface side in which a paper is mounted, (b) The perspective view which looked at the paper discharge tray from the back surface side. FIG. The figure which showed the state of the pre-discharge cover and the discharge tray in the opening / closing operation. FIG. 13A is a diagram showing the positions of the pre-discharge cover and the paper discharge tray in the state 1 in FIG. 13, FIG. 13B is a diagram showing the positions of the pre-discharge cover and the paper discharge tray in the state 2 in FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the positions of the cover before paper discharge and the paper discharge tray in state 3 in FIG. 13. The figure which showed the opening / closing mechanism of the discharge left cover. The figure which showed the state of the paper discharge left cover and paper discharge tray in opening / closing operation | movement. 16A is a view showing the positions of the left discharge cover and the discharge tray in the state 1 of FIG. 16, FIG. 16B is a view showing a state where the discharge tray is moved from the home position in the rear direction of the apparatus, and FIG. The figure which shows the state which the discharge tray moved to the apparatus front direction from the back side. The figure used for description of an on-off switch. 6 is a flowchart of print processing control during continuous printing in which images are continuously formed on a plurality of sheets. 10 is a flowchart of control executed in “printing start paper discharge unit processing”. 7 is a flowchart of control executed in “print output processing for each page”. 10 is a flowchart of control executed in “printing end paper discharge process”. 7 is a flowchart of “first example” of control executed in “paper discharge cover opening process”. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of control executed in “paper discharge cover closing processing”. 10 is a flowchart of “second example” of control executed in “paper discharge cover opening process”. 10 is a flowchart of “third example” of control executed in “paper discharge cover opening process”. The flowchart of the “fourth example” of the control executed in the “paper discharge cover opening process”. The flowchart of the other example of "the process at the time of pressing an opening / closing switch" 10 is a flowchart showing a “first example” of control executed in “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process”. 10 is a flowchart showing a “second example” of control executed in “printing waiting paper discharge unit processing”. 10 is a flowchart showing a “third example” of control executed in “printing waiting paper discharge unit processing”. Explanatory drawing of the functional relationship of the control system in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another example of control executed in “printing start paper discharge unit processing”. 10 is a flowchart of another example of control executed in “printing end paper discharge process”. The flowchart of "the 3rd example" of the control performed by "the process at the time of pressing an open / close switch". The flowchart of "the 4th example" of the control performed by "the process at the time of opening-and-closing switch press".

[Embodiment 1]
First, a first embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below. Note that the present invention can be applied not only to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus but also to an inkjet image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the entire image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming unit 20 inside the image forming apparatus main body 10.

  An automatic document feeder 40 and a scanner 30 are provided above the image forming apparatus main body 10. The automatic document feeder 40 separates documents one by one from a bundle of documents placed on the document tray 40a and conveys them to the scanner 30. The scanner 30 is an image reading unit that reads an image of a document conveyed by the automatic document conveyance device 40.

  The image forming unit 20 includes a photoconductor 21, a charging device 22 having a charging roller, a writing device 23, a developing device 24, a toner replenishing device 25, a transfer roller 26, a cleaning device 27 having a cleaning roller and the like. And a static elimination device and a fixing device 28. The fixing device 28 includes a heating roller 28a and a pressure roller 28b that are in pressure contact with each other. The heating roller 28a includes a fixing lamp 28c including a halogen lamp as a heat source.

  A scanner 30 is disposed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 10. In addition, a paper cassette 13 that stores paper P is disposed below the image forming apparatus main body 10. The paper cassette 13 is provided with a feeding roller 14 and the like.

  In the image forming apparatus main body 10, a sheet conveyance path R <b> 1 for conveying the sheet P from the sheet cassette 13 toward the upper discharge tray 67 is formed. A registration roller pair 18 is disposed in front of the sheet conveyance path R1 from the sheet cassette 13 to the photosensitive member 21. Further, a discharge roller pair 19 is disposed near the exit of the paper transport path R1.

  In the image forming unit 20, first, the surface of the photoconductor 21 is uniformly charged by the charging device 22 as the photoconductor 21 rotates. Next, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member 21 by irradiating laser light from the writing device 23 based on image data input from a personal computer or the like or image data of a document read by the scanner 30. Thereafter, a toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 21 by attaching the toner with the developing device 24 to visualize the electrostatic latent image.

  On the other hand, the paper P is separated from the paper cassette 13 by the feeding roller 14 and conveyed one by one, and is abutted against the registration roller pair 18 and stopped. Then, in accordance with the toner image formation timing of the image forming unit 20, the paper P that is abutted against the resist roller pair 18 and stopped is sent to the transfer unit where the photoconductor 21 and the transfer roller 26 face each other.

  In the transfer unit, the toner image on the photoconductor 21 is transferred to the paper P by a transfer electric field formed between the photoconductor 21 and the transfer roller 26. The paper P on which the toner image has been transferred is discharged to the paper discharge tray 67 by the discharge roller pair 19 after the toner image is fixed by heat and pressure by the heating roller 28a and the pressure roller 28b of the fixing device 28.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge tray 67 with reference to the center of the paper P in the direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction, regardless of the size of the paper P used. The paper uses the center standard method. On the other hand, after the toner image is transferred, the surface of the photoconductor 21 is removed by the cleaning device 27 and then discharged by the discharging device to prepare for the next image formation.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are opened. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  A cylinder discharge unit 60 is provided in a cylinder space between the scanner 30 and the image forming unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 100. The in-body discharge unit 60 is surrounded by upper and lower walls, and the left side wall of the apparatus on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction when the sheet P is discharged from the apparatus main body to the discharge tray 67, and the sheet discharge An apparatus front side wall that is the apparatus front side in a direction orthogonal to the direction is open.

  In addition, the in-body discharge unit 60 has a pre-discharge cover 61 and a discharge left cover 62 as discharge covers that are cover members that cover the opening so as to be openable and closable in order to keep the inside substantially airtight. Is provided. The pre-paper discharge cover 61 and the paper discharge left cover 62 are provided so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 10.

  An operation panel 64 and an open / close switch 63 for the user to open and close the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are provided on the side surface of the scanner 30 above the pre-discharge cover 61. Yes. In addition, the control unit 500 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 10 controls the overall operation of the apparatus, including controlling the opening and closing operations of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 and the like.

  In FIG. 2, the configuration is described as being installed in the in-body discharge unit 60 as an example, but a configuration other than in-body discharge may be used.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 provided with only the pre-discharge cover 61 that covers the opening formed on the front surface of the in-body discharge section 60 so as to be openable and closable. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the pre-discharge cover 61 is opened. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  In this image forming apparatus 100, only the front side wall of the in-body discharge unit 60 is opened, and only the pre-discharge cover 61 that covers the opening so as to be openable and closable is provided as the discharge cover.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the control unit 500 includes an engine main board 300, an engine sub board 200, and a PSU 250 that is a power supply device. The engine main board 300 and the engine sub board 200 are connected so that they can communicate with each other.

  The controller 400 performs interface control with the outside, image processing of data input from the outside, and the like. The controller 400 is communicably connected to the engine main board 300 via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.

  In order to realize operations such as printing and adjustment in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by a control program stored in the memory of the engine main board 300.

  The engine main board 300 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a FROM 302, an NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM) 303, a timer 304, and the like. The engine sub board 200 is for controlling loads such as the drive motor 70, the polygon motor 220, the paper discharge detection sensor 79, and the clutch 260. The PSU 250 performs control related to the power source and power.

  The engine sub board 200 is connected to a memory chip 210, a polygon motor 220, a synchronization detector 230, a thermistor 240, an operation panel 64, a clutch 260, an open / close switch 63, an exhaust fan 69, and the like. The polygon motor 220 is for driving the polygon mirror device 23a. The synchronization detector 230 is for synchronizing the timing of rotation of the photosensitive member 21 with the timing of light irradiation by the writing device (LSU) 23.

  The engine sub board 200 is connected to a PSU 250 that is a power supply source, and the PSU 250 supplies power to a fixing lamp 28 c that is a heat source of the fixing device 28. Further, the engine main board 300 is connected to the LD Boards 310, a cooling fan 320 for cooling the engine main board 300, and a high pressure supply unit 330 for supplying high pressure to the image forming unit 20.

  The controller 400 is connected to an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 410, an NVRAM 420, an SD (Secure Digital) card 430, and a DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) 450. Further, an IEEE 1284 interface 460, an IEEE 1394 interface 470, an IEEE 802.11b interface 480, and a Bluetooth (registered trademark) 490 are also connected.

  Control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 of the in-body discharge unit 60 and the discharge tray moving mechanism in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is stored in the FROM 302 disposed on the engine main board 300. The control program thus executed is executed on the CPU 301. This is realized by controlling the drive motor 70 and the like connected to the engine sub board 200 from the engine main board 300 via the engine sub board 200.

  In order to detect the presence or absence of the paper P in the in-body paper discharge unit 60, the paper discharge detection sensor 79 connected to the engine sub board 200 is controlled. Settings by various users are stored in the NVRAM 303 arranged on the engine main board 300, and the settings are retained even when the power is turned off.

The functional relationship of the control system in this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.
A print instruction by the user is received by the operation panel 64 functioning as the print receiving unit 1. The received print request forms an image on the paper P by the image forming unit 20 functioning as the print output unit 2 and outputs the image to the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  Then, according to the exhaust state in the in-body sheet discharge unit 60 and the operation state of the image forming unit 20, the sheet discharge tray drive unit 65 that functions as the sheet discharge tray loading / unloading unit 5 and the sheet discharge cover opening / closing unit 6 discharges the sheet. Opening / closing control of the front cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 and movement control of the discharge tray 67 are performed. The exhaust state in the in-body discharge unit 60 is detected by the in-machine exhaust state detection means 3.

  In particular, in the state where the print output is finished, the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are opened, and the discharge tray 67 is pulled out, in other words, in the waiting state for taking out, the discharge tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7. From the detection results such as, it is possible to perform the following control. The paper discharge detection sensor 79 functions as the paper discharge tray paper presence / absence detection means 7.

  That is, the storage information stored in the removal waiting control storage means 8 such as the “removal waiting control combination information 8A”, “removal waiting control priority information 8B”, and “tray withdrawal fixed time information 8C” set by the user is referred to. . Then, opening / closing control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 and movement control of the discharge tray 67 are executed according to the contents of the stored information referred to.

  In addition, the printing operation by the print output unit 2 may be held by the print holding unit 4 without performing the opening / closing control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the left discharge cover 62 and the movement control of the discharge tray 67. At this time, the print hold unit 4 suspends acceptance of a print instruction from the operation panel 64 functioning as the print acceptance unit 1 or suspends the image forming operation by the image forming unit 20 functioning as the print output unit 2. .

  Here, in order to advance downsizing and high-speed output of the image forming apparatus 100, the height of the in-body discharge unit 60 is reduced, and the paper is transported in a posture in which the short side is parallel to the paper transport direction. It is desirable to use LEF (long edge feed) feeding. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the paper P is conveyed from the paper cassette 13 through the image forming unit 20 to the in-body discharge unit 60 by LEF feeding.

  However, in this case, since the image forming apparatus 100 becomes longer in the front-rear direction of the apparatus, the distance from the front of the apparatus to the discharge center in the in-body discharge unit 60 is such that the long side is parallel to the sheet conveyance direction. The distance is longer than when so-called SEF (short edge feed) feeding is performed. Therefore, the length over which the scanner 30 located above the in-body discharge unit 60 covers the sheet P becomes longer, and the paper P in the in-body discharge unit 60 when the small-size sheet P is discharged is increased. Visibility and take-out performance will deteriorate.

  Note that the size of the mounting surface on which the paper P is placed, which is the front surface of the paper discharge tray 67, is up to A4 size when the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge tray 67 by LEF feeding. P is large enough to fit the A3 size paper P.

  Specifically, by discharging the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 67, the width of the mounting surface of the sheet discharge tray 67 in the sheet discharge direction from the pair of discharge rollers 19 to the sheet discharge tray 67 is the short side of the A4 size sheet P. Is shorter than the length of the short side of the A3 size paper P. On the other hand, the width of the mounting surface of the paper discharge tray 67 in the direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction is equal to or longer than the length of the long side of the A3 size paper P.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the in-body discharge unit 60. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the in-body discharge unit 60 as viewed from the front side of the apparatus. FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the paper discharge tray 67 viewed from the placement surface side on which the paper P is placed.

  The paper discharge frame 66 of the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is fixed to the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 10. Further, below the discharge frame 66 of the in-body discharge unit 60, a discharge tray driving unit 65 configured by a drive motor and a reduction gear train, and a discharge for detecting the presence of the paper P on the discharge tray 67 are detected. A paper detection sensor 79 and the like are provided.

  The paper discharge tray 67 is movable in a transport orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the paper transport direction and along the placement surface, and the transport orthogonal direction of the paper P placed on the placement surface. An end fence 68 is provided for restricting the position of the one end by contacting the one end.

  The end fence 68 is provided with a vent hole 68a for exhausting the air in the in-body sheet discharge unit 60 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 100, and exhausts the housing in accordance with the position of the vent hole 68a. A fan 69 is provided. Then, by rotating the exhaust fan 69, the air in the in-body sheet discharge section 60 is exhausted out of the image forming apparatus 100 by the exhaust fan 69 through the vent hole 68a.

  The lower cover side of the pre-discharge cover 61 is pivotally supported by the discharge frame 66 and is always urged by the torsion spring in the direction to close the pre-discharge cover 61 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 10. Yes. Similarly, the discharge left cover 62 is pivotally supported by the discharge frame 66 at the lower end side, and the discharge left cover 62 is closed with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 10 by a link mechanism described later. Is always energized.

  The pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are positioned by abutting against the main body cover when the image forming apparatus main body 10 is closed, and seal the space in the in-body discharge portion 60. .

  A slide guide 80 is provided on the rear surface of the paper discharge tray 67 to regulate the play in the left-right direction of the apparatus and guide the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus. In addition, a plurality of slide rails 81 are provided for regulating the position of the discharge tray 67 in the vertical direction of the apparatus and guiding the movement of the discharge tray 67 in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus.

  The slide guide 80 and the slide rail 81 are respectively fitted with guide rails 91 provided on the paper discharge frame 66 and are held by the paper discharge frame 66 so as to be movable only in the front-rear direction of the apparatus.

  A rack gear 82 is also provided on the back surface of the paper discharge tray 67 and meshes with a tray drive gear 72 included in the reduction gear train of the paper discharge tray drive unit 65. Then, the driving force from the drive motor 70 of the paper discharge tray driving unit 65 is decelerated by the idler gear 71 and the tray drive gear 72 included in the reduction gear train and transmitted to the rack gear 82, whereby the paper discharge tray 67. Can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus.

  In addition, by using an internal gear as the gear portion of the idler gear 71 connected to the drive motor 70, it is possible to transmit the drive reliably with lower noise. Further, the drive transmission between the drive motor 70 and the idler gear 71 may be performed by friction transmission using a V belt, a flat belt, a rubber roller, or the like.

  FIG. 11B is a perspective view of the paper discharge tray 67 viewed from the back side. As shown in FIG. 11B, a guide shaft 76 is integrally fixed in the vicinity of the end of the end fence 68, and is fitted into a fitting hole provided in the paper discharge tray 67 with the compression spring 75 interposed therebetween. It penetrates and is retained by the E-ring.

  On the other end side of the end fence 68, there is provided a rail-shaped restricting portion 84 that sandwiches and holds the end portion of the discharge tray 67 and restricts the movement of the end fence 68 in the direction around the axis of the guide shaft 76. .

  In the state where the paper discharge tray 67 is located at the home position, the distance A between the end fence 68 and the paper discharge tray 67 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus is the distance A. Then, by sliding the end fence 68 along the rail-shaped restricting portion 84, a position where the distance between the end fence 68 and the discharge tray 67 in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus becomes the distance B as shown in FIG. Up to this point, the end fence 68 is movable.

  Next, position control of the paper discharge tray 67 will be described. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the paper discharge frame 66. FIG. 13 shows the state of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the opening / closing operation. As shown in FIG. 12, a first position detection sensor 73 and a second position detection sensor 74 for detecting the position of the discharge tray 67 are provided in the vicinity of the discharge tray driving unit 65 of the discharge frame 66. It has been.

  The first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74 are optical sensors including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74 are configured such that the light emitted from the light emitting portion toward the light receiving portion is shielded by the position detection filler 83 provided on the back surface of the paper discharge tray 67 or is shielded. Whether the light is received by the light receiving unit is detected.

  Then, as shown in Table 1, the paper discharge tray 67 is selected based on a combination of detection results of the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74, a state change of the paper discharge tray 67, advance movement information, and the like. The position of the paper discharge tray 67 can be controlled.

  The “state change” here is a change between the respective states of “state 1”, “state 2”, and “state 3” shown in FIG. Further, the position control of the paper discharge tray 67 may be performed based only on the combination of the detection results of the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the number of sensors used to determine the position of the paper discharge tray 67 is two, that is, the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74, thereby reducing the cost. However, it is not limited to this.

  For example, in order to more accurately determine the position of the paper discharge tray 67, a home position sensor that detects the home position of the paper discharge tray 67 is added, and the detection results of the three sensors are used to detect the paper discharge tray 67. The position 67 may be determined.

  The opening / closing operation of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the movement of the discharge tray 67 will be described with reference to FIG. In the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, when the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge tray 67 by LEF feeding, the length of the paper P in the paper discharge direction is larger than the width of the paper discharge tray 67 in the paper discharge direction. When the length is short, the pre-discharge cover 61 is opened.

  FIG. 14A shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 1 of FIG. First, in state 1 where the paper discharge tray 67 is located at the home position, the paper discharge tray 67 and the pre-discharge cover 61 are not in contact with each other, and the pre-discharge cover 61 is in a closed state.

  Further, the end fence 68 abuts on the rear surface of the in-body discharge unit 60 and the distance A <distance B between the discharge tray 67 and the end fence 68 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus.

  FIG. 14B shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 2 of FIG. When the paper discharge tray 67 is moved from the home position toward the front of the apparatus by the driving force from the paper discharge tray driving unit 65, the apparatus of the paper discharge tray 67 is positioned above the rotation shaft 92 of the pre-discharge cover 61. The front end hits and the cover 61 before paper discharge is pushed open.

  When the paper discharge tray 67 moves from the home position to the front of the apparatus by a distance D or more, the contact surface 86 provided in the paper discharge tray 67 parallel to the sliding direction and the cam-shaped portion 85 of the pre-discharge cover 61 come into contact with each other. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 14B, the opening angle of the pre-discharge cover 61 becomes the maximum angle α, which is in the state 2 shown in FIG.

  Here, when the distance A, the distance B, and the distance D satisfy the relationship of D ≧ B−A, in the state 2, the pre-discharge cover 61 has the maximum angle α, and the end fence 68 is discharged into the body. The innermost position of the paper part 60 is maintained. As a result, in state 2, the pre-discharge cover 61 is open so that the sheet P can be taken out from the in-body discharge section 60 and the sheet P is continuously discharged onto the discharge tray 67. Is possible.

  Therefore, for example, after completion of a print job of a general paper size such as A4 size or B5 size, which is frequently used, the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 are set to the state 2, and the apparatus is more than the home position in the state 1. The paper discharge tray 67 is brought close to the opening formed in the front side wall.

  Thereby, the visibility and take-out property of the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 is higher than when the paper discharge tray 67 is positioned at the home position on the back side of the in-body paper discharge unit with respect to the position of the state 2. Can be improved.

  Further, at the time of printing, it is possible to reduce noise and odor by closing the cover 61 before discharging. When the paper is taken out, the pre-discharge cover 61 is opened, and the paper discharge tray 67 is positioned at the position of state 2, so that the next print job is stopped while improving the visibility and take-out property of the paper P. The paper P can be continuously discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 without any problem. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 with high appliance properties can be provided.

  FIG. 14C shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 3 of FIG. When the sheet discharge tray 67 is further moved forward from the position of the state 2, the sheet discharge tray 67 reaches a preset position where the tray is fully opened as shown in FIG. State 3 is entered.

  Above the distance D from the home position, the opening angle of the pre-discharge cover 61 remains constant at the maximum angle α regardless of the movement amount of the discharge tray 67, and the inside of the in-body discharge section 60 of the discharge tray 67 Only the amount of exposure changes from, and stops when the tray is fully open.

  For example, after the print job for small-size paper such as a postcard is completed, the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 are changed from the state 1 to the state 3. As a result, the discharge tray 67 is positioned at the home position on the back side of the in-body discharge portion, rather than the position of the state 3 in which most of the discharge tray 67 is exposed outside the opening formed on the front side wall of the apparatus. Compared to the case, the visibility and take-out property of the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67 can be improved.

  Further, at the time of printing, it is possible to reduce noise and odor by closing the cover 61 before discharging. When the paper is taken out, the pre-discharge cover 61 is opened, and the discharge tray 67 is positioned at the position of the state 3 to provide the image forming apparatus 100 with improved visibility and take-out of small-size paper. be able to.

  Even when the small-size paper is taken out from the paper discharge tray 67, even if the paper P is pushed into the rear side of the in-body paper discharge unit 60, the end fence 68 keeps the fixed position near the center in the front-rear direction of the device. Because it stops at, it won't get too far away.

  On the other hand, when the state of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 is changed from the state 3 to the state 1 in FIG. 13, the discharge tray driving unit 65 moves the discharge tray 67 from the fully open position to the home position. Move.

  As the paper discharge tray 67 moves, the pre-discharge cover 61 is automatically rotated in the closing direction with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 10 by the urging force from the torsion spring. The cover 61 is closed.

  FIG. 15 shows an opening / closing mechanism for the paper discharge left cover 62. FIG. 16 shows the state of the discharge left cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 in the opening / closing operation. Note that, as shown in Table 1 above, the discharge tray is determined based on the combination of detection results of the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74, the state change of the discharge tray 67, advance movement information, and the like. The position of the sheet discharge tray 67 is controlled by determining the position of the sheet 67.

  FIG. 17A shows the positions of the discharge left cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 1 of FIG. First, in the state 1 in which the paper discharge tray 67 is located at the home position, the paper discharge left cover 62 is below the rotation shaft 93 by the paper discharge left cover pressing spring 78 via the left cover urging member 77. The hook portion 88 on the side is biased. Therefore, the discharge left cover 62 is kept closed.

  When the paper discharge tray 67 is moved from the home position to the rear side of the apparatus by the paper discharge tray driving unit 65, the left cover is moved by the left cam-shaped portion 87 provided on the paper discharge tray 67 as shown in FIG. The urging member 77 moves in the right direction of the apparatus. Then, the sheet discharge left cover 62 is rotated in the opening direction about the rotation shaft 93 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 10 until the hook portion 88 of the sheet discharge left cover 62 is detached from the left cover urging member 77.

  As a result, an initial speed in the opening direction is given to the paper discharge left cover 62 and the center of gravity of the paper discharge left cover 62 is positioned on the outside of the apparatus with respect to the rotation shaft 93. The left cover 62 opens to the maximum opening angle β and is held by its own weight, resulting in the state 4 shown in FIG.

  When the paper discharge tray 67 is moved in the front direction of the apparatus from the state 4 of FIG. 16 pulled in the rear side of the apparatus by the paper discharge tray drive unit 65, as shown in FIG. Comes into contact with the position where the paper discharge left cover 62 of the hook portion 88 is urged in the opening direction. Therefore, the opened state of the paper discharge left cover 62 is maintained.

  Such an opening operation of the paper discharge left cover 62 is performed when it is detected that a print job using a long size paper P such as A3 size that does not fit in the paper discharge tray 67 is entered. Thus, the discharge left cover 62 is automatically opened to change from state 1 to state 4 in FIG.

  This is because the sheet P in the paper discharge direction is larger than the width of the paper discharge tray 67 in the paper discharge direction to the paper discharge tray 67 by discharging the A3 size paper P to the paper discharge tray 67 by SEF feeding. The length of P becomes longer. Therefore, when the paper discharge left cover 62 is closed, the A3 size paper P cannot be discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67.

  When the paper discharge left cover 62 is opened, the paper discharge left cover 62 functions as an extension tray. Therefore, the A3 size paper P is stacked and stored on the paper discharge tray 67 and the paper discharge left cover 62. Can do. As a result, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 100 that can close the discharge left cover 62 at the time of printing and can discharge a stack of paper P of a long size such as A3 size while having a small noise and low odor. .

  On the other hand, when the state of the left discharge cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 is changed from the state 4 to the state 1 in FIG. 16, the discharge tray driving unit 65 moves the discharge tray 67 toward the home position.

  Further, along with the movement of the sheet discharge tray 67, the hook portion 88 is urged by the left cover urging member 77 by the urging force from the sheet discharge left cover pressing spring 78, and the image forming apparatus main body 10 is urged. The paper discharge left cover 62 automatically rotates in the closing direction, and the paper discharge left cover 62 is closed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are opened and closed by a driving force from a driving motor 70 that is a single driving source provided in the discharge tray driving unit 65. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a plurality of drive motors are provided corresponding to the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62, respectively.

The opening / closing switch 63 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, not only is the opening / closing operation of the discharge tray 67 and the pre-discharge cover 61 performed in conjunction with the print job, but the discharge tray 63 is also pressed by pressing the open / close switch 63. 67 and the pre-discharge cover 61 can be opened and closed.

  Accordingly, the user can take out the paper P discharged to the in-body paper discharge unit 60 at any time regardless of the print job, and convenience can be improved.

  The open / close switch 63 is provided on the apparatus left front outer wall surface 101 adjacent to the pre-discharge cover 61 positioned on the front side of the apparatus, and is molded using a permeable resin. In addition, an LED 63a which is a light emitting means is provided inside the open / close switch 63. Then, by blinking the open / close switch 63 with the LED 63 a, it is possible to prompt the user to notify the apparatus state and press the open / close switch 63.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the open / close switch 63 is disposed so as to straddle the ridge line between the front side surface of the apparatus and the left side surface of the apparatus. Therefore, the user can visually observe the blinking of the open / close switch 63 from the direction of 270 [°] except for the right rear side of the apparatus. Thereby, the degree of freedom in the installation direction of the image forming apparatus 100 can be greatly improved.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge tray 67 and the end fence 68 are configured to be movable, but only the end fence 68 is movable so that the paper P is moved toward the front side of the apparatus. Also good.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart of print processing control during continuous printing in which images are continuously formed on a plurality of sheets of paper P. When the printing process is started, first, “printing start paper discharge unit process” is executed (S1). FIG. 20 is a flowchart of control executed in the “print start paper discharge unit process”. This “printing discharge process at the start of printing” is performed so that printing can be performed with low noise and low odor.

  As shown in FIG. 20, when the “printing start paper discharge unit process” is started, it is first determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 (S11). . If the paper discharge tray 67 has been pulled out (YES in S11), the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body paper discharge section 60 (S12).

  Next, after the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled into the in-body paper discharge unit 60 or if the paper discharge tray 67 is not pulled out (NO in S11), it is determined whether or not the paper discharge cover is open. (S13). If the paper discharge cover is open (YES in S13), the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S14), and the “printing start paper discharge unit process” is ended. If the paper discharge cover is not open (NO in S13), the “printing paper discharge section process” is terminated as it is.

  By this “printing start paper discharge unit process”, the image forming apparatus 100 draws the paper discharge tray 67 into the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. The covers (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) are closed.

  Returning to FIG. 19, when the “printing start paper discharge process” is completed, “print output process for each page” is executed (S2). FIG. 21 is a flowchart of control executed in the “print output process for each page”.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when the “print output process for each page” is started, the image data generation process (S21), the paper feed process (S22), the image forming process (S23), the transfer process (S24), and the fixing process are performed. Through the step (S25) and the paper discharge step (S26), the “print output process for each page” is completed.

  Returning to FIG. 19, when the “print output process for each page” is completed, it is determined whether or not the print output of all the pages is completed (S3). If the print output of all pages has not been completed (NO in S3), the “print output process for each page” is repeated until the print output of all pages is completed.

  On the other hand, when the printing process for all pages is completed (YES in S3), the “printing end paper discharge unit process” is executed (S4). FIG. 22 is a flowchart of control executed in the “printing end paper discharge unit process”. In the “printing end paper discharge unit process”, the user can easily take out the paper P, which is the discharged paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 of the in-body paper discharge unit 60, from the paper discharge tray 67. Is to be done.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the “printing end paper discharge unit process” is started, first, the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S41) to expose the inside of the in-body paper discharge unit 60. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S42), the “printing discharge unit process at the end of printing” is ended, and a series of printing processes is ended.

  By this “printing end paper discharge unit process”, the image forming apparatus 100 discharges the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) of the in-body discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. ) Is opened, and the discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60.

  In a configuration in which the paper discharge cover and the paper discharge tray 67 operate in conjunction with each other, the paper discharge cover opening / closing operation and the paper discharge operation are performed in the “printing paper discharge section process” and “print end paper discharge section processing”. The movement operation of the paper tray 67 is performed by one control.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a “first example” of the control executed in the “open / close switch pressing process”. In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the user presses the open / close switch 63 to open / close the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) or move the discharge tray 67. Can be.

  In the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” shown in FIG. 1, when the open / close switch 63 is pressed by the user (YES in S1), it is determined whether or not the discharge cover is closed (S2). If the paper discharge cover is closed (YES in S2), the paper discharge cover opening process is executed (S3).

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a “first example” of the control executed in the “paper discharge cover opening process”. In the “discharge cover opening process” shown in FIG. 23, when the “discharge cover opening process” is started, the discharge cover is automatically opened (S311), and the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S312), and the “discharge cover opening process” is completed.

  By this “discharge cover opening process”, the image forming apparatus 100 has the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) of the in-body discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. The paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the inside of the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  On the other hand, if the open / close switch 63 is pressed by the user (YES in S1) and the discharge cover is open (NO in S2), the discharge cover closing process is executed (S4).

  FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control executed in the “paper discharge cover closing process”. In the “discharge cover closing process” shown in FIG. 24, when the “discharge cover closing process” is started, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body discharge unit 60 (S411), and the discharge cover is set. Is automatically closed (S412), and the “paper discharge cover closing process” is terminated.

  With this “paper discharge cover closing process”, the image forming apparatus 100 draws the paper discharge tray 67 into the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. The pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) are closed.

  When the “discharge cover opening process” or the “discharge cover closing process” is completed, the “open / close switch pressing process” is ended.

  Further, as described above, in the configuration in which the paper discharge cover and the paper discharge tray 67 operate in conjunction with each other, the operation of opening and closing the paper discharge cover is performed by “paper discharge cover opening processing” and “paper discharge cover closing processing”. The movement operation of the discharge tray 67 is performed by one control.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) and the discharge tray 67 can be performed at any time according to the user's request. It can be moved. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with low noise and low odor and excellent usability.

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a “second example” of control executed in the “paper discharge cover opening process”. In the “discharge cover opening process” shown in FIG. 25, when the “discharge cover opening process” is started, it is first determined whether or not the “print output process” shown in FIG. S321). That is, it is determined whether or not the printing operation for discharging the paper P printed on the paper discharge tray 67 is in progress.

  When the “print output process” is not performed (YES in S321), the discharge cover is automatically opened (S322), and the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S323), and the “discharge cover opening process” is ended.

  On the other hand, when the “print output process” is being performed (NO in S321), the print output process is interrupted (S324). As a result, the “print output process” is not performed (YES in S321), so the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S322), and the interior paper discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S323), and the “discharge cover opening process” is ended.

  As described above, in the “discharge cover opening process” shown in FIG. 25, when the image forming apparatus 100 is performing the print output process, in other words, during the printing operation, the printing operation is interrupted to open and close the discharge cover. And a movement operation of the paper discharge tray 67.

  Therefore, when the user wants to take out the paper P, the user presses the open / close switch 63 to immediately open the paper discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62), and the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out. 67, the sheet P can be taken out. Therefore, it is possible to take out the paper P from the paper discharge tray 67 with low noise and low odor and without waiting until the print output processing (printing operation) is completed, and an image forming apparatus with excellent usability is provided. be able to.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a “third example” of the control executed in the “paper discharge cover opening process”. In the “discharge cover opening process” shown in FIG. 26, when the “discharge cover opening process” is started, it is first determined whether or not the “print output process” shown in FIG. S331). That is, it is determined whether or not the printing operation for discharging the paper P printed on the paper discharge tray 67 is in progress.

  If the “print output process” has not been performed (YES in S331), the discharge cover is automatically opened (S332), and the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S333), and the “discharge cover opening process” is completed.

  On the other hand, when the “print output process” is being performed (NO in S321), the operation panel 64 notifies the user that the print output process is being performed (S334). Thereafter, when the “print output process” is finished and the “print output process” is not performed (YES in S331), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S332). 67 is automatically pulled out (S333), and the “discharge cover opening process” is completed.

  Since the paper discharge covers (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) can be opened manually, the user can open the paper discharge cover even during printing, It is also possible to take out the paper P from the paper discharge tray 67 located in the paper portion 60.

  As described above, in the “paper discharge cover opening process” illustrated in FIG. 26, when the image forming apparatus 100 is performing the print output process, in other words, during the print operation, the print output is performed to the user without interrupting the print operation. Notify that it is working. Thereby, the printing productivity is not impaired, and the user can immediately understand that the printing operation is being performed. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having low noise and low odor, excellent usability, and high printing productivity.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart of the “fourth example” of the control executed in the “discharge cover opening process”. In the “paper discharge cover opening process” shown in FIGS. 23 to 26, the paper discharge cover is automatically opened when the open / close switch 63 is pressed, regardless of the elapsed time after the end of printing. There is a possibility that odor remains in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 for a certain period after the end of.

  Therefore, in the “paper discharge cover opening process” shown in FIG. 27, when the “paper discharge cover opening process” is started, whether or not the exhaust of the in-body paper discharge unit 60 by the exhaust fan 69 is completed after the printing is completed. Is determined (S341).

  If the exhaust in the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 has been completed (YES in S341), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S342), and the inside of the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S343), and the “discharge cover opening process” is ended.

  On the other hand, if the exhaust in the in-body discharge section 60 has not been completed (NO in S341), the operation panel 64 notifies the user that the exhaust is being performed (S344). After that, if the exhaust in the in-cylinder discharge unit 60 is completed (YES in S341), the discharge cover is automatically opened (S342), and the discharge tray 67 is automatically opened from the in-cylinder discharge unit 60 to the outside. Withdrawing (S343), the “paper discharge cover opening process” is completed.

  In this way, after the exhaust of the in-body discharge unit 60 by the exhaust fan 69 is completed, the discharge covers (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) are opened, thereby causing the user's odor. Discomfort can be further reduced.

  The determination of the exhaust of the in-body discharge unit 60 by the exhaust fan 69 may be regarded as the completion of exhaust if, for example, the exhaust fan 69 is rotated for a predetermined time after the end of printing. As the “fixed time”, an exhaust time that can sufficiently remove odors after the end of printing may be determined by experimentation in advance. In addition, if the cost of the apparatus permits, a mechanism that can measure the exhaust state in the in-body discharge unit 60 may be provided, and if it falls below a certain threshold value, it may be considered that exhaust is completed.

  FIG. 28 is a flowchart of “second example” of “processing when pressing the open / close switch”. In the “process when the open / close switch is pressed” shown in FIG. 28, the “paper discharge cover opening process” is executed, and then the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process” is executed (S5).

  In the “printing waiting paper discharge section process”, the “paper discharge cover opening process” opens the discharge cover of the in-body discharge section 60 and pulls out the discharge tray 67 from the in-body discharge section 60 to the outside. In this state, it is performed when waiting for taking out the paper P from the paper discharge tray 67. Hereinafter, the control executed in the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process” will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 to 31.

  FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating a “first example” of control executed in the “printing waiting paper discharge unit process”.

  The state in which the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 in the “paper discharge cover opening process” expects the user to take out the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67. When the paper P is taken out from the paper discharge tray 67 and the paper P runs out of paper on the paper discharge tray 67, it is not necessary to keep the paper discharge tray 67 pulled out and the paper discharge cover open. .

  Therefore, in the “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process” shown in FIG. 29, when the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67 is removed by the user and disappears, the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically moved into the in-body paper discharge unit 60. Then, the control unit closes the paper discharge cover and automatically closes the paper discharge cover.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, the “paper ejection waiting process for printing removal” is started, and when the detection result of the paper ejection detection sensor 79 changes from “paper present” to “paper absent” (S511). (YES), the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically drawn into the in-body paper discharge section 60 (S512). Thereafter, the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S513), and the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process” is terminated.

  By this “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process”, the image forming apparatus 100 draws the paper discharge tray 67 into the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. The paper covers (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) are closed. Therefore, when a new printing is started, it is possible to immediately perform a printing operation with low noise and low odor.

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a “second example” of the control executed in the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process”.

  In a state where the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 by the “paper discharge cover opening process”, a new print instruction is issued without removing the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67. There is a case.

  In this case, if priority is given to new printing, the paper discharge cover is closed during execution of new printing. For this reason, the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 in the previous printing cannot be taken out, and it takes a waiting time or is mixed with the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 in the new printing. In other words, it may be necessary to separate them.

  Therefore, in the “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process” shown in FIG. 30, if the paper P remains on the paper discharge tray 67 without being removed, control for holding off the start of new printing is executed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 30, “printing waiting paper discharge unit processing” is started, and it is determined whether the detection result of the paper discharge detection sensor 79 has changed from “paper present” to “paper absent”. (S521).

  When the detection result of the paper discharge detection sensor 79 is not “no paper” from “paper present” (NO in S521), a new print start is suspended (S523), and the detection result of the paper discharge detection sensor 79 is detected. Is repeatedly judged until “paper present” changes to “paper absent”. If the detection result of the paper discharge detection sensor 79 changes from “paper present” to “paper absent” (YES in S521), the print start suspension is canceled (S522), The “paper portion processing” is terminated.

  As a result, if the paper P remains on the paper discharge tray 67, a new print start is put on hold. Therefore, the waiting time, which can be caused by giving priority to a new print start, is required, or the separation is performed. It is possible to suppress the need for troublesome work. In addition, it is possible to prevent forgetting to remove the paper P from the paper discharge tray 67.

  In addition, as a result, if a new print start is suspended, any printing start suspension method may be used, such as whether to accept a print instruction on the operation panel 64 or not to perform a print operation. .

  If it is desired to prioritize the start of a new print in order to improve productivity, the “print start” shown in FIG. 19 is left with the paper P discharged in the previous print remaining on the discharge tray 67. The “hourly discharge unit process” may be performed.

  From the above, according to whether priority is given to taking out the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67 or priority is given to starting a new printing, the user can switch the control executed in the “printing waiting paper discharge unit process”. It is beneficial.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing a “third example” of the control executed in the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process”.

  As described above, the state in which the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 in the “paper discharge cover opening process” expects the user to take out the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67. Yes.

  For this reason, when a certain period of time is considered necessary for taking out the paper P after the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out, it is assumed that the paper P has been taken out from the paper output tray 67, and the paper output tray 67 is discharged into the cylinder. The paper cover 60 is automatically pulled in and the paper discharge cover is automatically closed. Accordingly, even when the paper P remains on the paper discharge tray 67 after the predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to prevent the paper discharge tray 67 from being pulled out due to forgetting to remove the paper P. .

  In the “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process” shown in FIG. 31, when the predetermined time has elapsed after the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the internal paper discharge unit 60, the paper discharge tray 67 is discharged into the cylinder. Control is performed to automatically pull the sheet into the unit 60 and automatically close the discharge cover.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 31, the control unit 500 determines whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed since the “paper ejection waiting time processing for printing removal” is started and the paper ejection tray 67 is pulled out. The determination is made based on the time measured by the timer 304 (S531). When the predetermined time has elapsed after the discharge tray 67 is pulled out (YES in S531), the discharge tray 67 is automatically drawn into the in-body discharge unit 60 (S532). Thereafter, the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S533), and the “print removal waiting paper discharge unit process” is ended.

  By this “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process”, the image forming apparatus 100 draws the paper discharge tray 67 into the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 60 as shown in FIG. The paper covers (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) are closed. Therefore, when a new printing is started, it is possible to immediately perform a printing operation with low noise and low odor.

  In addition, in this “print discharge waiting paper discharge unit process”, since no detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the paper P on the paper discharge tray 67 is required, the cost can be reduced correspondingly. Become.

  The fixed time depends on the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100, the number of users, the user's preference, and the like. Therefore, it is advantageous that the fixed time can be arbitrarily set by the user from the operation panel 64 or the like.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a second embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below. Note that the present invention can be applied not only to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus but also to an inkjet image forming apparatus.

  The overall schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the overall schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is the same as the external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. Also, a state in which the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment are opened and a state in which the discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 are illustrated in FIG. 4 is the same as that according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, the configuration in the in-body discharge unit 60 is described as an example, but a configuration other than in-body discharge may be used. An overview perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 provided with only the pre-discharge cover 61 that covers the opening formed on the front surface of the in-body discharge unit 60 according to the present embodiment so as to be openable and closable is shown in FIG. It is the same as that concerned. Also, a state in which the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment are opened and a state in which the discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 are illustrated in FIG. 6 according to the first embodiment.

  The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The functional relationship of the control system in this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.
A print instruction by the user is received by the operation panel 64 functioning as the print receiving unit 1. The received print request forms an image on the paper P by the image forming unit 20 functioning as the print output unit 2 and outputs the image to the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  The paper discharge functions as the paper discharge tray loading / unloading means 5 and the paper discharge cover opening / closing means 6 according to the exhaust state in the in-body paper discharge unit 60, the operating state of the image forming unit 20, and the size of the output sheet material. The tray driving unit 65 performs opening / closing control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the left discharge cover 62 and movement control of the discharge tray 67. The exhaust state in the in-body discharge unit 60 is detected by the in-machine exhaust state detection means 3. Further, the information regarding the size of the sheet material to be output is based on the print instruction received from the print receiving means 1, and this information is stored in the output sheet material size storage means 9.

  In particular, in the state where the print output is finished, the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 are opened, and the discharge tray 67 is pulled out, in other words, in the waiting state for taking out, the discharge tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7. From the detection results such as, it is possible to perform the following control. The paper discharge detection sensor 79 functions as the paper discharge tray paper presence / absence detection means 7.

  That is, the storage information stored in the removal waiting control storage means 8 such as the “removal waiting control combination information 8A”, “removal waiting control priority information 8B”, and “tray withdrawal fixed time information 8C” set by the user is referred to. . Then, opening / closing control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 and movement control of the discharge tray 67 are executed according to the contents of the stored information referred to.

  In addition, the printing operation by the print output unit 2 may be held by the print holding unit 4 without performing the opening / closing control of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the left discharge cover 62 and the movement control of the discharge tray 67. At this time, the print hold unit 4 suspends acceptance of a print instruction from the operation panel 64 functioning as the print acceptance unit 1 or suspends the image forming operation by the image forming unit 20 functioning as the print output unit 2. .

  Here, in order to advance downsizing and high-speed output of the image forming apparatus 100, the height of the in-body discharge unit 60 is reduced, and the paper is transported in a posture in which the short side is parallel to the paper transport direction. It is desirable to use LEF (long edge feed) feeding. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the paper P is conveyed from the paper cassette 13 through the image forming unit 20 to the in-body discharge unit 60 by LEF feeding.

  However, in this case, since the image forming apparatus 100 becomes longer in the front-rear direction of the apparatus, the distance from the front of the apparatus to the discharge center in the in-body discharge unit 60 is such that the long side is parallel to the sheet conveyance direction. The distance is longer than when so-called SEF (short edge feed) feeding is performed. Therefore, the length over which the scanner 30 located above the in-body discharge unit 60 covers the sheet P becomes longer, and the paper P in the in-body discharge unit 60 when the small-size sheet P is discharged is increased. Visibility and take-out performance will deteriorate.

  Note that the size of the mounting surface on which the paper P is placed, which is the front surface of the paper discharge tray 67, is up to A4 size when the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge tray 67 by LEF feeding. P is large enough to fit the A3 size paper P.

  Specifically, by discharging the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 67, the width of the mounting surface of the sheet discharge tray 67 in the sheet discharge direction from the pair of discharge rollers 19 to the sheet discharge tray 67 is the short side of the A4 size sheet P. Is shorter than the length of the short side of the A3 size paper P. On the other hand, the width of the mounting surface of the paper discharge tray 67 in the direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction is equal to or longer than the length of the long side of the A3 size paper P.

  The schematic configuration of the in-body discharge unit 60 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the schematic configuration of the in-body discharge unit 60 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. is there. The schematic configuration of the paper discharge tray 67 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the schematic configuration of the paper discharge tray 67 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The position control of the paper discharge tray 67 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 in the first embodiment. The opening / closing operation of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the movement of the discharge tray 67 during the above operation of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 14 in the first embodiment. The opening / closing mechanism and the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge left cover 62 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 in the first embodiment. In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the discharge left cover 62 and the movement of the discharge tray 67 during the above operation are the same as those described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. The open / close switch 63 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.

  The print processing control flow during continuous printing in which the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment continuously forms images on a plurality of sheets P is the same as that described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, an example of the “printing start paper discharge section processing” subroutine in step S1 in FIG. 19 is the same as the processing flow example shown in FIG. The processing flow example shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the example of the “print output processing for each page” subroutine in step S2 in FIG. 19 is the same as the processing flow example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart of another example of control executed in the “printing start paper discharge unit process”. When the “printing start paper discharge unit process” is started, it is first determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 (S911). If the paper discharge tray 67 has been pulled out (YES in S911), the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body paper discharge section 60 (S912).

  Next, after the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled into the in-body paper discharge unit 60 or when the paper discharge tray 67 is not pulled out (NO in S911), it is determined whether or not the paper discharge cover is open. (S913). If the paper discharge cover is not open (NO in S913), the “printing start paper discharge process” is terminated. If the paper discharge cover is open (YES in S913), it is determined whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the paper discharge cover was opened (S914).

  If a certain time has elapsed since the paper discharge cover was opened (YES in S914), the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S14), and the “printing start paper discharge unit process” is ended. If a certain time has elapsed since the paper discharge cover was opened (NO in S914), the “printing start paper discharge unit process” is ended as it is.

  In this way, when the next print job is started while the user is taking out the sheet material, it is possible to prevent the sheet discharge cover from being closed and the sheet material from being taken out. The predetermined time may be set in advance when the image forming apparatus 100 is shipped from the factory. Alternatively, the user may be able to make settings as appropriate according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100, the number of people who use the image forming apparatus 100, the user's preferences, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, an example of the “printing end paper discharge section processing” subroutine in step S4 in FIG. 19 is the same as the processing flow example shown in FIG. The processing flow example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 34 is a flowchart of another example of control executed in the “printing end paper discharge unit process”. When the “printing end paper discharge process” is started, it is determined whether or not the size of the sheet material is equal to or smaller than a certain level (S611). If the size is equal to or smaller than the predetermined size (YES in S611), the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) is automatically opened (S612) to expose the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60. Thereafter, the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body paper discharge unit 60 (S613), and the “print-end paper discharge unit process” is completed. If it is not smaller than the predetermined size (NO in S611), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S614), and the “printing paper discharge section process” is ended.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the size of the sheet material to be output is reduced, the visibility and the take-out property of the sheet material are deteriorated when the sheet material is discharged to the in-body discharge unit 60. As a result, there is a problem that forgetting to remove the discharged sheet material is likely to occur. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the sheet material includes a small-sized sheet (a sheet having a certain size or less), the sheet discharge cover is opened and the sheet discharge tray 67 is opened as shown in FIG. Is pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 to the outside. As a result, it is possible to improve the visibility and take-out property when a small-size sheet material is discharged.

  On the other hand, if the sheet material does not include a small-sized sheet (one having a certain size or less), the sheet discharge cover is only opened as shown in FIG. When a non-small sheet material is discharged, it is possible to avoid unnecessary deterioration of the quietness and power saving of the image forming apparatus 100 by performing a minimum opening operation.

  When the paper discharge cover and the paper discharge tray 67 operate in conjunction with each other, the paper discharge tray 67 is moved within a range that does not damage the stack of long paper such as A3, and the paper discharge cover biased in the closing direction is pushed. This can be achieved with a simple control by means of a configuration that allows the opening. Whether or not the size of the sheet material is equal to or smaller than a certain value is determined by storing the size information of the paper that has been output since the most recent time when the sheet material is not detected on the paper discharge tray 67 (paper non-detection). In addition, it may be performed based on the stored information.

  An example of the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the “first example” shown in FIG. 1 or the “second example” shown in FIG. There may be.

  An example of a subroutine for “paper discharge cover opening processing” in the flowcharts (FIGS. 1 and 28) of “first example” and “second example” of “processing when pressing the open / close switch” is shown in the embodiment. 1 is the same as each processing flow example shown in FIG. 23, FIG. 25, FIG. 26, or FIG. An example of a subroutine for “paper discharge cover closing process” in the flowcharts (FIGS. 1 and 28) of “first example” and “second example” of “processing when pressing the open / close switch” is shown in the embodiment. 1 is the same as the processing flow example shown in FIG. In addition, an example of a subroutine of “printing waiting waiting paper discharge unit processing” in the “second example” flowchart (FIG. 28) of “processing when pressing the open / close switch” is shown in FIG. This is the same as each processing flow example shown in FIG.

  An example of the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may be a “third example” or a “fourth example” described below.

  FIG. 35 is a flowchart of a “third example” of the control executed in the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed”. In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the user presses the open / close switch 63 to open / close the discharge cover (the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62) or move the discharge tray 67. Can be.

  In the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” shown in FIG. 35, when the open / close switch 63 is pressed by the user (YES in S711), it is determined whether or not the discharge cover is closed (S712). If the paper discharge cover is closed (YES in S712), it is determined whether or not the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (S713). If the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (YES in S713), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S714), and the interior paper discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S715), and the “open / close switch pressing process” is terminated. If the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is not longer than the predetermined time (NO in S713), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S714), the inside of the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is exposed, and the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” is performed. finish.

  It is determined whether or not the paper discharge cover is closed. If the paper discharge cover is closed (NO in S712), it is determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out (S717). If the discharge tray 67 has been pulled out (YES in S717), the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body discharge section 60 (S718), the discharge cover is automatically closed (S719), The “switch pressing process” is terminated. If the paper discharge tray 67 has not been pulled out (NO in S717), the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S720), and the "open / close switch pressing process" ends.

  As described above, in the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” shown in FIG. 35, when the open / close switch 63 is pressed, the paper discharge cover is only opened or the discharge cover is only opened depending on whether or not the pressing time is a predetermined time or less. It is determined whether to open the paper cover and pull out the paper discharge tray. As a result, according to the user's request, the discharge cover can be opened and closed and the discharge tray can be pulled out at any time, so that convenience for the user is improved.

  FIG. 36 is a flowchart of the “fourth example” of the control executed in the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed”. In the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” shown in FIG. 36, when the open / close switch 63 is pressed by the user (YES in S811), it is determined whether or not the discharge cover is closed (S812). If the paper discharge cover is closed (YES in S812), it is determined whether or not “print output processing” has been performed (S813). That is, it is determined whether or not the printing operation for discharging the paper P printed on the paper discharge tray 67 is in progress.

  When “print output processing” is being performed (NO in S813), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S815), the inside of the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is exposed, and “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” is ended. To do. If the “print output process” has not been performed (YES in S813), it is determined whether the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (S814).

  If the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (YES in S814), the discharge cover is automatically opened (S815), and the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60 is exposed. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the in-body discharge unit 60 (S816), and the “open / close switch pressing process” is ended. If the pressing time of the open / close switch 63 is not longer than a predetermined time (NO in S814), the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S817), the inside of the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is exposed, and the “processing when the open / close switch is pressed” is performed. finish.

  If the paper discharge cover is not closed (NO in S812), it is determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 has been pulled out (S818). If the paper discharge tray 67 has been pulled out (YES in S818), the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body paper discharge section 60 (S819), and the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S820). The “switch pressing process” is terminated. If the paper discharge tray 67 has not been pulled out (NO in S818), the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S821), and the “open / close switch pressing process” ends.

  As described above, in the “processing when pressing the opening / closing switch” shown in FIG. 36, when it is detected that the print output processing is being performed, the opening / closing processing of the discharge cover is performed regardless of the pressing time of the opening / closing switch 63. Only to do. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the paper discharge tray 67 from moving during the print output process and causing a jam or interruption of the print output process unintended by the user.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
An image forming unit such as an image forming unit 20 that forms an image on a sheet material, and at least one side surface of the apparatus main body is opened. The sheet P is provided in a space inside the apparatus with respect to the opening and discharged from the apparatus. A discharge sheet storage section such as an in-body discharge section 60 having a sheet material stacking member such as a discharge tray 67 on which the sheet material is stacked, and a pre-discharge cover 61 that covers the opening of the discharge sheet storage section so as to be openable and closable. An image forming apparatus such as the image forming apparatus 100 having a cover member and an opening / closing means for opening and closing the cover member includes an operation receiving means such as an open / close switch 63 for receiving a predetermined operation from a user. When the predetermined operation is received, the first state where the cover member is closed is changed to the second state where the cover member is opened, or the first state is changed from the second state. On purpose so as to have a control means such as control unit 500 for controlling the switching means so as to open and close the cover member.
In the aspect A, the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation from the user, so that the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing unit can be performed freely. Thus, even when the cover member is closed, when the user wants to take out the sheet material, the user performs the predetermined operation to open the cover member by the opening / closing means and remove the sheet material stacked on the sheet material stacking member. It can be taken out. Further, even when the cover member is left open, the user can perform the predetermined operation to close the cover member by the opening / closing means, and the cover member can be prevented from being opened more than necessary. Therefore, the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing means can be freely performed according to the user's request, and the usability of the automatic opening / closing control of the cover member can be improved.

(Aspect B)
In aspect A, the sheet material can be moved between the first position where the sheet material is discharged to the sheet material stacking member and the second position closer to the opening than the first position in the discharged sheet storage portion. A sheet material stacking member such as a discharge tray driving unit 65 that moves the sheet material stacking member between the first position and the second position is provided for the apparatus main body. Means for positioning the sheet material stacking member at the first position in the first state and the sheet material stacking member at the second position in the second state. When the operation receiving unit receives a predetermined operation so as to move the sheet material stacking member to and from the second position, the control unit controls the sheet material stacking member moving unit. According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with low noise and low odor and excellent usability with a small sheet size and good sheet material removability.

(Aspect C)
In aspect B, during the image forming operation by the image forming unit, the operation receiving unit interrupts the image forming operation by the image forming unit by receiving the predetermined operation, and the cover member is automatically opened by the opening / closing unit. The control means controls the sheet material stacking member moving means and the opening / closing means so that the sheet material stacking member is automatically moved from the first position to the second position by the sheet material stacking member moving means. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the sheet material can be taken out from the sheet material stacking member with low noise and low odor, and without waiting until the image forming operation is finished, and usability is improved. An excellent image forming apparatus can be provided.

(Aspect D)
In aspect B, during the image forming operation by the image forming unit, even if the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation, the cover member opening / closing operation by the opening / closing unit and the sheet material stacking member moving unit by the first The movement operation of the sheet material stacking member from the position to the second position is not started. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with low noise and low odor, excellent usability, and high printing productivity.

(Aspect E)
In the aspect A or B, it has exhaust means such as an exhaust fan 69 for exhausting the air in the discharge sheet accommodating portion to the outside of the apparatus, and the operation acceptance is performed during the exhaust operation of the discharge sheet accommodating portion by the exhaust means. Even if the means accepts the predetermined operation, the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing means is not started. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to further reduce discomfort due to the user's odor.

(Aspect F)
In aspect A or B, sheet material presence / absence detection means such as a sheet discharge detection sensor 79 for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material on the sheet material stacking member is provided, and the sheet material is in a state where the cover member is opened. When the presence / absence detecting means detects that there is no sheet material, the control means controls the opening / closing means so as to automatically close the cover member by the opening / closing means. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, when a new image forming operation is started, it is possible to immediately perform a printing operation with low noise and low odor.

(Aspect G)
In aspect B, sheet material presence / absence detection means such as a sheet discharge detection sensor 79 for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material on the sheet material stacking member is provided, the cover member is open, and the sheet material stacking While the member is in the second position, the image forming operation by the image forming unit is suspended until the sheet material presence / absence detecting unit detects that there is no sheet material. According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to suppress the need for the waiting time or the time and labor to be separated, which may occur by giving priority to a new image forming operation. Can do. In addition, it is possible to prevent forgetting to remove the sheet material from the sheet material stacking member.

(Aspect H)
In the aspect A or B, it has elapsed time measuring means such as a timer 304 for measuring an elapsed time after the cover member is opened, and is measured by the elapsed time measuring means in a state where the cover member is opened. When the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the control means controls the opening / closing means so that the cover member is automatically closed by the opening / closing means. According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, when a new printing is started, a printing operation can be immediately performed in a low noise or low odor state. Further, since no detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material on the sheet material stacking member is required, the cost can be reduced correspondingly.

(Aspect I)
In aspect H, when an image forming instruction is received with the cover member open, if the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring means is within a preset waiting time, the opening / closing means automatically The control means controls the opening / closing means so that the cover member is not closed.
If the cover member is closed when the elapsed time is within the waiting time when an image formation instruction is received, the cover member closes and the sheet material can be removed while the user is removing the sheet material. There is a risk of frequent loss. By preventing the cover member from closing when the elapsed time is within the waiting time, such a fear can be prevented.

(Aspect J)
In the aspect I, the user can change the waiting time.
The usability of the image forming apparatus can be improved by making it possible to appropriately change the setting of the waiting time according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus, the number of users who use the image forming apparatus, user preferences, and the like. .

(Aspect K)
In Aspect B, the sheet material stacking member has elapsed time measuring means such as a timer 304 for measuring an elapsed time from when the sheet material stacking member is positioned at the second position, the cover member is open, and When the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring means in a state where the sheet material stacking member is located at the second position has passed a predetermined time, the sheet material stacking member moving means automatically moves the sheet. The control means controls the sheet material stacking member moving means and the opening / closing means so that the material stacking member is moved from the second position to the first position and the cover member is automatically closed by the opening / closing means. According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, when a new printing is started, a printing operation can be immediately performed in a low noise or low odor state. Further, since no detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material on the sheet material stacking member is required, the cost can be reduced correspondingly.

(Aspect L)
In aspects A to K, the operation receiving means is a switch member such as an open / close switch 63 that can be pressed by the user. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the user can easily open and close the cover member by pressing the switch member.

(Aspect M)
In Aspects A to L, the sheet material placing member is moved from the position where the sheet material placing member is accommodated in the discharge sheet accommodating portion to a part of the sheet material placing member to the outside of the discharge sheet accommodating portion. In the second position, the sheet material placing member is in the pulled-out position or a pull-in / out means that moves from the pulled-out position to the retracted position. A third state, a state in which the sheet material placing member is in the stored position is a fourth state, and when the paper is discharged to the discharge sheet storage unit, the size of the discharged paper is preset. The control means determines whether to enter the third state or the fourth state depending on whether the switching size is greater than or equal to.
When the size of the sheet material is reduced, the visibility and the take-out property of the sheet material discharged to the discharge sheet storage unit are deteriorated. If the visibility of the discharged sheet material deteriorates, it becomes easy to forget to remove the sheet material. When the “fourth state” is set when the sheet material having the switching size or less is discharged, in addition to opening the cover member, the sheet material stacking member is pulled out from the discharged sheet storage portion. As a result, the sheet material on the sheet material stacking member is also pulled out from the discharged sheet storage portion, and the visibility and take-out property of the discharged small-size sheet material can be improved. On the other hand, when a non-small sheet material is discharged, the visibility and take-out performance of the discharged sheet material is sufficiently ensured even if the sheet material stacking member does not pull out from the discharge sheet storage portion. Yes. When a non-small sheet material is discharged, the third state in which only the cover member is opened can be used to avoid unnecessary deterioration of the quietness and power saving of the image forming apparatus.

(Aspect N)
In the aspect M, the user can change the switching size.
According to this, the usability of the image forming apparatus can be improved by enabling the setting of the waiting time to be appropriately changed according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus and the user's preference.

(Aspect O)
In Aspects A to L, the sheet material placing member is moved from the position where the sheet material placing member is accommodated in the discharge sheet accommodating portion to a part of the sheet material placing member to the outside of the discharge sheet accommodating portion. In the second position, the sheet material placing member is in the pulled-out position or a pull-in / out means that moves from the pulled-out position to the retracted position. When the third state, the state where the sheet material placing member is in the retracted position is the fourth state, and the operation accepting means accepts the predetermined operation, the control means from the first state to the The opening / closing means and the taking-in / out means are controlled so as to be in the third state or the fourth state, or so as to be in the first state from the third state or the fourth state.
When the operation accepting unit accepts the predetermined operation from the user, the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing unit and the pulling / withdrawing operation of the sheet material stacking member can be performed freely. Thereby, even when the cover member is in the “first state”, when the user wants to take out the sheet material, by performing a predetermined operation, the cover member opens to the “third state”. The sheet material stacked on the sheet material stacking member can be taken out. Further, when the discharged sheet material is a small size, it may be difficult to take out the sheet on the sheet material stacking member. When the discharged sheet material is a small size, the user performs the predetermined operation to change from the “first state” to the “fourth state” in which the cover member is opened and the sheet material stacking member is pulled out. Thereby, the taking-out property of the sheet material can be improved.

(Aspect P)
In aspect O, the operation receiving means is a switch member that can be pressed by a user, and when the switch member is pressed from the first state, the control means continues to press the switch member. Whether the third state or the fourth state is to be determined is determined depending on whether or not the predetermined time is equal to or longer than a predetermined pressing time.

(Aspect Q)
In the aspect P, the user can change the pressing time.
According to this, the usability of the image forming apparatus can be improved by enabling the setting of the waiting time to be appropriately changed according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus and the user's preference.

(Aspect R)
In modes O to Q, when the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation during the image forming operation, the control unit controls the opening / closing unit so as to change from the first state to the third state. .
If the sheet material stacking member is moved during the image forming operation, a problem such as a jam may occur. When the operation accepting unit accepts the predetermined operation during the image forming operation, the sheet material stacking member is set to a third state in which only the cover member is opened and the sheet discharge unit is not pulled out. Such a problem can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print reception means 2 Print output means 3 In-machine exhaust state detection means 4 Print hold means 5 Paper discharge tray putting in / out means 6 Paper discharge cover opening / closing means 7 Paper discharge tray paper presence / absence detection means 8 Take-out waiting control storage means 10 Image forming apparatus main body 13 Paper cassette 14 Feed roller 18 Registration roller pair 19 Discharge roller pair 20 Image forming unit 21 Photoconductor 22 Charging device 23 Writing device 23a Polygon mirror device 24 Developing device 25 Toner replenishing device 26 Transfer roller 27 Cleaning device 28 Fixing device 28a Heating Roller 28b Pressure roller 28c Fixing lamp 30 Scanner 40 Automatic document feeder 40a Document tray 60 In-body discharge unit 61 Pre-discharge cover 62 Output left cover 63 Open / close switch 64 Operation panel 65 Output tray drive unit 66 Output frame 67 Output tray 8 End fence 68a Vent 69 Exhaust fan 70 Drive motor 71 Idler gear 72 Tray drive gear 73 First position detection sensor 74 Second position detection sensor 75 Compression spring 76 Guide shaft 77 Left cover urging member 78 Discharge left cover pressing spring 79 Discharge detection sensor 80 Slide guide 81 Slide rail 82 Rack gear 83 Position detection filler 84 Restriction portion 85 Cam shape portion 86 Abutting surface 87 Left cam shape portion 88 Hook portion 91 Guide rail 92 Rotating shaft 93 Rotating shaft 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Front left wall of the apparatus 200 Engine sub board 210 Memory chip 220 Polygon motor 230 Synchronization detector 240 Thermistor 260 Clutch 300 Engine main board 304 Timer 320 Cooling fan 330 High-pressure supply unit 40 Controller 410 HDD
420 NVRAM
430 SD card 450 DIMM
460 IEEE1284 interface 470 IEEE1394 interface 480 IEEE802.11b interface 490 Bluetooth
500 Control unit

Japanese Patent No. 5002256

Claims (18)

Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet material;
A discharge sheet storage unit having a sheet material stacking member that opens at least one side surface of the apparatus main body, is provided in a space inside the apparatus with respect to the opening, and on which a sheet material discharged from the apparatus is stacked;
A cover member that covers the opening of the discharge sheet accommodating portion so as to be opened and closed;
In an image forming apparatus comprising an opening / closing means for opening and closing the cover member,
Having an operation accepting means for accepting a predetermined operation from the user;
When the operation accepting unit accepts the predetermined operation, the first state where the cover member is closed is changed to the second state where the cover member is opened, or the first state is changed from the second state. An image forming apparatus comprising control means for controlling the opening and closing means to open and close the cover member so as to be in a state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
It is possible to move between the first position where the sheet material is discharged to the sheet material stacking member and the second position which is closer to the opening than the first position in the discharge sheet storage unit. The sheet material stacking member is provided,
A sheet material stacking member moving means for moving the sheet material stacking member between the first position and the second position;
In the first state, the sheet material stacking member is positioned at the first position, and in the second state, the sheet material stacking member is positioned at the second position. The image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the sheet material stacking member moving unit when the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation so as to move the sheet material stacking member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
During the image forming operation by the image forming unit, the operation receiving unit interrupts the image forming operation by the image forming unit by receiving the predetermined operation, and the cover member is automatically opened by the opening / closing unit, and the sheet The control means controls the sheet material stacking member moving means and the opening / closing means so that the sheet material stacking member is automatically moved from the first position to the second position by the material stacking member moving means. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
During the image forming operation by the image forming means, even if the operation accepting means accepts the predetermined operation, the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing means, and the first position from the first position by the sheet material stacking member moving means. An image forming apparatus, wherein the movement operation of the sheet material stacking member to two positions is not started. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Having exhaust means for exhausting the air in the discharge sheet storage portion out of the apparatus;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing operation of the cover member by the opening / closing unit is not started even when the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation during the exhausting operation of the discharge sheet accommodating portion by the exhausting unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Having sheet material presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet material on the sheet material stacking member;
When the cover member is opened, the control means controls the opening / closing means so that the cover member is automatically closed by the opening / closing means when the sheet material presence / absence detecting means detects that there is no sheet material. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
Having sheet material presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet material on the sheet material stacking member;
Until the cover member is open and the sheet material stacking member is positioned at the second position, the image forming unit detects an image by the image forming unit until the sheet material presence / absence detecting unit detects that there is no sheet material. An image forming apparatus, wherein a forming operation is suspended. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Having an elapsed time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time since the cover member opened,
The control means is configured to automatically close the cover member by the opening / closing means when the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring means in a state where the cover member is opened has passed a predetermined time. An image forming apparatus for controlling the opening / closing means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.
When the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring means is within a preset waiting time when an image formation instruction is received with the cover member opened, the cover member is automatically operated by the opening / closing means. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the control means controls the opening / closing means so as not to be closed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.
An image forming apparatus configured to allow a user to change the waiting time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
Having an elapsed time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time since the sheet material stacking member is located at the second position;
When the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring means has passed a predetermined time in a state where the cover member is open and the sheet material stacking member is located at the second position, The sheet material stacking member moving unit and the sheet material stacking member moving unit automatically move the sheet material stacking member from the second position to the first position, and the opening / closing unit automatically closes the cover member. An image forming apparatus, wherein the control means controls the opening / closing means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the operation receiving means is a switch member that can be pressed by a user. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A position where a part of the sheet material placement member is pulled out of the discharge sheet storage portion from a position where the sheet material placement member is housed in the discharge sheet storage portion; or , Comprising a loading / unloading means for moving from the pulled-out position to the retracted position, and among the second states, a state in which the sheet material placing member is in the pulled-out position is a third state, The state in which the sheet material placing member is in the stored position is the fourth state, and when the paper is discharged to the discharge sheet storage portion, the size of the discharged paper is equal to or larger than a predetermined switching size. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that the control unit determines whether to set the third state or the fourth state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13.
An image forming apparatus configured to allow a user to change the switching size. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A position where a part of the sheet material placement member is pulled out of the discharge sheet storage portion from a position where the sheet material placement member is housed in the discharge sheet storage portion; or , Comprising a loading / unloading means for moving from the pulled-out position to the retracted position, and among the second states, a state in which the sheet material placing member is in the pulled-out position is a third state, When the sheet material placing member is in the retracted position as a fourth state, and the operation receiving unit receives the predetermined operation, the control unit changes the first state to the third state or the An image characterized by controlling the opening / closing means and the taking-in / out means so as to be in a fourth state, or to be in the first state from the third state or the fourth state. Forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15.
The operation receiving means is a switch member that can be pressed by a user, and when the switch member is pressed from the first state, the control means keeps pressing the switch member in advance. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that it is determined whether to enter the third state or the fourth state depending on whether or not a predetermined pressing time is exceeded. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16.
An image forming apparatus configured to allow a user to change the pressing time. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17,
When the operation accepting unit accepts the predetermined operation during an image forming operation, the control unit controls the opening / closing unit to change from the first state to the third state. Forming equipment.