JP2019112185A - Sheet sorting device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the usability in a case where a discharge tray is detached from a device body.SOLUTION: A sheet sorting device includes: a plurality of trays which have a prescribed tray detachable from a device body; discharge means which discharges a sheet formed with an image to any of the plurality of trays; tray detection means which detects whether or not the prescribed tray is detached; and control means which sets the discharge mode of discharging the sheet formed with the image to the plurality of trays by the discharge means on the basis of the detection result of the tray detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet sorting apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a plurality of discharge trays including removable discharge trays.

  Some conventional image forming apparatuses are provided with a sheet sorting apparatus having a plurality of discharge trays. This apparatus sorts sheets by, for example, discharging the sheets to separate discharge trays for each user.

  Patent Document 1 describes a sheet sorting apparatus capable of removing a plurality of discharge trays from an apparatus main body. For example, by removing the first tray among the plurality of discharge trays, the sheet stacking space of the second tray disposed below the first tray is expanded, and the maximum number of sheets stacked on the second tray can be increased. Can be increased.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-44105

  Here, for example, a case is considered where the user removes the first tray in order to change the sheet sorting mode (discharge mode) from the mailbox mode to the stacker mode. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the maximum number of stacked sheets to be stacked on the second tray can be increased by removing the first tray, but the sheet sorting mode is not changed. That is, after the user removes the first tray for the stacker mode, it takes time for the user to change the setting of the sorting mode to the stacker mode separately.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the usability when the discharge tray is removed from the apparatus body.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the sheet sorting apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of trays including a predetermined tray which can be removed from the apparatus body and a sheet on which an image is formed are discharged to any of the plurality of trays. The sheet sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a sheet sorting unit configured to eject the sheet and the sheet on which the image is formed based on a detection result of the tray detection unit. The apparatus is characterized by comprising control means for setting a discharge mode of discharging to the plurality of trays by the discharge means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability when the discharge tray is removed from the apparatus body.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus and a sheet sorting apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit and a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the sorting device control unit in the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart of sorting mode change in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus and a sheet sorting apparatus in Embodiment 2. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a sorting device control unit in a second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an ejection tray attachment / detachment instruction according to the sorting mode in the second embodiment.

Example 1
In the first embodiment, a method will be described in which the sheet sorting apparatus automatically changes the sorting mode (discharge mode) in accordance with the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray.

(Configuration diagram of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a view showing a schematic structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an example of a laser beam printer 100 (hereinafter referred to as a printer 100) is shown as an image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the printer 100, an image forming unit 101, a feeding unit 102 for feeding a sheet S (recording material) such as paper to the image forming unit 101, and the image forming unit 101 form the sheet S. A fixing unit 103 for fixing the obtained image and a discharge unit 104 are provided. Further, a sheet sorting apparatus 200 for receiving sheets S on which an image is formed from the printer 100 and sorting the sheets S is provided above the printer 100.

  The image forming unit 101 irradiates light to the photosensitive drum 111 which rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the charging roller 112 which charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 111, and the photosensitive drum 111 which has been charged. And an exposure device 113 for forming an electrostatic latent image. Further, the image forming unit 101 has a developing device 114 for placing toner on the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 111, and a transfer roller 115 for transferring the toner image onto the conveyed sheet S. There is. The image forming unit 101 forms a toner image on the sheet S by such an image forming process. The fixing unit 103 further includes a fixing roller 116, and a pressure roller 117 that forms a fixing nip portion with the fixing roller 116. The transferred toner image is applied to the sheet S by applying heat and pressure to the sheet S. Fix it.

  The feeding unit 102 includes a cassette 105 in which a plurality of sheets S to be subjected to image formation are stored in a stacked state, a feeding roller 106, a conveyance guide 109, and a registration roller 110. The discharge unit 104 includes a switching member 120, a fixing discharge roller 118, a discharge guide 122, a discharge roller 123, a discharge tray 124, and a full load detection flag 125. When the full load detection flag 125 detects that the discharge tray 124 is full, the printer 100 does not discharge the sheet S to the discharge tray 124 until the sheet S discharged to the discharge tray 124 is removed.

  The switching member 120 can be moved by an actuator (not shown) to a position indicated by a solid line guiding the sheet S after image formation to the sheet sorting apparatus 200 and a position indicated by a broken line leading to the discharge tray 124. It has become.

(Configuration diagram of the sheet sorting device)
Next, the sheet sorting apparatus 200 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 201 denotes a conveyance guide for guiding the sheet S conveyed from the printer 100. The conveyance guide 201 has a plurality of branching portions, and the ejection trays 210, 211, and 212 are provided at the branched ends, respectively. The conveying roller pair 202 and the discharge roller pairs 601, 602, and 603 discharge the sheet S to any of the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212. The discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 are configured to be freely removable from the apparatus main body 220 (also referred to as a housing) of the sheet sorting apparatus 200. Here, the switching member 402 and the switching member 403 are configured to be movable by an unshown actuator at the position of solid line and the position of broken line in FIG. For example, when discharging the sheet S to the discharge tray 210, the switching member 402 and the switching member 403 are moved to the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. When the sheet S is discharged onto the discharge tray 211, the switching member 402 is moved to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, and the switching member 403 is moved to the position shown by the solid line in FIG.

  The tray detection sensors 407, 408, and 409 are sensors that detect whether the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 have been removed from the apparatus main body 220, respectively. The tray detection sensors 407, 408, and 409 are, for example, photo interrupters, and the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 are removed from the apparatus main body 220, and output an OFF signal in a light transmission state where the light of the photo interrupter is not blocked. Then, the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 are attached to the apparatus main body 220, and in the light blocking state in which the light of the photo interrupter is blocked, an ON signal is output.

(Block diagram of control unit and functional configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration in the present embodiment. The printer 100 includes, as a control unit, a controller 301, a printer control unit 302 that controls the printer 100, and a sorting device control unit 303 that controls the sheet sorting device 200. The controller 301 communicates with an external device 300 such as a host computer to receive print data. Also, the controller 301 instructs the printer control unit 302 via the serial I / F to specify the print conditions created from the print data, and issues a print instruction. The printer control unit 302 controls each mechanism in accordance with the printing conditions received from the controller 301. Specifically, the sheet conveyance mechanism 311 including the feeding unit 102 and the discharging unit 104 is controlled to feed and discharge the sheet S, and the image forming unit 101 and the fixing unit 103 are controlled to form an image on the sheet S. Fix it.

  Further, the controller 301 designates the sorting destination of the sheet S to the sorting device control unit 303 by serial I / F. The sorting device control unit 303 controls each mechanism according to the sorting destination received from the controller 301. Specifically, the sheet conveyance mechanism 312 including the conveyance roller pair 202, the discharge roller pairs 601, 602, and 603, and the switching members 402 and 403 is controlled to convey the sheet S on which the image is formed. Further, the sorting device control unit 303 detects the presence or absence of the discharge trays 210, 211, 212 based on the detection results of the tray detection sensors 407, 408, 409.

  Further, the controller 301 includes a mode determination unit 315. The mode determination unit 315 determines the sorting mode of the sheet sorting apparatus 200 based on the attachment / detachment state of whether or not each of the discharge trays 210, 211, 212 is attached to the apparatus main body 220. The sorting device control unit 303 determines the attachment / detachment state of the discharge trays 210, 211, 212 from the detection results of the tray detection sensors 407, 408, 409. Here, the sorting mode (discharge mode) is a mode for determining, based on what conditions, the sheets S on which an image is formed on each of the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212, such as a stacker mode or a mailbox. There is a mode etc. The stacker mode is a mode of simple stacking in which the sheet S is continuously transported to a specific tray. The mailbox mode is a mode in which sheets S are sorted into different trays for each user who has issued an image formation instruction.

(Details of sorting device control unit)
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the sorting device control unit 303 in the present embodiment. The sorting device control unit 303 has a CPU 400 and communicates with the controller 301 via a serial communication unit 427. The serial communication unit 427 connects the CPU 400 and the controller 301 by a plurality of signal lines.

  When the print data 428 is notified to the controller 301 through the external device 300, the controller 301 notifies the CPU 400 of the signal of the loading notice 423 and the discharge destination information 424 through the serial communication unit 427. Further, a signal of tray presence / absence state 425 is notified from the CPU 400 to the controller 301 via the serial communication unit 427.

  The motor driver 410 is connected to the output terminal of the CPU 400. The motor driver 410 drives the conveyance motor 401. As the conveyance motor 401 rotates, the conveyance roller pair 202 and the discharge roller pairs 601, 602, and 603 rotate, and the sheet S is conveyed to the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212, respectively.

  An actuator (not shown) for switching the position of the switching member 402 is connected to the output terminal of the CPU 400. When the actuator is ON, the switching member 402 is switched to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 to guide the sheet S in the direction in which the discharge tray 211 is located. When the actuator is in the OFF state, the switching member 402 is switched to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 to guide the sheet S in the direction in which the discharge tray 210 is located.

  An actuator (not shown) for switching the position of the switching member 403 is connected to the output terminal of the CPU 400. When the actuator is on, the switching member 403 is switched to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 to guide the sheet S in the direction in which the discharge tray 212 is located. When the actuator is in the OFF state, the switching member 403 is switched to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 to guide the sheet S in the direction in which the discharge trays 210 and 211 are present.

  The tray detection sensor 407 uses the pull-up 417 to input the sensor state (a signal of ON or a signal of OFF) to the CPU 400 via the buffer 418. The details of the tray detection sensors 408 and 409 are the same as the tray detection sensor 407, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

(Description of operation of mode determination unit)
In this embodiment, four sorting modes to be described later can be switched according to the attachment / detachment state of each tray. The first sorting mode is a stacker mode capable of large-capacity loading. The second sorting mode is a mailbox mode 1 capable of sorting two user jobs and having a large load capacity of the user 1. The third sorting mode is the mailbox mode 2 in which two user jobs can be sorted and the load capacity of the user 2 is large. The fourth sorting mode is a mailbox mode 3 in which three user jobs can be sorted and the loading amount for each user is equal.

  A method of determining the sorting mode based on the attachment / detachment state of each tray will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The control based on the flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed by the mode determination unit 315 described in FIG. 2 based on a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM or a RAM.

  First, the mode determination unit 315 confirms whether the discharge tray 210 has been removed (S501). If the discharge tray 210 has been removed, the mode determining unit 315 subsequently checks whether the discharge tray 211 has been removed (S502). When the discharge tray 211 is removed, the mode determining unit 315 determines the sorting mode to be the stacker mode (S503). That is, when only the discharge tray positioned at the lowest level in the vertical direction is attached to the apparatus main body 220, the mode determination unit 315 determines the sorting mode to be the stacker mode. If the discharge tray 211 is attached, the mode determination unit 315 determines that the sorting mode is the mailbox mode 1 (S504).

  On the other hand, when the discharge tray 210 is attached in the confirmation of S501, the mode determining unit 315 subsequently confirms whether the discharge tray 211 is removed (S505). If the discharge tray 211 is removed, the mode determination unit 315 determines that the sorting mode is mailbox mode 2 (S506). If the discharge tray 211 is attached, the mode determination unit 315 determines that the sorting mode is mailbox mode 3 (S507). Finally, the mode determination unit 315 notifies the controller 301 of the determined sorting mode, and the process ends (S508).

  The controller 301 may display information (message or image) on the sorting mode on an operation panel (not shown) provided in the sheet sorting apparatus 200 in order to notify the user of the notified sorting mode. The operation panel may be provided in the printer 100. The controller 301 may also display information on the sorting mode on the screen of the external device 300 (on the printer driver).

  As described above, when the sorting mode is changed by the mode determination unit 315, the setting of the default sorting mode of the printer driver screen displayed when the user issues a print instruction via the host computer is also changed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the sheet sorting apparatus can automatically select an appropriate sorting mode according to the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray. As a result, it is possible to improve the usability when the discharge tray is removed from the apparatus body.

  In the first embodiment, the mode determination unit 315 automatically determines the sorting mode based on the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray, but a step may be added in which the user confirms the sorting mode once. That is, the mode determination unit 315 provisionally determines the sorting mode, and notifies the user of the sorting mode via the operation panel. The user confirms the sorting mode, and if it is determined that the sorting mode may be set, issues an instruction for approval to the controller 301 via the operation panel. Thus, the sorting mode is finally determined.

  In the first embodiment, the mode determination unit 315 determines the sorting mode to be one based on the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray. However, the configuration may be such that the user can select a candidate sorting mode. Also in this case, the user is made to select the sorting mode via the operation panel.

  In the first embodiment, the user may further change the sorting mode on the print driver after the mode determination unit 315 determines the sorting mode. However, when only the stacker mode can actually be executed, such as when the above-described discharge trays 210 and 211 are removed, usability is improved by restricting the sorting mode selectable by the user on the printer driver. Improve.

Example 2
In the first embodiment, the method of automatically determining the sorting mode in accordance with the attachment / detachment state of each tray has been described. In the present embodiment, a method will be described in which the user is urged to attach and detach the ejection tray so that the ejection tray is properly attached and detached according to the sorting mode selected by the user. The description of the main parts is the same as in the first embodiment, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described here.

(Block diagram of control unit and functional configuration)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration in the present embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the mode selection unit 610 is provided in the controller 301. The mode selection unit 610 confirms the consistency between the sorting mode selected by the user via the external device 300 or the operation panel and the mounting / dismounting state of the discharge trays 210, 211, 212. The mode selection unit 610 may be provided in the sorting device control unit 303.

(Details of sorting device control unit)
FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the sorting device control unit 303 in the present embodiment. The tray 301 is notified of the tray presence / absence state 701 from the CPU 400 via the serial communication unit 427. When the signal of mode selection 702 is notified from the external device 300 to the controller 301, the controller 301 notifies the external device 300 of the tray attachment / detachment instruction display 703 according to the processing of the mode selection unit 610. Here, the signal of mode selection 702 is a signal for notifying of the sorting mode selected by the user via the external device 300.

(Description of the operation of the mode selection unit)
Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, a method of prompting the user to attach and detach the discharge tray so as to be in the appropriate attachment and detachment state of the discharge tray matching the sorting mode selected by the user will be described. The control based on the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed by the mode selection unit 610 described in FIG. 5 based on a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM or a RAM.

  First, the mode selection unit 610 confirms the sorting mode selected by the user based on the signal of the mode selection 702 notified from the external device 300 (S801). The mode selection unit 610 checks whether the notified sorting mode is the stacker mode (S802). If it is the stacker mode, the mode selection unit 610 subsequently confirms whether both of the discharge trays 210 and 211 have been removed (S803). If both of the discharge trays have been removed, the mode selection unit 610 ends the processing because the selected sorting mode matches the mounting / removing state of the discharge tray. On the other hand, when the attachment / detachment states of the discharge trays do not match, the mode selection unit 610 notifies the external device 300 that the discharge trays 210 and 211 are to be removed, and returns to S803 (S804).

  If it is determined in S802 that the stacker mode is not set, the mode selection unit 610 checks whether the notified sorting mode is the mailbox mode 1 (S805). If it is the mailbox mode 1, the mode selection unit 610 subsequently confirms whether the discharge tray 210 is removed and the discharge tray 211 is attached (S806). If the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray matches the condition of S806, the mode selection unit 610 ends the process. On the other hand, if the ejection tray attachment / removal conditions do not match, the mode selection unit 610 removes the ejection tray 210, notifies the external device 300 that the ejection tray 211 is to be attached, and returns to S806 (S807).

  If it is determined in S805 that the mode is not the mailbox mode 1, the mode selection unit 610 confirms whether the notified sorting mode is the mailbox mode 2 (S808). If it is the mailbox mode 2, the mode selection unit 610 subsequently confirms whether the discharge tray 210 is attached and whether the discharge tray 211 is removed (S809). If the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray matches the condition of S809, the mode selection unit 610 ends the process. On the other hand, if the ejection tray attachment / removal conditions do not match, the mode selection unit 610 mounts the ejection tray 210, notifies the external device 300 that the ejection tray 211 is to be removed, and returns to S809 (S810).

  If it is determined in S808 that the mode is not the mailbox mode 2, the mode selection unit 610 determines that the notified sorting mode is the mailbox mode 3 (S811). Then, the mode selection unit 610 confirms whether both of the discharge trays 210 and 211 are attached (S812). If the attachment / detachment state of the discharge tray matches the condition of S812, the mode selection unit 610 ends the process. On the other hand, if the ejection tray attachment / removal conditions do not match, the mode selection unit 610 notifies the external device 300 that the ejection trays 210 and 211 should be attached, and returns to S812 (S813).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to notify the user of the appropriate ejection tray attachment / detachment state according to the sorting mode selected by the user. As a result, it is possible to improve the usability when the discharge tray is removed from the apparatus body.

  In the above-described first and second embodiments, the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 are described as being removable from the apparatus main body 220. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Only the discharge tray 210 may be removable, and the discharge trays 211 and 212 may not be removable. That is, at least one discharge tray may be removable from the apparatus body 220.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to the case where all of the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 are configured to be removable from the apparatus main body 220, and the sorting mode is set in combination with the discharge tray 124 of the printer 100. For example, all of the discharge trays 210, 211, and 212 can be removed from the apparatus main body 220, and the sheet S can be transported to the discharge tray 124, whereby the stacker mode can be used as a large capacity.

  In the first and second embodiments, the printer control unit 302 and the sorting device control unit 303 are separately configured. However, only the printer control unit 302 may be configured. In such a case, the printer control unit 302 may control the sheet sorting apparatus 200.

  Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the sheet sorting apparatus 200 may be configured to be detachable from the printer 100 or may be configured to be fixed to the printer 100 and integrated.

  In the first and second embodiments, the configuration in which the three discharge trays 210, 211 and 212 are provided has been described, but the number of discharge trays is not limited to three. The number of output trays may be set in accordance with the environment in which the sheet sorting apparatus 200 is used, the number of users to be used jointly, or the specifications of the sheet sorting apparatus 200.

  Further, although the examples of the laser beam printer have been shown in the above-described first and second embodiments, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and printers of other printing methods such as inkjet printer, Or, it may be a copying machine.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the stacker mode and the mailbox mode are described as the sorting mode, but the sorting mode is not limited to the stacker mode and the mailbox mode. For example, in a copying machine or the like, a function sorting mode in which trays are allocated according to functions such as copying, printing, and faxing may be one of the sorting modes. Furthermore, the job sorting mode in which trays are switched for each print job may be one of the sorting modes, and the job sorting mode may be selected when all the trays are mounted.

200 sheet sorting apparatus 210, 211, 212 discharge tray 301 controller 303 sorting apparatus control section 407, 408, 409 tray detection sensor 601, 602, 603 discharge roller pair

Claims (7)

A plurality of trays including a predetermined tray which is removable from the apparatus body;
Discharging means for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed to any of the plurality of trays;
A sheet detection device for detecting whether or not the predetermined tray has been removed;
A sheet sorting apparatus, comprising: control means for setting a discharge mode in which the sheet on which the image is formed is discharged to the plurality of trays by the discharge means based on the detection result of the tray detection means.   The control unit discharges the sheet on which the image is formed in the first discharge mode to the plurality of trays when the tray detection unit detects that the predetermined tray is attached to the apparatus main body. When it is detected by the tray detection unit that the predetermined tray has been removed from the apparatus main body, the plurality of sheets on which the image is formed in the second discharge mode different from the first discharge mode are The sheet sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is discharged to a tray.   3. The sheet sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects the stacker mode as the discharge mode when only the tray positioned at the lowermost stage in the vertical direction is attached to the apparatus body. apparatus.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when all of the plurality of trays are attached to the apparatus main body, the control means selects a mailbox mode as the discharge mode. Sheet sorting device. A plurality of trays including a predetermined tray which is removable from the apparatus body;
Discharging means for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed to any of the plurality of trays;
A sheet detection device for detecting whether or not the predetermined tray has been removed;
When a discharge mode in which the sheet on which the image is formed is discharged to the plurality of trays by the discharge unit is set from the outside, the state matched with the discharge mode set based on the detection result of the tray detection unit The sheet sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: control means for issuing an instruction for attaching or detaching the predetermined tray. Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, receiving the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming means, and sorting the received sheet. A plurality of trays including a predetermined tray which is removable from the apparatus body;
Discharging means for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed to any of the plurality of trays;
A sheet detection device for detecting whether or not the predetermined tray has been removed;
A sheet sorting apparatus, comprising: display means for displaying a discharge mode in which the sheet on which the image is formed is discharged to the plurality of trays by the discharge means based on the detection result of the tray detection means.

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