JP2020104961A - Medium discharge apparatus and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medium discharge apparatus and a printing system capable of enhancing the discharge efficiency of a medium and allowing for easily controlling a discharged medium.SOLUTION: A sheet discharge apparatus 1 (one example of a medium discharge apparatus) includes a first sheet loading unit 10 and a second sheet loading unit 20 (one example of a plurality of medium loading units) having movable end fences 12 and 22 that perform an offset action to partition sheets P loaded (one example of medium) (one example of a partition action) and offset guides 13 and 23 (one example of partitioning means). A control unit 51 controls a discharge-route switchover unit 33 to switch a discharge route over to the second sheet loading unit 20 after an assortment unit of sheets P are loaded on the first sheet loading unit 10 (S13), and allows the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet loading unit 10 to perform an offset action while the sheet P is loaded on the second sheet loading unit 20 (S14).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a medium ejecting device on which a medium such as paper is stacked, and a printing system including the medium ejecting device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus including a plurality of paper ejection devices, a paper ejection device that performs continuous paper ejection among a plurality of paper ejection devices does not eject paper before the stacking amount reaches the maximum stacking amount. An image forming apparatus that causes a paper apparatus to start preparations for operation has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2005-9916, A

By the way, for example, in a paper ejection device capable of stacking a large number of papers (medium), when the paper stacking section becomes full when there is only one paper stacking section on which the papers are sequentially stacked, until the papers are removed, You will not be able to eject the paper. Therefore, not only the efficiency of discharging the paper is poor, but also a burden on the user who takes out the paper. Therefore, it is conceivable to arrange a plurality of sheet stacking units like the image forming apparatus described above. However, it is desirable that the sheets stacked on each of the plurality of sheet stacking units perform a partitioning operation such as an offset operation for each job in view of user management.

However, for example, when the partitioning operation is performed by the offset operation, it is necessary to move the end fence, the offset guide, and the like back and forth in the paper ejection direction. During this operation, the paper cannot be ejected, and the paper ejection cannot be performed. Efficiency deteriorates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a medium ejection device and a printing system that can improve the ejection efficiency of a medium and can easily manage the ejected medium.

In one aspect, the medium discharging device includes a plurality of medium stacking units including a first medium stacking unit and a second medium stacking unit on which mediums are stacked, and a plurality of medium stacking units configured to discharge the medium. And a control unit that controls the plurality of medium stacking units and the discharge route switching unit, and the plurality of medium stacking units partition the media to be stacked. The control unit includes a partitioning unit configured to perform the above, and the control unit is configured to switch the discharge route to the second medium stacking unit after the medium of the sorting unit is stacked on the first medium stacking unit. The switching unit is controlled to cause the partition means of the first medium stacking unit to perform the partitioning operation while the medium is stacked on the second medium stacking unit.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to improve the efficiency of ejecting the medium, and it is possible to easily manage the ejected medium.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a printing system according to a first embodiment. It is a diagram showing a main control configuration of the printing system according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a stacking state of sheets in the sheet discharging device according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system according to the second embodiment. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a remaining job analysis process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a stacking state of sheets in the sheet discharging device according to the second embodiment. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing system according to the third exemplary embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a stacking state of sheets in the sheet discharging device according to the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, a sheet ejection device (an example of a medium ejection device) and a printing system according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a printing system 100 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a main control configuration of the printing system 100.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 includes a paper feeding device 110, a first printing device 120, a reversing device 130, a second printing device 140, and a paper ejection device 1.

It should be noted that in FIG. 1, the straight conveyance paths R1, R4-1 and R5-1 of the sheet P, which is an example of a medium, the first discharge path R6, and the second discharge path R7 are indicated by solid lines, and the circulation conveyance path R2. Is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the reverse conveyance routes R3, R4-2, R5-2 are indicated by broken lines.

The sheet feeding device 110 has a sheet feeding table 111 on which sheets P before printing are stacked. Although not shown in the figure, the sheet feeding device 110 drives the sheet feeding roller for feeding and feeding the uppermost sheet P of the plurality of sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding table 111, and the sheet feeding roller. A supply driving means (actuator) such as a motor is arranged. The paper feeding device 110 may be integrated with the first printing device 120.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first printing device 120 includes a plurality of transport roller pairs 121, a printing unit 122, a suction transport unit 123, transport path switching units 124 and 125, and a paper discharge tray 126. .. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first printing device 120 further includes a control unit 127, a storage unit 128, and an interface unit 129.

Plural pairs of conveyance rollers 121 are arranged in the printing apparatus 110 and convey the paper P while nipping it.

The printing unit 122 has, for example, line head type inkjet heads (not shown) for each color used for printing, and prints on the paper P. The printing method of the printing unit 122 may be a printing method other than the inkjet printing method.

The suction conveyance unit 123 is arranged so as to face the printing unit 122. The suction conveyance unit 123 conveys the paper P by a belt while adsorbing the paper P. The suction transfer unit 123 is an example of a transfer unit.

One of the transport path switching units 124 has a transport route of the paper P printed by the printing unit 122, a straight transport route R1 that continues to the reversing device 130, and a circulation transport route that continues to the sheet discharge tray 126 and the reverse transport route R3. Switch to R2.

The other transport path switching unit 125 switches the circulation transport path R2 of the paper P to a transport path that continues to the paper discharge tray 126 and a transport path that continues to the reverse transport path R3. It should be noted that the front and back sides of the paper P are reversed in the reverse conveyance route R3, and the paper P is conveyed again to the printing unit 122.

The paper P that is not discharged to the paper discharge device 1 side is stacked on the paper discharge table 126.
The control unit 127 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a processor (for example, a CPU: Central Processing Unit) that functions as an arithmetic processing device that controls the overall operation of the first printing apparatus 120, and includes the printing unit 122, the suction conveyance unit 123, and the like. The operation of each unit of the first printing apparatus 120 is controlled. In addition, at least one of the control unit 144 of the second printing device 140 and the control unit 51 of the sheet ejection device 1 described later, and a control unit that also serves as the control unit 127 may be arranged.

The storage unit 128 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is recorded in advance, and as a work storage area as needed when the processor executes various control programs. A RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written and read as needed, is used.

The interface unit 129 stores various kinds of information with the paper ejecting device 1, the paper feeding device 110, the reversing device 130, the second printing device 140, and the like of the printing system 100, a computer that transmits print data to the printing system 100, and the like. Give and receive.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reversing device 130 includes a plurality of transport roller pairs 131 and a switchback roller pair 132. The pair of transport rollers 131 transports the sheet P discharged from the first printing device 120 while nipping it. The transport path switching mechanism (not shown) of the reversing device 130 uses the straight transport path R4-1 that transports the paper P discharged from the first printing device 120 to the second printing device 140 as it is, and the paper by the switchback roller pair 132. The conveyance path is switched to the reverse conveyance path R4-2 that reverses the front and back of P.

The configuration of the second printing device 140 can be similar to that of the first printing device 120. For example, the second printing device 140, like the first printing device 120, has a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 141, a printing unit 142, and a suction conveyance unit 143. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the second printing device 140 includes a control unit 144, a storage unit 145, and an interface unit 146. Unlike the first printing device 120, the second printing device 140 does not have the circulation transport path (transport path switching units 124 and 125) and the paper discharge tray 126, but the second printing device 140 is different from the first printing device 120. Similarly, it may have a circulation conveyance path and a paper ejection stand.

Further, the printing system 100 includes a total of two printing units, that is, the printing unit 122 of the first printing device 120 and the printing unit 142 of the second printing device 140, but it may have only a single printing unit. Or, it may have three or more printing units.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet discharging device 1 includes a first sheet stacking unit 10, a second sheet stacking unit 20, a first intermediate device 30, and a second intermediate device 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet ejection device 1 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, and an interface unit 53.

In the paper discharge device 1, at least one of the first intermediate device 30 and the second intermediate device 40 is omitted, and the second printing device 140 is connected to the first paper stacking unit 10 and the second paper stacking unit. The paper P may be directly transported to at least one of the 20. Further, the paper discharge device 1 is a paper discharge device in which at least two of the first paper stacking unit 10, the second paper stacking unit 20, the first intermediate device 30, and the second intermediate device 40 are integrated. It may be a device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first sheet stacking unit 10 includes a sheet discharge tray 11, a movable end fence 12, an offset guide 13, and an upper surface detection sensor 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first sheet stacking unit 10 further includes a sheet discharge tray raising/lowering drive unit 15 and an offset drive unit 16. The first sheet stacking unit 10 is an example of a first medium stacking unit on which sheets P are stacked.

Paper P discharged from the first intermediate device 30, that is, paper P printed by at least one of the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, is sequentially stacked on the paper output tray 11. It The paper ejection tray 11 is moved up and down by the drive of the paper ejection tray elevation drive unit 15.

The paper discharge table 11 may be a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor on which the sheets P are stacked, that is, a paper discharge table having a transport unit. Further, the paper discharge tray 11 may be provided with a groove or the like so that the paper P can be delivered to the carriage so as not to interfere with the carriage even when the paper P is lowered to the same height as the carriage.

The movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 are an example of a partitioning unit that performs a partitioning operation for partitioning the sheets P stacked on the sheet discharge tray 11. The movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 perform an offset operation for offsetting the stacking position of the paper P on the paper ejection tray 11 as an example of the partition operation. However, in the partitioning operation, for example, an insert such as a tape or a blank sheet is inserted between the sheets P, the sheet P is bent, the sheet P is marked, or a plurality of sheets P are bundled by stapling. It may be an operation or the like, and is not limited to the offset operation.

The movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 move the stacking position of the paper P in the discharge direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) by the drive of the offset drive unit 16. The movable end fence 12 is abutted with the leading edge of the paper P discharged from the first intermediate device 30. The offset guide 13 guides the trailing edge of the paper P.

The upper surface detection sensor 14 detects the height of the stacking surface of the paper discharge tray 11, that is, the height of the uppermost paper P (the height of the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 11 when the paper P is not stacked). Is a sensor for. The upper surface detection sensor 14 has, for example, a light emitting unit that horizontally emits light (illustrated by a dotted line in FIG. 1) at a height that forms a desired stacking surface, and a light receiving unit that receives this light. When the light emitted from the light emitting unit of the upper surface detection sensor 14 is blocked by the paper P and the light receiving unit of the upper surface detection sensor 14 does not receive the light, the control unit 51, which will be described later, sets the paper ejection tray 11 for several sheets P, for example. The paper ejection table elevating/lowering drive unit 15 is controlled so as to be lowered by the height.

The paper discharge tray elevating/lowering drive unit 15 moves the paper discharge tray 11 up and down. The paper ejection platform elevating/lowering drive unit 15 is an actuator such as a motor.

The offset driving unit 16 moves the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 in the discharge direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) to change the stacking position of the sheets P to the front and the rear in the discharge direction. The offset drive unit 16 is, for example, an actuator such as a motor.

Similar to the first sheet stacking section 10, the second sheet stacking section 20 includes a sheet discharge tray 21, a movable end fence 22, an offset guide 23, an upper surface detection sensor 24, and a sheet discharge tray lift drive unit 25. And an offset drive unit 26. The second sheet stacking unit 20 is an example of a second medium stacking unit on which the sheets P are stacked.

Since the configuration of the second sheet stacking unit 20 can be the same as the configuration of the first sheet stacking unit 10, a detailed description thereof will be omitted, but the paper discharge tray 21 includes the first intermediate device 30. Instead, the sheets P discharged from the second intermediate device 40 are stacked.

The sheet discharging device 1 includes the first sheet stacking section 10 and the second sheet stacking section 20 as an example of the plurality of medium stacking sections, but the third sheet stacking section (the third medium stacking section It may have three or more medium loading parts including one example).

As shown in FIG. 1, the first intermediate device 30 includes a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 31, a switchback roller pair 32, and a discharge path switching unit 33.

The pair of transport rollers 31 transports the sheet P discharged from the second printing device 140 while nipping it. The transport path switching mechanism (not shown) of the first intermediate device 30 includes a straight transport path R5-1 for directly transporting the paper P discharged from the second printing device 140 to the discharge path switching unit 33, and a switchback roller pair 32. The conveyance path is switched to the reverse conveyance path R5-2 which reverses the front and back of the paper P.

The discharge path switching unit 33 connects the discharge path of the paper P to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first discharge path R6) and the second intermediate device 40 (second discharge unit) that continues to the second paper stacking unit 20. Switch to route R7). The discharge path switching unit 31 is, for example, a flipper. As described above, when the paper discharge device 1 has three or more medium stacking units (paper stacking units), one or a plurality of discharge path switching units has three or more discharge paths for the paper P. Will be switched to one of the medium stacking units.

The second intermediate device 40 conveys the paper P discharged from the second discharge path R7 of the first intermediate device 30 to the second paper stacking unit 20. The second intermediate device 40 has a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 41. The pair of transport rollers 41 transports the sheet P to the second sheet stacking unit 20 while nipping the sheet P.

Note that the second intermediate device 40 may also have a reverse conveyance path that reverses the front and back of the paper P, as in the first intermediate device 30. Alternatively, the reverse conveyance route R5-2 of the first intermediate device 30 may be omitted.

The control unit 51 of the sheet ejection device 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 has a processor (for example, a CPU) that functions as an arithmetic processing unit that controls the operation of the entire sheet ejection device 1, and includes the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 10. The operation of each unit such as the sheet stacking unit 20 is controlled. The control unit 51 is not limited to a single control unit. For example, the control unit that controls the first sheet stacking unit 10, the control unit that controls the second sheet stacking unit 20, and the first intermediate unit. The control unit that controls the device 30 (the discharge path switching unit 33) and the control unit that controls the second intermediate device 40 may be arranged separately. In addition, at least one of the control unit 127 of the first printing device 120, the control unit 144 of the second printing device 140, and the like, and a control unit that also serves as the control unit 51 of the paper ejection device 1 are arranged. Good.

The storage unit 52 is, for example, a ROM, which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is recorded in advance, and an occasional write used as a work storage area as needed when the processor executes various control programs. A readable semiconductor memory such as a RAM is used.

The interface unit 53 sends and receives various types of information to and from the first printing device 120, the second printing device 140, and the like of the printing system 100, a computer that sends print data to the printing system 100, and the like.

The paper discharge device 1 does not stack the paper P printed by at least one of the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, but performs processing other than printing on the paper P. Alternatively, the sheets P discharged from the transport device that transports the sheets P may be stacked.

Hereinafter, the operation of the printing system 100 and the stacking state of the paper P in the paper ejection device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the printing system 100.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a stacked state of the sheets P in the sheet ejection device 1.

Each process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is performed by the control unit 51 of the sheet ejection device 1 shown in FIG. However, each process is performed by another control unit of the printing system 100 (for example, the control units 127 and 144 of the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140), and the control unit 51 controls the processing based on the processing. The operation of the sheet ejection device 1 may be controlled. The case where the sorting unit of the paper P is a job (print job) will be described as an example. However, the sorting unit may be one set when a plurality of sets of one or more pages are printed, and is limited to a job. I can't.

First, when printing is started in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, and the sheets P are sequentially stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10, the control unit 51 of the sheet discharging device 1 may, for example, Based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140, the determination as to whether the job printing is completed is repeated until the job printing is completed (step S11).

When the printing of the job ends (step S11: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a next job based on the information received from the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140 (step S12). .. If there is no next job (step S12: NO), the printing in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140 is not performed, so the processing illustrated in FIG. 3 ends. In preparation for the next printing, the control unit 51 causes the discharge path switching unit 33 to set the discharge path of the paper P to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first unit) in the same manner as the processing of steps S13 and S14 described later. Processing for switching from the discharge path R6) to the second sheet stacking unit 20 (second discharge path R7), and moving the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction. At least one of the processes for controlling the offset driving unit 16 so as to perform the offset operation described above may be performed.

When there is a next job (step S12: YES), the control unit 51 causes the discharge path switching unit 33 of the first intermediate device 30 to change the discharge path of the paper P to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first discharge). The route R6) is switched to the second sheet stacking unit 20 (second discharge route R7) (step S13).

Next, the control unit 51 moves the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction while the sheets P are stacked on the second sheet stacking unit 20. The offset driving unit 16 is controlled so that the above-described offset operation is performed (step S14).

Next, the control unit 51 repeats, based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140, the determination of whether the printing of the job is completed until the printing of the job is completed (step S15). ..

When the printing of the job is completed (step S15: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a next job based on the information received from the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140 (step S16). .. If there is no next job (step S16: NO), printing is not performed in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, so the processing shown in FIG. 3 ends.

When there is a next job (step S16: YES), the control unit 51 causes the discharge path switching unit 33 of the first intermediate device 30 to change the discharge path of the paper P to the second paper stacking unit 20 (second discharge). The route R7) is switched to the first sheet stacking unit 10 (first discharge route R6) (step S17). It should be noted that the switching of the discharge path may be performed after the completion of the above-described offset operation (step S14) of the first sheet stacking unit 10 that is the switching destination.

Next, the control unit 51 controls the offset drive unit 26 so as to perform the above-described offset operation of moving the positions of the movable end fence 22 and the offset guide 23 of the second sheet stacking unit 20 in the discharge direction (step). S18). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S11 described above.

As described above, the discharge path switching unit 33 sequentially switches the discharge path between the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 for each job, so that printing is performed in order as shown in FIG. Jobs 1 to 10 which are the sorted sorting jobs are alternately stacked on the paper discharge tray 11 of the first paper stacking unit 10 and the paper discharge tray 21 of the second paper stacking unit 20. Note that the switching of the discharge path by the discharge path switching unit 33 is performed, for example, such that the paper P of the job corresponding to the user A is stacked on the first paper stacking unit 10 and the paper P of the job corresponding to the user B is changed to the first. The second sheet stacking unit 20 may be stacked, and this can be performed at any timing. In this case, the discharge path is not switched for each job, but when the discharge path is switched, before the switching is performed while the sheets P are stacked on the switching target sheet stacking unit (medium stacking unit). Since the offset operation of the paper stacking unit can be performed, it is possible to prevent the discharge and the printing of the paper P from being stopped.

In the first embodiment described above, the sheet ejection device 1 (an example of a medium ejection device) includes the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 10 on which the sheets P (an example of the medium) are stacked. 20 (an example of a plurality of medium stacking sections including a first medium stacking section and a second medium stacking section), and a discharge path of the paper P, whichever of the first sheet stacking section 10 and the second sheet stacking section 20. And a control unit 51 that controls the first paper stacking unit 10, the second paper stacking unit 20, and the discharge path switching unit 33. The first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 include movable end fences 12 and 22 and offset guides 13 and 23 (of partitioning means) that perform an offset operation (an example of partitioning operation) of partitioning stacked sheets P. One example). The control unit 51 controls the discharge path switching unit 33 to switch the discharge path to 20 (the second discharge path R7) after the sheets P of the sorting unit (for example, jobs) are stacked on the first paper stacking unit 10. Control is performed (step S13), and the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking section 10 are caused to perform the offset operation while the sheets P are stacked on the second sheet stacking section 20 (step S14). .. The printing system 100 also includes the paper discharge device 1 and a printing unit 122 of the first printing device 120 and a printing unit 142 of the second printing device 140, which are examples of a printing unit that prints on the paper P. ..

As a result, while the movable end fences 12 and 22 and the offset guides 13 and 23 are performing the offset operation to facilitate management of the discharged paper P, another paper stacking unit (other medium stacking unit) The paper P is discharged to the bottom. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the discharge of the paper P and the stop of the printing while the offset operation is performed. Therefore, the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be improved. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be improved, and the discharged paper P can be easily managed.

Further, in the first embodiment, the control unit 51 sequentially switches the discharge path to the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 for each sheet P of a sorting unit (for example, a job). The switching unit 33 is controlled. As a result, the offset operation can be performed for each sorting unit without stopping the discharge or printing of the paper P, so that the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be further improved.

<Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the configuration of the printing system 100 can be the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above, and therefore the description of the printing system 100 will be omitted and referring to FIGS. 5 to 7. The operation of the printing system 100 and the stacked state of the paper P in the paper ejection device 1 will be described.

As will be described in detail later, in the second embodiment as well, similarly to the above-described first embodiment, the sheets are discharged in order to the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 for each job (an example of a sorting unit). Although the paths are switched, as shown in FIG. 7, Jobs 1 to 5 are stacked in the first paper stacking unit 10 in the job order (an example of a predetermined order), and in the second paper stacking unit 20 in the job order. Jobs 6 to 10 are loaded. That is, printing is performed in the order of Job 1, 6, 2, 2, 7, 3, 8, 4, 9, 5, 10.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system 100 according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the remaining job analysis process.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a stacking state of the sheets P in the sheet discharging device 1.

Each process of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is performed by the control unit 51 of the sheet ejection device 1 shown in FIG. However, each process is performed by another control unit of the printing system 100 (for example, the control units 127 and 144 of the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140), and the control unit 51 controls the processing based on the processing. The operation of the sheet ejection device 1 may be controlled. The case where the sorting unit of the paper P is a job (print job) will be described as an example. However, the sorting unit may be one set when a plurality of sets of one or more pages are printed, and is limited to a job. I can't.

First, when printing is started in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, and the sheets P are sequentially stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10, the control unit 51 of the sheet discharging device 1 may, for example, Based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140, the determination of whether the job printing is completed is repeated until the job printing is completed (step S21).

When the printing of the job is completed (step S21: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a next job based on the information received from the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140 (step S22). .. If there is no next job (step S22: NO), printing is not performed in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, so the processing shown in FIG. 5 ends. The control unit 51 moves the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction in preparation for the next printing, as in the process of step S24 described below. You may perform the process which controls the offset drive part 16 so that offset operation may be performed.

When there is a next job (step S22: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a switching Job (step S23). This switching Job will be described with reference to FIG.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 51 determines that the total number of pages of one or more jobs queued is the first page based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140. The determination whether the number of sheets is greater than the remaining number of sheets that can be stacked on the sheet stacking unit 10 (or the remaining number of sheets up to the set number of sheets to be stacked) is repeated until the number is increased (step S231), and when the number is increased (step S231: YES), The first job number that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 is stored as a switching Job in the storage unit 52 (step S232). Here, when Job1 to Job5 can be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10, the control unit 51 stores the switching JobN in the storage unit 52 as Job6.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the control unit 51 determines that there is no switching JobN (step S23: NO), the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 are moved in the discharge direction. The offset driving unit 16 is controlled so as to perform the above-described offset operation (step S24). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S21 described above. That is, in the second embodiment, when there is no switching JobN, the discharge path switching unit 33 does not occasionally switch the discharge path to the first sheet stacking unit 10 and waits for the offset operation of the first sheet stacking unit 10. Is printed and discharged.

On the other hand, when the control unit 51 determines that the switching JobN is present (step S23: YES), the discharge route switching unit 33 of the first intermediate device 30 causes the discharge route of the paper P to move to the first sheet stacking unit 10 (first unit). The first sheet discharge path R6) is switched to the second sheet stacking unit 20 (second sheet discharge path R7) (step S25).

In addition, the control units 127 and 144 of the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140 change the order of printing in the printing units 122 and 142, and advance the printing of the switching JobN (step S26). Since there is a conveyance distance from the printing units 122 and 142 to the discharge path switching unit 33, the discharge path is switched from the first paper stacking unit 10 to the second paper stacking unit 20 in step S25 described above. It is advisable to start advance printing (step S26).

Further, the control unit 51 moves the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction while the sheets P are stacked on the second sheet stacking unit 20 described above. The offset driving unit 16 is controlled so as to perform the offset operation (step S27).

Next, the control unit 51 repeats, based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140, the determination as to whether the printing of the switching JobN is completed until the printing of the switching JobN is completed (step). S28).

When the printing of the switching JobN is completed (step S28: YES), the control unit 51 changes N of JobN to N+1 (step S29). For example, if the switching JobN is Job6, the control unit 51 changes the switching JobN to Job7 (switching JobN+1).

Further, the control unit 51 causes the discharge path switching unit 33 to change the discharge path of the paper P from the second paper stacking unit 20 (second discharge path R7) to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first discharge path R6). ) (Step S30). It should be noted that the switching of the discharge path may be performed after the completion of the above-described offset operation (step S27) of the first sheet stacking unit 10 that is the switching destination.

Next, the control unit 51 controls the offset drive unit 26 so as to perform the above-described offset operation of moving the positions of the movable end fence 22 and the offset guide 23 of the second sheet stacking unit 20 in the discharge direction (step). S31). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S21 described above.

As described above, the job numbers that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 are switched as JobN to carry out printing (for example, as shown in FIG. 7, Job1, 6, 2, 7, 3, 8). , 4, 9, 5, 5 and 10), Jobs 1 to 5 are stacked in the order of jobs (an example of a predetermined order) on the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20. Jobs 6 to 10 are stacked in the order of jobs.

In the second embodiment, an example is described in which a job number that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 is moved up as a switching JobN and printing is performed, but the switching JobN is determined by a user setting or the like. It may be a job number. Further, in the switching JobN, the sheets P for each job are alternately stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 even if there is no job number that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10. May be set as follows. As an example, if the number of jobs is 9 or 10, the switching JobN may be set to 6 in order to load the sheets P of five jobs on the first sheet stacking unit 10.

In this way, the switching Job can be set arbitrarily. Further, for example, as shown in the flow chart shown in FIG. 5 described above, the job number that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 is set to JobN, or as described above, the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 10 are set. The user may be able to select from a plurality of settings such as a setting for switching Job so as to alternately stack the paper P for each job on the paper stacking unit 20 and determining the JobN. Further, for example, when there is no job number that cannot be stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10, the sheets P are stacked only on the first sheet stacking unit 10 while offsetting for each job. Before the stacking of a plurality of jobs in the unit 10 is completed (for example, from a job that exceeds a predetermined stacking surface height or the number of stacked sheets), the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 alternately perform jobs. The switching JobN may be set during the stacking of the first sheet stacking unit 10 so that the sheets P of each sheet are stacked.

In the second embodiment described above, the same effect can be obtained with respect to the same matters as in the first embodiment, that is, the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be improved, and the discharged paper P can be easily managed. The effect that it can be performed can be obtained.

Further, in the second embodiment, the control unit 51 of the paper ejection device 1 controls the ejection path for each paper P of a sorting unit (for example, a job) for each of the first paper stacking unit 10 and the second paper stacking unit 20 (a plurality of paper stacking units). Of the first paper stacking unit). The discharge path switching unit 33 is controlled so as to sequentially switch to the first paper stacking unit of the first printing device 120 and the control unit 144 of the second printing device 140. 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 are arranged such that the plurality of sorting unit sheets P stacked in the job order (an example of a predetermined order) are printed in the printing units 122 and 142 by changing the printing order. To do. As a result, the offset operation can be performed for each sorting unit without stopping the discharge or printing of the paper P, so that the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be further improved. Furthermore, the sheets P of a plurality of sorting units stacked on each of the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 can be arranged in a job order (an example of a predetermined order). Therefore, it is possible to more easily manage the discharged paper P.

<Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, the printing system 100 can have the same configuration as the above-described first embodiment, and therefore the description of the printing system 100 will be omitted and printing will be performed with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The operation of the system 100 and the stacked state of the paper P in the paper ejection device 1 will be described.

As will be described later in detail, in the third embodiment, the discharge paths are sequentially switched to the first sheet stacking unit 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20, but as shown in FIG. Regardless of whether or not the stacking of the sheets P of the job (Job6) in the stacking unit 20 is completed, the discharge path is set from the second sheet stacking unit 20 to the first sheet stacking unit 20 after the offset operation in the first paper stacking unit 10 is completed. The sheet is returned to the sheet stacking unit 10. That is, the discharge of the paper P to the first paper stacking unit 10 is prioritized. Further, Jobs 1 to 5 are stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the order of jobs (an example of a predetermined order).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system 100 according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a stacked state of the sheets P in the sheet ejection device 1.
Each processing of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is performed by the control unit 51 of the sheet ejection device 1 shown in FIG. However, each process is performed by another control unit of the printing system 100 (for example, the control units 127 and 144 of the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140), and the control unit 51 controls the processing based on the processing. The operation of the sheet ejection device 1 may be controlled. The case where the sorting unit of the paper P is a job (print job) will be described as an example. However, the sorting unit may be one set when a plurality of sets of one or more pages are printed, and is limited to a job. I can't.

First, when printing is started in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, and the sheets P are sequentially stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 10, the control unit 51 of the sheet discharging device 1 causes the first sheet stacking unit 1 to perform the first printing. Based on the information received from the printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, the determination as to whether the job printing is completed is repeated until the job printing is completed (step S41).

When the printing of the job is completed (step S41: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a next job based on the information received from the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140 (step S42). .. If there is no next job (step S42: NO), printing is not performed in the first printing device 120 and the second printing device 140, so the processing shown in FIG. 8 ends. Note that the control unit 51 moves the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction, in the same manner as the process of step S44 described below, in preparation for the next printing. You may perform the process which controls the offset drive part 16 so that offset operation may be performed.

When there is the next job (step S42: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether there is a switching Job (step S43). The switching JobN is as described with reference to FIG. 6 in the above-described second embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

When determining that there is no switching JobN (step S43: NO), the control unit 51 causes the above-described offset operation of moving the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction. The offset drive unit 16 is controlled as described above (step S44). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S41 described above. That is, also in the third embodiment, similarly to the above-described second embodiment, when there is no switching JobN, the discharge path switching unit 33 does not occasionally switch the discharge path to the first sheet stacking unit 10 and Printing and ejection are performed after waiting for the offset operation of the sheet stacking unit 10.

On the other hand, when the control unit 51 determines that there is the switching JobN (step S43: YES), the discharge route switching unit 33 of the first intermediate device 30 causes the discharge route of the paper P to be changed to the first sheet stacking unit 10 (first unit). The first sheet discharge path R6) is switched to the second sheet stacking unit 20 (second sheet discharge path R7) (step S45).

In addition, the control units 127 and 144 of the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140 change the order of printing in the printing units 122 and 142, and the Np page that is the restart page of the switching JobN (the initial value is 1 page). ) To advance printing (step S46). Since there is a conveyance distance from the printing units 122 and 142 to the discharge path switching unit 33, the discharge path is switched from the first paper stacking unit 10 to the second paper stacking unit 20 in step S45 described above. It is advisable to start advance printing (step S46).

Further, the control unit 51 controls the offset drive unit 16 to perform the above-described offset operation of moving the positions of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 in the discharge direction (step S47). ).

Next, the control unit 51 determines whether the printing of the switching JobN is completed based on the information received from the first printing apparatus 120 and the second printing apparatus 140 (step S48).

When the printing of the switching JobN is completed (step S48: YES), the control unit 51 changes N of the JobN to N+1 and sets the restart page Np to one page (step S49).

Further, the control unit 51 causes the discharge path switching unit 33 to change the discharge path of the paper P from the second paper stacking unit 20 (second discharge path R7) to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first discharge path R6). ) (Step S50). It should be noted that the switching of the discharge path is to be completed if the above-described offset operation (step S47) of the first sheet stacking unit 10, which is the switching destination, is not completed, as in the determination processing of step S52 described later. It should be done.

Next, the control unit 51 controls the offset drive unit 26 so as to perform the above-described offset operation of moving the positions of the movable end fence 22 and the offset guide 23 of the second sheet stacking unit 20 in the discharge direction (step). S51). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S41 described above.

When the switching JobN has not been printed in the determination of step S48 described above (step S48: YES), the control section 51 completes the offset operation (step S47) of the first sheet stacking section 10 described above. It is determined whether or not (step S52).

If the offset operation of the first sheet stacking unit 10 is not completed (step S52: NO), the control unit 51 repeats the process from step S48.

On the other hand, if the offset operation of the first sheet stacking unit 10 is completed (step S52: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether the stacking of the sheets P of the job in the second sheet stacking unit 20 is completed. Regardless of this, the discharge path switching unit 33 switches the discharge path of the paper P from the second paper stacking unit 20 (second discharge path R7) to the first paper stacking unit 10 (first discharge path R6). (Step S53).

Next, the control unit 51 stores the restart page Np of JobN in the storage unit 52 as a page next to the page of the paper P finally stacked on the second paper stacking unit 20 (step S54). After that, the control unit 51 repeats the processing from step S41 described above. Since the printing of the switching JobN has not been completed (step S47: NO), the offset operation of the second sheet stacking unit 20 is not performed at this stage.

As described above, in the third embodiment, since the discharge of the paper P to the first paper stacking unit 10 is prioritized, whether or not the stacking of the paper P of the job in the second paper stacking unit 20 is completed. Regardless, the discharge path switching unit 33 returns the discharge path from the second paper stacking unit 20 to the first paper stacking unit 10 after the offset operation in the first paper stacking unit 10 is completed. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, after the printing of Job1 is completed, printing is performed from the first page of Job6, and after the printing of Job2 is completed, the printing is performed from the restart page Np-1 of Job6, After the printing of Job3 is completed, printing is performed from the restart page Np-2 of Job6, after the printing of Job4 is completed, the printing is performed from the restart page Np-3 of Job6, and after the printing of Job5 is completed, Printing is performed from the restart page Np-4 of Job6. After that, until the user removes the paper P stacked on the first paper stacking unit 10, for example, the paper P after Job6 is divided by the offset operation of the second paper stacking unit 20 for each job to the second It is preferable that the sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit 20.

As described in the second embodiment, the switching JobN can be set arbitrarily. For example, the switching JobN may load the paper P to the second paper stacking unit 20 while the offset operation is being performed in the first paper stacking unit 10 even if there is no job number that cannot be stacked on the first paper stacking unit 10. At least one job may be stacked on the second sheet stacking unit 20 in order to stack the sheets. For example, when the number of jobs is 10, it is preferable that at least the last Job 10 is stacked on the second sheet stacking unit 20 while the offset operation is performed for each job in the first sheet stacking unit 10. .. As described above, the number of jobs stacked on the second sheet stacking unit 20 is determined by the number of jobs of the sheets P on the second sheet stacking unit 10 while the offset operation is performed for each job on the first sheet stacking unit 10. It may be decided to load. As described above, the switching JobN may be determined based on the time of the offset operation in the first sheet stacking unit 10.

In the third embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the above-described first and second embodiments can be achieved, that is, the discharge efficiency of the paper P can be improved, and the discharged paper P can be managed. It is possible to obtain the effect that can be easily performed.

Further, in the third embodiment, the control unit 51 of the sheet discharging device 1 causes the second sheet stacking unit 20 to move to the second sheet stacking unit 20 when the offset operation of the movable end fence 12 and the offset guide 13 of the first sheet stacking unit 10 is completed. The discharge path switching unit 33 is controlled to switch the discharge path to the first paper stacking unit 10 regardless of whether or not the stacking of the paper P in the sorting unit (for example, job) is completed, and the first paper stacking unit is controlled. 10 and the second sheet stacking unit 20 are arranged such that the plurality of sorting unit sheets P stacked in the job order (an example of a predetermined order) are printed in the printing units 122 and 142 by changing the printing order. To do. In this way, when the offset operation of the first sheet stacking unit 10 is completed, the discharge path is set in the second sheet stacking unit 20 regardless of whether the stacking of the sheets P of the sorting unit (for example, a job) is completed. Since the first sheet stacking unit 10 is switched to, it is possible to give priority to the discharge of the sheet P to the first sheet stacking unit 10. Therefore, the time until the predetermined amount of sheets P is stacked in the first sheet stacking unit 10 is shortened to the same time as when the offset operation is performed without switching the discharge path of the first sheet stacking unit 10. can do.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described first to third embodiments as they are, and constituent elements can be modified and embodied at the stage of implementation without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described first to third embodiments. For example, all the constituent elements shown in the first to third embodiments may be combined appropriately. It goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The inventions described in the claims at the initial application of the present application will be additionally described below.

[Appendix 1]
A plurality of medium stacking units including a first medium stacking unit and a second medium stacking unit on which media are stacked respectively;
A discharge path switching unit that switches the discharge path of the medium to any one of the plurality of medium stacking units,
A control unit that controls the plurality of medium stacking units and the discharge path switching unit,
The plurality of medium stacking units have partitioning means for partitioning the stacked media,
The control unit controls the discharge route switching unit to switch the discharge route to the second medium stacking unit after the medium of the sorting unit is stacked on the first medium stacking unit, 2. The medium ejecting device, wherein the partition means of the first medium stacking section is caused to perform the partitioning operation while the medium is stacked in the second medium stacking section.

[Appendix 2]
The medium ejection device according to appendix 1, wherein the control unit controls the ejection route switching unit to sequentially switch the ejection route to the plurality of medium stacking units for each medium of the sorting unit.

[Appendix 3]
A printing unit that prints on a medium,
A medium ejecting device for ejecting the medium printed in the printing unit;
A printing system comprising: a printing unit; and a control unit that controls the medium ejection device,
The medium ejecting device is
A plurality of medium stacking units including a first medium stacking unit and a second medium stacking unit on which media are stacked respectively;
And a discharge path switching unit that switches the discharge path of the medium to one of the plurality of medium stacking units,
The plurality of medium stacking units have partitioning means for partitioning the stacked media,
The control unit controls the discharge route switching unit to switch the discharge route to the second medium stacking unit after the medium of the sorting unit is stacked on the first medium stacking unit, A printing system, wherein the partitioning means of the first medium stacking section is caused to perform the partitioning operation while the medium is stacked in the second medium stacking section.

[Appendix 4]
The control unit controls the discharge path switching unit so as to sequentially switch the discharge path to the plurality of medium stacking units for each of the media of the sorting unit, and a plurality of stacking units are loaded in each of the plurality of medium stacking units. 4. The printing system according to appendix 3, wherein the printing unit performs printing by changing the printing order so that the media of the sorting unit are arranged in a predetermined order.

[Appendix 5]
When the partitioning operation of the partitioning unit of the first medium stacking unit is completed, the control unit is irrespective of whether or not the stacking of the media of the sorting unit is completed in the second medium stacking unit. The discharge path switching unit is controlled to switch the discharge path to the first medium stacking unit, and the plurality of sorting units stacked in each of the first medium stacking unit and the second medium stacking unit. 4. The printing system according to appendix 3, wherein the printing unit performs printing by changing the printing order so that the media are arranged in a predetermined order.

1 Paper Ejecting Device 10 First Paper Loading Unit 20 Second Paper Loading Unit 11,21 Paper Ejection Platform 12,22 Movable End Fence 13,23 Offset Guide 14,24 Upper Surface Detection Sensor 15,25 Ejection Platform Elevating Drive Unit 16, 26 Offset drive unit 30 First intermediate device 31 Conveying roller pair 32 Switchback roller pair 33 Ejection path switching unit 40 Second intermediate device 41 Conveying roller pair 51 Control unit 52 Storage unit 53 Interface unit 100 Printing system 110 Supply Paper device 111 Paper feed table 120 First printing device 121 Conveying roller pair 122 Printing section 123 Adsorption conveying section 124, 125 Conveying path switching section 126 Discharging roller pair 126 Paper discharge table 127 Control section 128 Storage section 129 Interface section 130 Reversing device 131 Conveyor Roller Pair 132 Switchback Roller Pair 140 Second Printing Device 141 Conveyor Roller Pair 142 Printing Unit 143 Adsorption Conveyance Unit 144 Control Unit 145 Storage Unit 146 Interface Unit P Paper R1 Straight Forward Conveyance Route R2 Circular Conveyance Route R3 Reversed Conveyance Route R4 -1 Straight-forward transport route R4-2 Reverse transport route R5-1 Straight-forward transport route R5-2 Reverse transport route R6 First discharge route R7 Second discharge route

Claims (5)

A plurality of medium stacking units including a first medium stacking unit and a second medium stacking unit on which media are stacked respectively;
A discharge path switching unit that switches the discharge path of the medium to any one of the plurality of medium stacking units,
A control unit that controls the plurality of medium stacking units and the discharge path switching unit,
The plurality of medium stacking units have partitioning means for partitioning the stacked media,
The control unit controls the discharge route switching unit to switch the discharge route to the second medium stacking unit after the medium of the sorting unit is stacked on the first medium stacking unit, 2. The medium ejecting device, wherein the partition means of the first medium stacking section is caused to perform the partitioning operation while the medium is stacked in the second medium stacking section. The medium ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the ejection route switching unit to sequentially switch the ejection route to the plurality of medium stacking units for each of the media of the sorting unit. A printing unit that prints on a medium,
A medium ejecting device for ejecting the medium printed in the printing unit;
A printing system comprising: a printing unit; and a control unit that controls the medium ejection device,
The medium ejecting device is
A plurality of medium stacking units including a first medium stacking unit and a second medium stacking unit on which media are stacked respectively;
And a discharge path switching unit that switches the discharge path of the medium to one of the plurality of medium stacking units,
The plurality of medium stacking units have partitioning means for partitioning the stacked media,
The control unit controls the discharge route switching unit to switch the discharge route to the second medium stacking unit after the medium of the sorting unit is stacked on the first medium stacking unit, A printing system, wherein the partitioning means of the first medium stacking section is caused to perform the partitioning operation while the medium is stacked in the second medium stacking section. The control unit controls the discharge path switching unit so as to sequentially switch the discharge path to the plurality of medium stacking units for each of the media of the sorting unit, and a plurality of stackers loaded in each of the plurality of medium stacking units are controlled. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein the printing unit performs printing by changing the printing order so that the media of the sorting unit are arranged in a predetermined order. When the partitioning operation of the partitioning unit of the first medium stacking unit is completed, the control unit is irrespective of whether or not the stacking of the media of the sorting unit is completed in the second medium stacking unit. The discharge path switching unit is controlled to switch the discharge path to the first medium stacking unit, and the plurality of sorting units stacked in each of the first medium stacking unit and the second medium stacking unit. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein the printing unit performs printing by changing the printing order so that the media are arranged in a predetermined order.

Images