JP2016160037A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve usability at the time of replenishment of recording materials on a loading part in the power-saving state.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus comprises: a sheet feeding tray 111 on which sheets are loaded; a sheet feeding pickup roller 113 which supplies the sheets loaded on the sheet feeding tray 111 to a conveyance path; a motor 163 which changes the state between a first state in which the sheet feeding pickup roller 113 is brought into contact with the sheets loaded on the sheet feeding tray 111 and a second state in which the sheet feeding pickup roller 113 separates from the sheets loaded on the sheet feeding tray 111; and a CPU 301 which controls the motor 163 (v) such that the mode of the sheet feeding pickup roller 113 is changed from a normal power mode in which a prescribed power is consumed to a power-saving mode with the lower power consumption than the normal power mode (vi), when the image formation apparatus is shifted from the normal power mode to the power-saving mode (i).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to control for improving the operability of a manual feed tray such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a recording material using an electrophotographic system.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a configuration in which a sheet placed on a sheet feeding cassette or a sheet feeding tray is fed to form an image. In recent years, various types of paper have been distributed. Under such circumstances, the paper feed tray is a paper with a basis weight that cannot be handled by the paper feed cassette, coated paper with a slippery surface, or paper that is longer than the paper that is generally distributed (hereinafter referred to as “paper”). , Long paper), etc., are widely used.

  For example, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is capable of lowering the bottom plate of the paper feed tray to a position where paper cannot be fed every time image formation is completed, and capable of feeding paper with the bottom plate of the paper feed tray raised even after completion of image formation. Mode to be held in position. The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to be able to select any one of these modes. Then, when it is detected that the paper in the manual paper feeder has run out during image formation, a manual paper feeder is proposed in which the bottom plate can be lowered to replenish paper, thereby improving user operability. ing.

JP 11-189344 A

  In the prior art, when the mode in which the bottom plate is held at the position where the bottom plate of the paper feed tray is raised after the image formation is finished is selected, it is detected that the paper on the manual paper feeder has run out. At the time, the bottom plate is lowered. However, unless the bottom plate is lowered, the paper cannot be extracted or replenished. For example, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus transitions to a power saving state in which a sheet is in the manual sheet feeding device after completion of image formation and waits in a lower power state than in a normal standby state. Since the power supply is reduced as much as possible in the power saving state, the bottom plate of the paper feed tray cannot be raised or lowered. In the prior art, when the mode in which the bottom plate of the paper feed tray is held at the raised feedable position is selected even after the image formation is completed, the raised position of the bottom plate is maintained even when the power saving state is entered. Will remain. Even under such a situation, it is assumed that the user pulls out the paper or replenishes paper of the same size during the power saving state. However, in the power saving state, the bottom plate of the paper feed tray cannot be lowered, and the paper is sandwiched between the bottom plate and the paper feed roller, so it becomes difficult for the user to insert and remove the paper, reducing usability. There is a possibility that.

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the usability at the time of replenishing the recording material of the stacking portion in the power saving state.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

  (1) A stacking unit on which the recording material is stacked, a sheet feeding unit that feeds the recording material loaded on the stacking unit to a conveyance path, and the sheet feeding unit that contacts the recording material loaded on the stacking unit. A first state in contact, a changing unit that changes a second state in which the paper feeding unit is separated from the recording material stacked on the stacking unit, and a first mode that consumes predetermined power. When changing the image forming apparatus to the second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode, the changing unit is controlled so that the sheet feeding unit is changed from the first state to the second state. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit;

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability at the time of replenishing the recording material of the stacking portion in the power saving state.

Sectional drawing of the image forming apparatus of 1st-3rd embodiment Block diagram of image forming apparatus according to first to third embodiments Sectional view and top view of the vicinity of the paper feed tray of the first to third embodiments Schematic diagram of the operation unit of the first to third embodiments The figure explaining the raising / lowering operation | movement of the paper-feeding pick-up roller of 1st embodiment Timing chart when receiving a power saving request according to the first embodiment The flowchart which shows the judgment process which changes to the power saving state of 1st embodiment The flowchart which shows the process at the time of changing to the power saving mode of 1st embodiment, and the flowchart which shows the raising process of a paper feed pickup roller The flowchart which shows the judgment processing at the time of returning to the standby state of 2nd embodiment The flowchart which shows the descent | fall process of the paper-feeding pick-up roller of 2nd Embodiment, The flowchart which shows the judgment processing at the time of returning to the standby state of 3rd Embodiment

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
<Schematic configuration of image forming system>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The basic configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Schematic configuration of image forming apparatus]
A control unit 300 in FIG. 2 performs system control of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1, and includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, and a timer 291. A CPU 301 is a CPU that performs system control of the image forming apparatus. The CPU 301 is connected to a ROM 302 in which a control program is written and a RAM 303 for storing variables used for control and image data read by the image sensor 233 in FIG. 1 via an address bus and a data bus. A timer 291 capable of measuring time is connected to the CPU 301, and the CPU 301 sets a time count value of the timer 291 and acquires a timer measurement value. The CPU 301 performs driving of the document conveyance roller 112 and detection of document presence / absence by the document presence / absence sensor 151 via the document feeder control unit 480. Further, the CPU 301 detects the opening / closing operation of the document pressure plate, the document image on the document pressure plate glass plate 55, and the document image fed by the document feeding device control unit 480 via the image reader control unit 280 by the image sensor 233. read. The image sensor 233 outputs the read document image information to the CPU 301 as an analog image signal. The CPU 301 transfers the analog image signal input from the image sensor 233 to the image signal control unit 281.

  During the copying operation, the image signal control unit 281 converts the analog image signal from the image sensor 233 into a digital image signal, performs various processes, converts the digital image signal subjected to the various processes into a video signal, and controls the printer. To the unit 285. Here, the copy operation is an operation in which a document is read by the image sensor 233 and a print operation is performed based on the read data. The image signal control unit 281 first performs various processes on the digital image signal input from the computer 283 via the external I / F 282 during a printing operation in response to an instruction from the outside. Then, the image signal control unit 281 converts the digital image signal subjected to various processes into a video signal and outputs the video signal to the printer control unit 285.

  The printer control unit 285 instructs the image forming unit 271 to form an image based on an instruction from the CPU 301. The image forming unit 271 drives the image forming unit 120 based on the input video signal. In addition, the printer control unit 285 controls paper feeding and conveyance of the recording material to the paper conveyance unit 270 based on an instruction from the CPU 301. Specifically, the printer control unit 285 detects the presence / absence of paper on the paper feed tray 111, which is the stacking unit in FIG. When the printer control unit 285 detects that there is a sheet on the sheet feed tray 111 by the sheet presence / absence sensor 115, the printer control unit 285 performs the lowering operation of the sheet feed pickup roller 113 using the lifting motor 163 (see FIG. 5) as a drive source. Thereafter, the paper feed motor 164 (see FIG. 3) is used as a drive source to rotate the paper feed pickup roller 113 and the paper feed roller 114 to feed the paper to the transport path. The operation unit 330 is used to select a color mode for forming an image, display the status of the image forming apparatus, and give an instruction to start copying. When the CPU 301 detects that a sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 111, a sheet size selection screen is displayed on the operation unit 330. The setting value of the mode selected using the paper size selection screen of the operation unit 330 is transmitted to the CPU 301, and the CPU 301 stores the received setting value of the mode in the RAM 303.

[Basic image forming operation of image forming apparatus]
Next, a basic image forming operation will be described with reference to FIGS. When the CPU 301 detects that the paper is placed on the paper feed tray 111 by the paper presence sensor 115, the CPU 301 displays a paper size selection screen on the operation unit 330. When the user selects and confirms the paper size, the CPU 301 moves the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113 to the “paper feed pickup roller contact position” by the lowering operation of the paper feed pickup roller 113. Here, the “paper pickup roller contact position” refers to a position where the paper supply pickup roller 113 contacts the paper placed on the paper supply tray 111. The paper feed pickup roller 113 is in a first state in contact with the paper stacked on the paper feed tray 111.

  On the other hand, the CPU 301 opens / closes a document pressure plate and places a document on the basis of a print setting instruction such as a color mode and a set number input from the operation unit 330 and the like, a document feeder control unit 480 and an image reader control unit 280. When is detected, a print preparation operation is performed. The CPU 301 starts temperature control of the fixing device 170 in the print preparation operation. Further, when the paper size on the paper feed tray 111 is determined and the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is not in the “paper feed pickup roller contact position”, the CPU 301 moves the paper feed pickup roller 113 to “feed”. Move to “paper pickup roller contact position”. Details of the raising / lowering operation of the paper feed pickup roller 113 and the print preparation operation will be described later.

  Next, when the CPU 301 receives a print operation start instruction from the operation unit 330 or the like, the CPU 301 starts a document image reading operation via the document feeder control unit 480. The CPU 301 drives the document transport roller 112 to transport document paper from the document table 152 onto the platen glass, and irradiates the platen glass with light from a lamp (not shown). Reflected light from the document is guided to the image sensor 233 via a mirror, and image data of the document read by the image sensor 233 is output to the image signal control unit 281. The document reading is continued until the document reading on the document pressure plate glass plate 55 is completed or until the reading of the image of the final document detected by the document presence / absence sensor 151 is completed.

  On the other hand, the CPU 301 controls the image forming unit 120 via the image forming unit 271 and starts an image forming operation of the image data stored in the RAM 303. Specifically, the image forming unit 120 includes a yellow image forming unit 120y, a magenta image forming unit 120m, a cyan image forming unit 120c, and a black image forming unit k. Hereinafter, the subscripts y, m, c, and k representing colors are omitted unless necessary. The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 101, a developing device 104, a charging roller 102, a photosensitive drum cleaner 107, and the like. In the image forming unit 120, the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 that rotates in the arrow direction (clockwise direction) in the drawing is charged by the charging roller 102, and then is latently exposed on the photosensitive drum 101 by the laser light emitted from the laser scanner unit 103. An image is formed. The latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 101 is developed on the photosensitive drum 101 with toner in the developing device 104. Thereafter, the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 101 is sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 130 rotating in the arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) in the figure by the primary transfer roller 105 to which a primary transfer voltage is applied. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed. The full-color toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 130 is moved to the secondary transfer unit 118 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 130.

  Further, the CPU 301 drives a conveyance motor (not shown) via the paper conveyance unit 270 so as to be in time for the arrival of the toner image at the secondary transfer unit 118. The paper feed pickup roller 113, the paper feed roller 114, the registration roller 116, and the paper discharge roller 139 are driven by a transport motor that is a drive source. As a result, the paper feed pickup roller 113 is driven to rotate, and the paper is fed from the paper feed tray 111 one by one. As described above, when the secondary transfer voltage is applied in the secondary transfer unit 118, the toner image is transferred onto the conveyed paper.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred in the secondary transfer unit 118 is conveyed to the fixing device 170. In the fixing device 170, an unfixed toner image on the paper is fixed on the paper by being heated and pressed. Thereafter, the CPU 301 discharges the paper onto the paper discharge tray 132 by the paper discharge roller 139 controlled by the paper transport unit 270. After the printing operation is completed, the CPU 301 performs the following operation in response to a power saving request described later. In other words, the CPU 301 moves the paper feed pickup roller 113 from the “paper feed pick-up roller contact position” in contact with the paper on the paper feed tray 111 to the “paper feed roller separation position” that retreats above the paper. Let The paper feed pickup roller 113 is in a second state in which it is separated from the paper stacked on the paper feed tray 111. Hereinafter, the “paper pickup roller contact position” is simply referred to as the contact position, and the “paper pickup roller separation position” is simply referred to as the separation position.

  In addition, the CPU 301 can control the power supply 350 to switch power supply to the paper transport unit 270 and the image forming unit 271 via the printer control unit 285 in the broken line 274 or to stop supply. Note that sensors 272 and drive sources 273 are connected to the paper transport unit 270. Further, the CPU 301 can also perform automatic power saving control (hereinafter referred to as auto sleep) in which power supply from the power source 350 is stopped after a predetermined time set in the timer 291 (referred to as a set time) has elapsed. Note that the above-described image forming operation and power control are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration.

<Description of lifting operation of paper feed pickup roller 113>
Next, the raising / lowering mechanism of the paper feed pickup roller 113 of this embodiment will be described.

[Description of Paper Tray 111]
First, the paper detection configuration on the paper feed tray 111 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the paper feed tray 111. A paper presence / absence flag 411 is disposed at the end of the paper feed tray 111 on the side where the paper feed roller 114 is installed. For example, in the present embodiment, the sheet presence / absence flag 411 is disposed at the center in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet P. The paper presence / absence sensor 115 is, for example, an optical sensor. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the paper P is placed on the paper feed tray 111, the paper presence / absence flag 411 is pushed by the leading end in the transport direction of the paper P, and the paper presence / absence flag 411 The sensor 115 is shielded from light. At this time, for example, the paper presence sensor 115 outputs an ON signal.

  On the other hand, when there is no paper P on the paper feed tray 111, the paper presence / absence flag 411 does not shield the paper presence / absence sensor 115. At this time, for example, the sheet presence sensor 115 outputs an OFF signal. With such a configuration, the CPU 301 is configured to be able to detect the presence or absence of paper on the paper feed tray 111. When the paper P is placed on the paper feed tray 111, the CPU 301 displays a paper size selection screen on the operation unit 330. The display on the operation unit 330 will be described later. Further, when the paper feed motor 164 is driven in a state where the paper feed pickup roller 113 is in contact with the paper P, the paper feed pickup roller 113 and the paper feed roller 114 rotate in the directions of the arrows in the drawing, respectively. Paper is fed in a thick arrow direction C shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3B is a projection view of the paper feed tray 111 as viewed from above, and the center position in the depth direction to be described later is indicated by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 3B, a side regulating plate 421 configured to be movable in parallel with the paper feed tray 111 in the direction of the arrow is disposed on the paper feed tray 111. The side regulating plate 421 sandwiches the paper P from the back (upper side of FIG. 3B) and the front (lower side of FIG. 3B). As a result, the side regulating plate 421 aligns the inclination of the paper P placed on the paper feed tray 111 with the transport direction, and sets the central position of the paper P in the depth direction to the central position of the image forming unit 120 in FIG. It is configured to match. Here, the depth direction is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper P, and the depth center position is a central position in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper P. With the above configuration, image formation is performed at the correct image position on the paper P fed from the paper feed tray 111. The position of the side regulating plate 421 can be detected by a position sensor (not shown). The CPU 301 detects the size of the paper P from the position of the side regulating plate 421, and the display content of the paper size selection screen displayed on the operation unit 330 is changed based on the detected size. The CPU 301 detects the length (also the width of the paper P) in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper P based on the position of the side regulating plate 421. The display on the operation unit 330 will be described later.

[Description of Operation Unit 330]
[Confirm paper size]
FIG. 4A is a front view of the operation unit 330 according to the present embodiment. The operation unit 330 is provided with a start key 306 for starting a copy operation, a stop key 307 for interrupting the copy operation, a numeric keypad 313 for setting a numerical value, and the like. In addition, a display unit 311 having a touch panel is disposed on the left side of the operation unit 330, and a soft key that is a software key can be created on the screen. In addition, the CPU 301 controls the print preparation operation in response to an operation on the numeric keypad 313 or the like for setting a numerical value. The power saving button 340 will be described later.

  FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C are paper size selection screens displayed on the display unit 311 when the paper P is placed on the paper feed tray 111. As described above, the CPU 301 determines the display content of the display unit 311 based on the size of the paper P detected from the position of the side regulating plate 421 (information on the width of the paper P). The display unit 311 includes an A4 button 321, an A4R button 322, an A3 button 323, and an OK button 325 that indicate the paper size. When the OK button 325 is pressed while any of the buttons 321 to 323 is selected, the paper size is determined, and the selected paper size is stored in the RAM 303.

  FIG. 4B shows the display unit 311 when the CPU 301 detects that the paper size placed on the paper feed tray 111 is A4 or A3 based on the position of the side regulating plate 421 described above. This is the screen that is displayed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the A4 button 321 and the A3 button 323 can be selected, and the A4R button 322 is excluded from the operation target and is grayed out and selected. It is impossible. On the other hand, FIG. 4C shows the display 311 when the CPU 301 detects that the paper size placed on the paper feed tray 111 is A4R based on the position of the side regulating plate 421 described above. This is the screen that is displayed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4C, the A4R button 322 can be selected, and the A4 button 321 and the A3 button 323 are excluded from the operation target, grayed out, and selected. It is impossible.

  After the paper size is confirmed using the paper size selection screen of the display unit 311, if the CPU 301 determines that there is no paper P based on the detection result of the paper presence sensor 115, the paper size is indeterminate. The RAM 303 stores information indicating that the paper size is uncertain. Such a situation corresponds to, for example, a case where the paper P is extracted from the paper feed tray 111 after the paper size is determined. Thereafter, when the paper P is placed on the paper feed tray 111, the paper size selection screen is displayed again on the display unit 311. In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the printing operation cannot be started until the paper size is determined.

[Power saving status and settings]
The operation unit 330 also sets a power saving mode for transitioning to a power saving state, which is a second mode of waiting in a lower power state, with respect to a standby state, which is a first mode that consumes predetermined power. it can. A mode in which the image forming apparatus is operated in the power saving state is referred to as a power saving mode, and a mode in which the image forming apparatus is operated in the normal power state is referred to as a normal power mode. In the present embodiment, the power saving state means that the CPU 301 controls the power supply 350 to supply power to the paper transport unit 270 and the image forming unit 271 via the printer control unit 285 in the broken line 274 shown in FIG. It is in a stopped state. However, the power supply can be selectively stopped instead of stopping the power supply to all the sensors 272 and the driving sources 273 via the printer control unit 285.

The selective power supply in the power saving state will be described with reference to Table 1.

  Table 1 is a table showing how the power supply state is set in the standby state and the power saving state for each unit indicated by a broken line 274 in FIG. 2. A case where power is supplied is indicated by “◯”, and a case where power is stopped (shown as cut) is indicated by “X”. As shown in Table 1, in the standby state, power is supplied from the power supply 350 to the sensors 272, the drive sources 273, and the image forming unit 271 via the printer control unit 285. On the other hand, in the power saving state, power is supplied to the sensors 272 that are the first members including the paper presence sensor 115 via the paper transport unit 270. Further, the power supply to the drive sources 273 that are the second member including the paper transport motor 164 is stopped. Thereby, even in the power saving state, the CPU 301 can perform detection control by the sensors 272.

(Transition method from standby state to power saving state)
In the present embodiment, there are two methods for transitioning from the standby state to the power saving state. The first is a method of transitioning to a power saving state in response to pressing of the power saving button 340 which is a switch pressed by the operator in FIG. The second is a method of automatically transitioning to a power saving state after the time set by auto sleep setting described later has elapsed. The CPU 301 transitions to the power saving state in response to pressing of the power saving button 340 or the time set by the auto sleep setting after the end of image formation or the last operation. For this reason, the CPU 301 also functions as a transition unit.

  FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating the display unit 311 when performing an auto sleep time setting in which a transition to a power saving state is automatically performed in response to the elapse of a predetermined time. In FIG. 4D, the numerical value button 341 is selected, and the numerical value of the numerical value button 341 can be changed using the down button 343 and the up button 344 for the selected button. Further, the unit button 342 is selected, and the unit of time can be changed by using the down button 343 and the up button 344, and “second”, “minute”, “hour”. After these settings are made, the auto sleep setting is made by pressing the time setting button 345. Details of the control when transitioning to the power saving state will be described later. In addition, the notation and setting in the setting regarding the power saving state mentioned above are examples, and this invention is not limited to the structure mentioned above.

[Explanation of raising / lowering the paper feed pickup roller 113]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the raising and lowering operation of the paper feed pickup roller 113 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5A is a projection view from above of the paper feed pickup roller 113 of the manual paper feed unit and the paper feed arm 160 that supports the paper feed pickup roller 113. The paper feed pickup roller 113 is supported by a paper feed arm 160 via a paper feed pickup roller shaft 161. The sheet feeding arm shaft 162 is fixed to the sheet feeding arm 160 and is configured such that the driving of the lifting motor 163 is transmitted via a cam (not shown).

  Next, the raising / lowering operation of the paper feed pickup roller 113 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the manual sheet feeding unit, where the contact position is indicated by a solid line and the separation position is indicated by a broken line. When the elevating motor 163 rotates in a predetermined direction, the driving of the elevating motor 163 is transmitted to the paper feed arm shaft 162 via a cam (not shown). As a result, the paper feed arm 160 and the paper feed pickup roller 113 reciprocate between the contact position and the separation position within a certain angle range. The lifting motor 163 functions as a changing unit that changes the positions of the paper feed arm 160 and the paper feed pickup roller 113. The CPU 301 functions as a control unit that controls the lifting motor 163 so that the first state in which the paper feed pickup roller 113 is in contact with the paper and the second state in which the paper feed pickup roller 113 is separated from the paper are changed. To do. Specifically, the paper feed arm shaft 162 is fixed to the paper feed arm 160, and the paper feed arm 160 moves up and down by a rotating operation with the paper feed arm shaft 162 as a fulcrum. In conjunction with the raising / lowering operation of the paper feeding arm 160, the paper feeding pickup roller 113 moves up and down as indicated by an arrow D1. The home position sensor (hereinafter referred to as HP sensor) 167 of the paper feed pickup roller is, for example, an optical sensor. The HP sensor 167 is configured to be shielded from light by the paper feed arm 160 when the paper feed pickup roller 113 is at the above-mentioned separated position that is farthest from the paper feed tray 111.

  FIG. 5C is a timing chart regarding the raising and lowering of the paper feed pickup roller 113. Specifically, (i) of FIG. 5 (c) shows the drive state of the lift motor 163, which indicates when the lift motor 163 is driven at a high level (ON) and when it is not driven. This is indicated by a low level (OFF). (Ii) in FIG. 5C shows the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113, and shows the above-mentioned separation position and contact position. (Iii) in FIG. 5 (c) shows the state of the HP sensor 167. When the HP sensor 167 is shielded from light (ON), it indicates a high level, and when it is not shielded (OFF), it indicates a low level. Is shown. In either case, the horizontal axis is time t.

  For example, when the paper size is determined and the paper feed pickup roller 113 is in the separated position (HP sensor 167 is on), the CPU 301 starts driving the lifting motor 163 at timing T1. When driving of the lift motor 163 is started, the paper feed pickup roller 113 starts to descend from the separated position, and the HP sensor 167 transitions from a light shielded state to a light unshielded state. At a timing T <b> 2 when a predetermined time Ta has elapsed from the timing T <b> 1, the CPU 301 determines that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has been lowered to the contact position closest to the paper feed tray 111. The CPU 301 stops the driving of the lifting motor 163 and holds the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113 at the contact position. When it is determined that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has been lowered to the contact position, the CPU 301 stores the information in the RAM 303. Here, in the present embodiment, the CPU 301 determines that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has moved to the contact position when a predetermined time Ta has elapsed after the drive of the lifting motor 163 has started. However, for example, a sensor that detects that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has moved to the contact position may be provided.

  Before receiving the print operation start instruction, the CPU 301 receives the print operation start instruction in a state where the paper feed pickup roller 113 is moved to the contact position and held at the contact position. As a result, the first copy-out time (hereinafter referred to as FCOT) is increased by a predetermined time Ta (= 500 ms) as compared with the case where the paper feed pickup roller 113 is moved from the separated position to the contact position after receiving the print operation start instruction. ) Is shortened. Here, FCOT is the time from when the start key 306 for starting the copying operation is pressed until the first sheet P is discharged. The predetermined time Ta is a time required to move the paper feed pickup roller 113 from the separated position to the contact position, and a value determined in advance by measurement or the like is stored in the ROM 302. Note that the predetermined time Ta takes into account variations and the like from when the CPU 301 outputs a signal for starting or stopping the driving of the lifting motor 163 to when the lifting and lowering operation of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is actually started or stopped. It has been decided.

  Next, the CPU 301 starts driving the lifting motor 163 again at the timing T3 when the printing operation is completed, so that the paper feed pickup roller 113 starts to rise from the contact position. The CPU 301 determines that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has been raised to the separation position at the timing T4 when it is detected that the HP sensor 167 is shielded from light. Then, the CPU 301 stops driving the elevating motor 163 and holds the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113 at the separated position. However, the above-described configurations of the lifting motor 163, the paper feed pickup roller 113, and the HP sensor 167 and the conditions for the lifting control are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. In this embodiment, the paper feed pickup roller 113 is moved up and down to contact and separate the paper feed pickup roller 113 and the paper P. However, the position of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is fixed, A configuration may be adopted in which the paper feed tray 111 side is raised and lowered. In this case, a motor or the like that moves up and down the paper feed tray 111 functions as a changing unit.

[Explanation of control at power saving mode transition]
Next, control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 at the time of transition to the power saving state according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart when a request is set to transition to the power saving state. Specifically, FIG. 6I shows the state of the image forming apparatus such as a print state, a standby state, and a power saving state. FIG. 6 (ii) shows the state of the timer (shown as an auto sleep timer) set on the auto sleep time setting screen described in FIG. 4 (d). (Iii) of FIG. 6 shows the state of the power saving button 340 of the operation unit 330, and indicates that the power saving button 340 is pressed when the power saving button 340 is pressed, and is OFF when the power saving button 340 is not pressed. (Iv) in FIG. 6 shows the state of the power saving request, and indicates that the power saving request is ON. FIG. 6 (v) shows the state of the raising control of the paper feed pickup roller 113. FIG. (Vi) of FIG. 6 shows the state of power control, and shows the high level in the normal power mode and the low level in the power saving mode. 6 shows the state of power supply from the power supply 350 to the printer control unit 285, in particular, to the drive sources 273 and the image forming unit 271 of the paper transport unit 270. In FIG. 6 (vii), the state where power is supplied is ON, and the state where power is not supplied is OFF. The horizontal axis indicates time.

  FIG. 6 shows a temporal relationship between the raising control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 accompanying the state transition of the image forming apparatus and the power control. First, when the print job of the image forming apparatus is completed and the print state is changed to the standby state, the timer 291 starts counting to measure the passage of time (timer start in (ii)). In the present embodiment, the auto sleep time set by the operation unit 330 is set as a predetermined time Tb. When the time measured by the timer 291 exceeds the time Tb (time up), the CPU 301 sets ON the power saving request state information and stores it in the RAM 303 (arrow a). In addition, even when the CPU 301 detects a falling edge of a signal output in response to pressing of the power saving button 340, the CPU 301 sets ON the power saving request state information and stores it in the RAM 303 (arrow b). In this embodiment, the CPU 301 detects the falling edge of the signal and sets ON in the power saving request state information, but detects the rising edge of the signal and sets ON in the power saving request state. May be. When the power saving state transitions to the standby state, OFF is set in the power saving request state information.

  When ON is set in the power saving request state information, the CPU 301 causes the image forming apparatus to transition from the standby state to the power saving state. When the image forming apparatus transitions to the power saving state, the CPU 301 executes the raising control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 ((v) in FIG. 6). The CPU 301 detects that the lifting control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is completed when the HP sensor 167 is turned on, and switches the power control from the normal power mode to the power saving mode ((vi) in FIG. 6). At this time, the CPU 301 turns off the power supply from the power supply 350 to the printer control unit 285 ((vii) in FIG. 6). As described in Table 1, it is possible to selectively stop power supply instead of stopping power supply to all sensors 272 and drive sources 273 (loads) via the printer control unit 285. it can.

  The determination of the transition to the power saving state and the control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 when the transition to the power saving state described above will be described more specifically with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a determination process when the image forming apparatus transitions to the power saving state. FIG. 8A is a control flowchart of the CPU 301 related to the raising and lowering of the paper feed pickup roller 113 in response to the power saving request state information being turned on. FIG. 8B is a flowchart for raising and lowering the paper feed pickup roller 113 of the CPU 301.

(Power saving request by auto sleep setting)
A control process for setting the power saving request state information to ON after the time Tb (FIG. 6) has elapsed will be described with reference to FIG. In step S1000, the CPU 301 determines whether the print job in the printer control unit 285 has been stopped. The CPU 301 determines whether the print job has been stopped by receiving information notifying that the print job has been stopped from the printer control unit 285. If the CPU 301 determines in S1000 that the print job has not stopped, the process returns to S1000. If the CPU 301 determines in S1000 that the print job has stopped, it sets the time Tb set on the auto sleep time setting screen in the timer 291 in S1001. In S1002, the CPU 301 starts measuring time by the timer 291 (see (ii) in FIG. 6).

  In step S <b> 1003, the CPU 301 refers to the timer 291 to determine whether the time Tb has elapsed (time has elapsed). If the CPU 301 determines in step S1003 that the time Tb has not elapsed, the CPU 301 checks in step S1004 whether a print job has been input. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1004 that no print job has been input, the process returns to step S1003. If the CPU 301 determines in S1004 that a print job has been submitted, it stops measuring the time by the timer 291 in S1005 and returns to the processing in S1000.

  When the CPU 301 determines that the time Tb has elapsed in S1003, the CPU 301 stops measuring the time by the timer 291 in S1006. In this case, since the time set in the auto sleep time setting has elapsed, in step S1007, the power saving request state information is set to ON and stored in the RAM 303 (arrows a and (iv) in FIG. 6). As described above, when the time Tb elapses without a job being input to the image forming apparatus, the state transitions to the power saving state. The above is the control processing for setting ON in the power saving request state information after the time Tb set on the auto sleep time setting screen has elapsed.

(Power saving request by pressing the power saving button)
A control process for setting ON in the power saving request state information at the falling edge of the signal output in response to the user pressing the power saving button 340 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S <b> 1100, the CPU 301 determines whether the print job in the printer control unit 285 has been stopped. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1100 that the print job is not stopped, the process returns to step S1100. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1100 that the print job has stopped, it determines in step S1101 whether or not a falling edge of the signal has been detected in response to the power saving button 340 being pressed. If the CPU 301 determines in S1101 that no falling edge has been detected, it determines in S1102 whether a print job has been submitted. If the CPU 301 determines in S1102 that a print job has not been submitted, the process returns to S1101, and if it is determined that a print job has been submitted, the process returns to S1100.

  When the CPU 301 determines in S1101 that a falling edge has been detected ((iii) in FIG. 6), in S1103, the power saving request state information is set to ON and stored in the RAM 303 (arrows b and ( iv)). The above is the control processing for setting the power saving request state to ON at the falling edge of the signal output in response to the power saving button 340 being pressed.

(Processing when the power saving request status information is turned ON)
FIG. 8A shows the paper feed pickup roller 113 executed by the CPU 301 in response to the power saving request state information being turned ON by the processing in S1007 in FIG. 7A or S1103 in FIG. 7B. It is a flowchart explaining the control processing relevant to raising / lowering operation | movement. In step S <b> 1500, the CPU 301 determines whether ON is set in the power saving request state information stored in the RAM 303. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1500 that ON is not set in the power saving request state information, the process returns to step S1500. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1500 that ON is set in the power saving request state information, in step S1501, the CPU 301 determines whether the paper feed pickup roller 113 is in the contact position. If the CPU 301 determines in step S1501 that the paper feed pickup roller 113 is in the contact position, the CPU 301 executes the lifting control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 in step S1502 in order to move the paper feed pickup roller 113 to the separation position (FIG. 6 (v)). If the CPU 301 determines in step S1501 that the paper feed pickup roller 113 is not in the contact position, the process advances to step S1503. In S1503, the CPU 301 switches the power control by the power source 350 to the power saving mode (see Table 1) ((vi) and (vii) in FIG. 6).

(Up control of paper feed pickup roller 113)
With reference to FIG. 8B, the raising control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 in S1502 of FIG. 8A will be described. In step S <b> 2100, the CPU 301 starts driving the elevating motor 163 to raise the paper feed pickup roller 113 (timing T <b> 3 in FIG. 5). In step S <b> 2101, the CPU 301 determines whether the signal output from the HP sensor 167 is turned on. If the CPU 301 determines in S2101 that the signal output from the HP sensor 167 is not ON, the process returns to S2101. If the CPU 301 determines in step S2101 that the signal output from the HP sensor 167 has been turned on, the CPU 301 determines that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has moved to the separation position, and proceeds to the processing in step S2102. In S2102, the CPU 301 stops driving the lifting motor 163 (timing T4 in FIG. 5). As described above, the CPU 301 ends the raising control of the paper feed pickup roller 113, and proceeds to the process of S1503 in FIG.

  As described above, the CPU 301 performs the power saving transition determination described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 and the control of raising the paper feed pickup roller 113 at that time. In the present embodiment, when the paper P is sandwiched between the paper feed tray 111 and the paper feed pickup roller 113, the pressure between the paper feed tray 111 and the paper feed pickup roller 113 is changed when the power saving state is entered. Release it. This makes it possible to smoothly remove and replenish paper even in a power saving state without impairing usability.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the usability at the time of replenishing the recording material of the stacking unit in the power saving state.

[Second Embodiment]
<Description of Lowering Control of Paper Pickup Roller 113 when Transitioning to Standby State>
In the second embodiment, when the power saving button 340 of the operation unit 330 is pressed and OFF is set in the power saving request state information, the image forming apparatus is triggered to transition from the power saving state to the standby state. The case will be described.

[Judgment when returning to standby]
In the present embodiment, the lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 when the image forming apparatus transitions from the power saving state to the standby state will be described with reference to FIG. First, determination control for returning the image forming apparatus from the power saving state to the standby state will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A is a flowchart illustrating a determination process for returning from the power saving state to the standby state. In step S <b> 3000, the CPU 301 determines whether ON is set in the power saving request state information stored in the RAM 303. Here, when the power saving request state information is set to ON, it indicates that the image forming apparatus is in the power saving state. If the CPU 301 determines in step S3000 that ON is not set in the power saving request state information, the process returns to step S3000.

  If the CPU 301 determines in step S3000 that ON is set in the power saving request state information, in step S3001, the CPU 301 detects a falling edge of the signal output in response to the user pressing the power saving button 340. Determine whether or not. If the CPU 301 determines in S3001 that the falling edge of the power saving button 340 has not been detected, the process returns to S3001. If the CPU 301 determines in S3001 that the falling edge of the power saving button 340 has been detected, the CPU 301 sets OFF in the power saving request state information and stores it in the RAM 303 in S3002. As described above, the power saving request state information is set to OFF by the falling edge of the signal output in response to the user pressing the power saving button 340 in the power saving state. Setting OFF in the power saving request state information triggers the image forming apparatus to transition from the power saving state to the standby state.

[Description of Lowering Control of Paper Pickup Roller 113 at Transition to Standby State]
FIG. 9B illustrates the lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 when the image forming apparatus transitions from the power saving state to the standby state. In step S3100, the CPU 301 determines whether the power saving request state information stored in the RAM 303 has been turned off. As described with reference to FIG. 9A, in S3100, when the image forming apparatus is in the power saving state, the power saving button 340, which is a trigger for transition from the power saving state to the standby state, is pressed. Judgment is made or not. If the CPU 301 determines in step S3100 that the power saving request state information is not OFF, the process returns to step S3100.

  If the CPU 301 determines in step S3100 that the power saving request state information has been turned off, the CPU 301 determines whether the power control of the power source 350 has been switched to the power saving mode in step S3101. If the CPU 301 determines in step S3101 that the power control has not been switched to the power saving mode, the process returns to the processing in step S3101. If the power control is not switched to the power saving mode, there is a possibility that the ascending control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 during the power saving transition described in FIGS. 7 and 8 may not be completed. To do. When the CPU 301 determines that the power control is switched to the power saving mode in S3101, the CPU 301 switches the power control of the power source 350 to the normal power mode in S3102.

  In step S <b> 3103, the CPU 301 determines whether there is a sheet on the sheet feeding tray 111 by using the sheet presence sensor 115. If the CPU 301 determines in step S3013 that there is no sheet on the sheet feed tray 111, the process is terminated. If the CPU 301 determines in step S3013 that there is a sheet on the sheet feeding tray 111, in step S3104, the CPU 301 executes lowering control of the sheet feeding pickup roller 113 to move the sheet feeding pickup roller 113 to the contact position. This is because if there is paper on the paper feed tray 111 after the power control is switched to the normal power mode, the paper remains in the paper feed tray even after the image forming apparatus transitions to the power saving state and then returns to the standby state. This is because it can be determined that it has been installed at 111.

(Descent control of paper feed pickup roller 113)
FIG. 10A is a flowchart for explaining the lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 in S3104 of FIG. 9B. In S2000, the CPU 301 sets a time Ta (see FIG. 5C) until the paper feed pickup roller 113 is lowered to the contact position in the timer 291. In step S2001, the CPU 301 starts driving the elevating motor 163 to lower the paper feed pickup roller 113 (timing T1 in FIG. 5C). In step S2002, the CPU 301 starts the timer 291.

  In S2003, the CPU 301 refers to the timer 291 to determine whether or not the time Ta has elapsed (time up). If the CPU 301 determines in step S2003 that the time Ta has not elapsed, the process returns to step S2003. If the CPU 301 determines that the time Ta has elapsed in S2003, it determines that the paper feed pickup roller 113 has moved to the contact position in S2004, and stops driving the lifting motor 163 (FIG. 5 (c) timing T2). ). Thus, the lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is completed.

  As described above, the CPU 301 performs determination control for returning from the power saving state of the image forming apparatus described with reference to FIG. 9 and control for lowering the paper feed pickup roller 113 at that time. In this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state to the standby state, when it can be determined that the sheet is continuously installed in the sheet feeding tray 111, the sheet pickup pickup roller 113 is controlled to be lowered. Move to close position. This improves usability because the paper feed pickup roller 113 is automatically moved to the contact position without waiting for the user's work.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the usability at the time of replenishing the recording material of the stacking unit in the power saving state.

[Third embodiment]
In the third embodiment, when a sheet is placed on the paper feed tray 111 and OFF is set in the power saving request state information, the image forming apparatus triggers a transition from the power saving state to the standby state. Will be described.

[Judgment of Returning to Standby State Using Paper Presence Sensor 115]
In this embodiment, the determination of returning to the standby state using the paper presence sensor 115 of the paper feed tray 111 when the image forming apparatus is in the power saving state will be described with reference to FIG. As a premise of the present embodiment, the power supply from the power source 350 is not stopped but all the sensors 272 and drive sources 273 via the printer control unit 285 are selectively stopped. It shall be possible. In particular, even when the image forming apparatus is in the power saving state, the sensors 272 are supplied with power from the power supply 350, so that the presence / absence of paper can be detected by the paper presence / absence sensor 115 of the paper feed tray 111.

  FIG. 10B is a flowchart illustrating a determination process in which the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state to the standby state. In S4000, the CPU 301 determines whether or not ON is set in the power saving request state information stored in the RAM 303. This confirms that the image forming apparatus is in a power saving state. If the CPU 301 determines in step S4000 that ON is not set in the power saving request state information, the process returns to step S4000. If the CPU 301 determines in step S4000 that ON is set in the power saving request state information, in step S4001, the CPU 301 determines whether a sheet has been placed on the sheet feed tray 111 by the user. As described above, the paper presence / absence sensor 115 is supplied with power from the power source 350 even in the power saving mode, and the CPU 301 monitors the rising edge of the signal output from the paper presence / absence sensor 115 from OFF to ON. , S4001 is determined.

  If the CPU 301 determines in step S4001 that no paper is placed on the paper feed tray 111, the process returns to step S4001. In step S4001, when the CPU 301 detects that the paper is placed on the paper feed tray 111 by detecting the rising edge of the paper presence sensor 115, in step S4002, the CPU 301 sets the power saving request state information to OFF. And stored in the RAM 303. As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, when a sheet is placed on the paper feed tray 111 and the power saving request state information is set to OFF, the image forming apparatus transitions from the power saving state to the standby state. It becomes. The lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 when the image forming apparatus transitions from the power saving state to the standby state is the same as the processing described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state to the standby state when the user detects that the paper is placed on the paper feed tray 111. At this time, the lowering control of the paper feed pickup roller 113 is performed to shift to the contact position. Accordingly, since the user can automatically move the paper feed pickup roller 113 to the contact position without performing any work other than placing paper on the paper feed tray 111, usability is improved.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the usability at the time of replenishing the recording material of the stacking unit in the power saving state.

111 Paper feed tray 113 Paper feed pickup roller 163 Motor 301 CPU

Claims (13)

A loading section on which recording materials are loaded;
A paper feeding means for feeding the recording material loaded on the stacking unit to the conveyance path;
Changing means for changing the first state in which the sheet feeding means is in contact with the recording material stacked on the stacking section and the second state in which the sheet feeding means is separated from the recording material stacked on the stacking section. When,
When the image forming apparatus transitions from the first mode that consumes predetermined power to the second mode that consumes less power than the first mode, the paper feeding unit changes from the first state to the second mode. Control means for controlling the changing means to be changed to the state of
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit is a driving unit that moves the sheet feeding unit up and down between the first state and the second state.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit is a driving unit that moves the stacking unit up and down so that the sheet feeding unit is in the first state or the second state. .   The switch which inputs the instruction | indication for changing from said 1st mode to said 2nd mode or from said 2nd mode to said 1st mode is provided. Image forming apparatus.   The control unit moves the image forming apparatus from the first mode to the second mode in response to the switch being pressed when the image forming apparatus is in the first mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a transition is made. With a timer
When the image forming apparatus is in the first mode, the control unit changes from the first mode to the second mode in response to a predetermined time elapses without the job being submitted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is changed to a mode.   The control unit moves the image forming apparatus from the second mode to the first mode in response to the switch being pressed when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus transitions. A detecting means for detecting that paper is stacked on the stacking unit;
When the control unit detects that the sheet is stacked on the stacking unit when the control unit transitions from the second mode to the first mode, the sheet feeding unit is 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the changing unit is controlled so as to be changed from the second state to the first state. A detecting means for detecting that paper is stacked on the stacking unit;
When the image forming apparatus is in the second mode and the detection unit detects that sheets are stacked on the stacking unit, the control unit starts from the second mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus transitions to one mode.   The control unit is configured to change the sheet feeding unit from the second state to the first state when the image forming apparatus transitions from the second mode to the first mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the changing unit is controlled. It has a power supply to supply power,
11. The control unit according to claim 8, wherein, in the second mode, the power source is controlled so as to supply power to the first member and not to supply power to the second member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first member includes the detection unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second member includes the driving unit.

Images