JP2022006503A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation apparatus capable of suppressing occurrence of image formation defects and paper jams with low cost even when different types of sheets are stored in a plurality of storage units in a tandem system paper feeding apparatus.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus of an embodiment includes a first storage unit, a second storage unit, a transport mechanism, a delivery unit, and a control unit. The first storage unit stores a first sheet bundle including a plurality of first sheets. The second storage unit stores a second sheet bundle including a plurality of second sheets. The transport mechanism transports the second sheet bundle to the first storage unit. The delivery unit delivers sheets one by one from the first sheet bundle or the second sheet bundle stored in the first storage unit. The control unit performs control to drive the transport mechanism and the delivery unit based on information relating to a type setting of the sheets stored in the first storage unit and the second storage unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus provided with a tandem type paper feeding device for conveying a sheet between two adjacent sheet accommodating portions. In the above-mentioned paper feeding device, for example, when the type of the sheet accommodated in one accommodating portion and the type of the sheet accommodated in the other accommodating portion are different, if the sheet type is switched during the feeding operation, a paper jam or the like occurs. May cause problems. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, it is conceivable that the seat type is automatically determined by the sensor, but such a sensor is very expensive and may cause erroneous detection. Such a problem is not limited to the case where there are two seat accommodating portions, but is a common problem even when three or more seat accommodating portions are provided.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-39662

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of inexpensively suppressing the occurrence of paper jams even when different types of sheets are accommodated in a plurality of accommodating portions in a tandem type paper feeding apparatus.

The image forming apparatus of the embodiment includes a first accommodating unit, a first accommodating unit, a transfer mechanism, a transfer unit, and a control unit. The first accommodating section accommodates a bundle of first sheets including a plurality of first sheets. The first accommodating section accommodates a second sheet bundle including a plurality of second sheets. The transfer mechanism transfers the second sheet bundle to the first accommodating portion. The transport unit transports sheets one by one from the first sheet bundle or the second sheet bundle housed in the first storage unit. The control unit controls the drive of the transfer mechanism and the transfer unit based on the information regarding the type setting of the seats accommodated in the first accommodation unit and the second accommodation unit.

It is a front view which shows the whole structure of the image forming apparatus of an embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus of an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a paper feed device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the paper feed operation of the image forming apparatus 1 of embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation image for setting a sheet type. It is a figure which shows the operation of a transfer mechanism. It is a figure which shows the operation of a transfer mechanism.

Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following figures, unless otherwise specified, the same or corresponding configurations are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus of the embodiment. For example, the image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction device (MFP: Multi Function Peripheral). However, the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to the above example, and may be a copying machine, a printer, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 11, a scanner unit 12, a paper feeding device 13, a printer unit 14, a paper ejection unit 15, an input unit 16, a control unit 17, and a power supply unit 18. ..

The housing 11 forms the outer shell of the image forming apparatus 1. The housing 11 houses a scanner unit 12, a paper feeding device 13, a printer unit 14, a control unit 17, and a power supply unit 18. The image forming apparatus 1 is driven by operating each part by the electric power supplied from the power supply unit 18.

The scanner unit 12 reads the image to be read as light and dark. The scanner unit 12 generates and records image information indicating the read image. The scanner unit 12 outputs the generated image information to the printer unit 14. The recorded image information may be transmitted to an external device or the like via a network.

The paper feeding device 13 supplies the sheet S, which is a sheet-shaped recording medium such as paper, to the transport path 24 one by one at the timing when the printer unit 14 forms the toner image.
The printer unit 14 forms a toner image, which is an output image, on the sheet S by a recording agent such as toner, based on the image information acquired from the scanner unit 12 or an external device.

In the embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the printer unit 14 of the intermediate transfer method will be described as an example. However, the configuration of the embodiment can also be applied to an image forming apparatus having a direct transfer type image forming unit. The printer unit 14 has an intermediate transfer unit 21, a secondary transfer unit 22, a fixing device 23, and a transport path 24.

The intermediate transfer unit 21 has an intermediate transfer belt 31, a plurality of rollers 321, 322, 323, 324, and a plurality of image forming units 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K.
The intermediate transfer belt 31 is formed in an endless shape. The plurality of rollers 321, 322, 323, 324 support the intermediate transfer belt 31. As a result, the intermediate transfer belt 31 can travel endlessly in the direction indicated by the arrow m in FIG.

The plurality of image forming units 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K include a yellow image forming unit 33Y, a magenta image forming unit 33M, a cyan image forming unit 33C, and a black image forming unit 33K. Each of the image forming units 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K includes a photoconductor drum 331, a charging charger 332, an exposure unit 333, a developing device 334, and a transfer roller 335. Each image forming unit 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 331 to the intermediate transfer belt 31.

The secondary transfer unit 22 has a transfer roller 221. The transfer roller 221 is in contact with the outer surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31. One belt roller 321 that supports the intermediate transfer belt 31 is included in the components of the secondary transfer unit 22. The sheet S is sandwiched between the transfer roller 221 and the belt roller 321 together with the intermediate transfer belt 31. As a result, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 31 is transferred to the sheet S.

The fuser 23 has a heat roller 231 and a press roller 232. The fuser 23 heats and pressurizes the sheet S passing between the heat roller 231 and the press roller 232. As a result, the toner image transferred to the sheet S is fixed on the sheet S.

The transport path 24 passes from the paper feeding device 13 through the secondary transfer unit 22 and the fixing device 23 to the paper ejection unit 15. The sheet S moves from the paper feeding device 13 to the paper ejection unit 15 through the secondary transfer unit 22 and the fixing device 23 by being conveyed through the transport path 24. The paper ejection unit 15 ejects the sheet S on which the image is formed by the printer unit 14.

The input unit 16 includes a panel 161 and a display 162. Panel 161 accepts inputs of various operation instructions. The display 162 is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display 162 displays various information about the image forming apparatus 1. The display 162 displays, for example, the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 selected by the user. The operation mode includes a sheet type setting mode for setting the type of the sheet for forming an image.

The image forming apparatus 1 specifies an operation mode by, for example, performing an operation input by pressing an input button or the like provided on the panel 161. Alternatively, the user may specify the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 by, for example, performing an operation input by tapping an icon or the like displayed on the touch panel integrally constituting the display 162 and the panel 161.

Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a scanner unit 12, a paper feeding device 13, a printer unit 14, an input unit 16 including a panel 161 and a display 162, a control unit 17, and a communication unit 90. Each functional unit is connected to each other by a bus.

The control unit 17 of the embodiment controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 17 controls the operations of the scanner unit 12, the paper feed device 13, the printer unit 14, and the input unit 16.

The control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91, a memory 92, and an auxiliary storage device 93. Other processors may be used instead of the CPU 91. The CPU 91 reads, for example, a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 93 and loads it into the memory 92. The CPU 91 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 by executing a program loaded in the memory 92.

The memory 92 and the auxiliary storage device 93 are configured to include various storage media. The memory 92 and the auxiliary storage device 93 may be configured by an integrated storage medium.
The memory 92 temporarily stores data and programs used by each functional unit included in the image forming apparatus 1. The memory 92 includes a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).
The auxiliary storage device 93 stores data and programs used by each functional unit included in the image forming device 1. The auxiliary storage device 93 includes, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a combination of these storage media, and the like.

The communication unit 90 is a communication interface for connecting the image forming apparatus 1 to an external device.

The paper feed device 13 of the embodiment is a tandem type paper feed device. The tandem type paper feed device has two sheet accommodating portions, and when the sheets accommodated in one sheet accommodating portion are used up, the sheet bundle accommodated in the other sheet accommodating portion is used in one sheet accommodating portion. It is a paper feed device that can be moved to and restart paper feed.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the paper feed device 13 of the embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the paper feed device 13.
As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed device 13 of the embodiment includes a paper feed unit 50 and a transport unit 60. The drive of the paper feed unit 50 and the transport unit 60 is controlled by the control unit 17.

The paper feeding unit 50 includes a first accommodating unit 51, a second accommodating unit 52, a transfer mechanism 53, a transport unit 60, a first sheet detection unit 55, and a second sheet detection unit 57.

The first accommodating portion 51 is retractably attached to the housing 11 shown in FIG.
The first accommodating portion 51 has an accommodating cassette 511 and a lifter 512. The accommodating cassette 511 accommodates a first sheet bundle SSa including a plurality of first sheet Sa. The lifter 512 is provided at the bottom of the accommodating cassette 511, and by raising the accommodating cassette 511 according to the consumption of the accommodating first sheet bundle SSa, the upper part of the first sheet bundle SSa is raised to a substantially constant height. maintain.

The first sheet detection unit 55 is provided on the upper part of the accommodating cassette 511. The first sheet detection unit 55 detects the first sheet bundle SSa and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 controls the drive of the lifter 512 based on the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55. When the control unit 17 determines that the first sheet Sa has disappeared by the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55, the control unit 17 drives the lifter 512 to lower the accommodation cassette 511. When the control unit 17 determines that the first seat Sa has disappeared, the control unit 17 releases the lock mechanism for fixing the first accommodating unit 51 to the housing 11, and the first accommodating unit 51 can be pulled out from the housing 11. And.

The second accommodating portion 52 is retractably attached to the housing 11 shown in FIG.
The second accommodating portion 52 is provided side by side next to the first accommodating portion 51. The second accommodating portion 52 is arranged on the side opposite to the sheet transport direction in the first accommodating portion 51.
The second accommodating portion 52 has an accommodating cassette 521. The accommodating cassette 521 accommodates a second sheet bundle SSb including a plurality of second sheet Sbs. The second sheet Sb accommodated in the second accommodating portion 52 may be of the same type and size as the first sheet Sa accommodated in the first accommodating portion 51, or may be of a different type and size.

The second sheet detection unit 57 is provided on the upper part of the accommodating cassette 521. The second sheet detection unit 57 detects the second sheet bundle SSb and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 determines the presence / absence of the second sheet detection unit 57 based on the detection signal from the second sheet detection unit 57.

The transfer mechanism 53 includes a transfer member 153, a first transfer member detection unit 56, and a second transfer member detection unit 58. The transfer mechanism 53 moves the transfer member 153 toward the first accommodating portion 51 in a state where the accommodating cassette 511 is lowered by the lifter 512 after the first sheet Sa accommodated in the first accommodating portion 51 is exhausted. .. The transfer member 153 transfers the second sheet bundle SSb accommodated in the second accommodating portion 52 to the accommodating cassette 511 of the first accommodating portion 51.

The first transfer member detection unit 56 and the second transfer member detection unit 58 detect the position of the transfer member 153 that reciprocates between the first accommodation unit 51 and the second accommodation unit 52. The first transfer member detection unit 56 detects the transfer member 153 that stands by at the home position provided behind the second accommodating unit 52 in the transport direction. The first transfer member detection unit 56 outputs a detection signal to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 determines whether or not the transfer member 153 is in the home position based on the detection signal from the first transfer member detection unit 56.

The second transfer member detection unit 58 detects the transfer member 153 when the second sheet bundle SSb reaches a predetermined position of the accommodation cassette 511 of the first accommodation unit 51. The second transfer member detection unit 58 outputs the detection signal to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 determines whether or not the second sheet bundle SSb is placed at an appropriate position of the accommodation cassette 511 based on the detection signal from the second transfer member detection unit 58.

From the detection results of the second sheet detection unit 57 and the second transfer member detection unit 58, the control unit 17 does not have the second sheet bundle SSb in the accommodating cassette 521, and the transfer member 153 is located at the home position. Is determined. At this time, the control unit 17 releases the lock mechanism for fixing the second accommodating unit 52 to the housing 11, so that the second accommodating unit 52 can be pulled out from the housing 11.

The transport unit 60 transports the first sheet Sa from the first sheet bundle SSa housed in the first storage unit 51 one by one. The transport unit 60 includes a pickup roller 61, a paper feed roller 62, a separation roller 63, and a pickup roller drive unit 64.

The pickup roller 61 is provided above the first accommodating portion 51.
The pickup roller 61 feeds the uppermost first sheet Sa of the first sheet bundle SSa housed in the first storage section 51 toward the paper feed roller 62. When the first accommodating portion 51 is pulled out from the housing 11 shown in FIG. 1, the pickup roller 61 is retracted upward by the pickup roller driving unit 64. When the first accommodating portion 51 is accommodated in the housing 11, the pickup roller 61 is moved to a position where it comes into contact with the upper surface of the first seat bundle SSa by the pickup roller driving unit 64.

The paper feed roller 62 and the separation roller 63 are provided downstream of the first accommodating portion 51 in the sheet transport direction. Each of the paper feed roller 62 and the separation roller 63 is driven by a drive source such as a motor. The paper feed roller 62 feeds the first sheet Sa supplied from the first storage unit 51 to the transport path 24. When the two first sheet Sas are about to be conveyed from the first accommodating portion 51, the separation roller 63 returns the lower first sheet Sa of the two first accommodating portions Sa to the first accommodating portion 51.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the paper feeding operation of the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment. This flowchart is executed when a sheet type setting instruction is output to the control unit 17.

The seat type setting instruction is given to the control unit 17 when the first accommodating unit 51 and the second accommodating unit 52 are pulled out from the housing 11, or when only the second accommodating unit 52 is pulled out from the housing 11. It is output.

When the control unit 17 receives the seat type setting instruction, the control unit 17 displays an operation image for setting the seat type on the panel 161 of the input unit 16 (ACT001). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation image for setting the sheet type displayed on the panel 161.

In the operation image shown in FIG. 5, an input operation is performed in which the first sheet Sa accommodated in the first accommodating portion 51 is set as plain paper and the second sheet Sb accommodated in the second accommodating portion 52 is set as thick paper. Will be. The plain paper means a paper having a basis weight of, for example, about 35 to 90 g / m ² , and the thick paper means a paper having a basis weight of more than 90 g / m ² .

When the information regarding the sheet type setting is input from the input unit 16, the control unit 17 controls the drive of the transfer mechanism 53 and the transfer unit 60 based on the input information.

When the sheet types of the first accommodating unit 51 and the second accommodating unit 52 are different (ACT002: YES) in the sheet type setting instruction, the control unit 17 supplies the first accommodating unit 51 until the first sheet bundle SSa disappears. Continue paper operation.

The control unit 17 detects the presence or absence of the first sheet bundle SSa based on the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55. When the control unit 17 detects that the first sheet Sa has disappeared from the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55, the control unit 17 stops driving the transport unit 60 (ACT003, ACT004). When the control unit 17 determines from the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55 that the first sheet Sa has disappeared, the control unit 17 drives the lifter 512 to lower the accommodation cassette 511.

After stopping the driving of the transport unit 60, the control unit 17 notifies the user that the second sheet Sb, which is thick paper, should be fed (ACT005). For example, the control unit 17 notifies the user by displaying information on the display 162 of the input unit 16 to select whether or not to perform paper feeding by the second sheet Sb.

The user decides whether or not to select the second sheet Sb, which is thick paper, based on the information displayed on the display 162. The selection result by the user is transmitted to the control unit 17 via the input unit 16.

The control unit 17 determines whether or not to perform paper feeding by the second sheet Sb based on the selection result input from the input unit 16. When the control unit 17 is selected to feed paper by the second sheet Sb (ACT006: YES), the control unit 17 drives the transfer mechanism 53 to transfer the second sheet bundle SSb to the first accommodating unit 51 (ACT007). ..

6A and 6B are diagrams showing the operation of the transfer mechanism 53.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the transfer mechanism 53 transfers the transfer member 153 to the first accommodating portion 51 side to deliver the second sheet bundle SSb to the accommodating cassette 511. The control unit 17 determines whether or not the second sheet bundle SSb transferred to the transfer member 153 has reached a predetermined position of the accommodation cassette 511 of the first accommodation unit 51 based on the detection signal of the second transfer member detection unit 58. Is determined.

When the control unit 17 determines that the second sheet bundle SSb is placed in an appropriate position of the accommodation cassette 511, the control unit 17 drives the transfer mechanism 53 so as to return the transfer member 153 to the home position as shown in FIG. 6B. .. The control unit 17 detects that the transfer member 153 has returned to the home position based on the detection signal of the second transfer member detection unit 58.

The control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 to transport the second sheet Sb, which is thick paper, one by one from the second sheet bundle SSb transferred to the first accommodating unit 51 by the transport unit 60. The control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 and the printer unit 14 under drive conditions suitable for the second sheet Sb, which is thick paper selected by the user. The second sheet Sb is supplied to the printer unit 14 by the transport unit 60 under transport conditions suitable for thick paper. The printer unit 14 starts printing on the second sheet Sb in a thick paper mode suitable for thick paper (ACT008).

When the control unit 17 determines that there is no second sheet bundle SSb in the accommodating cassette 521 and the transfer member 153 is located at the home position, the control unit 17 fixes the second accommodating unit 52 to the housing 11. Release the lock mechanism. The second accommodating portion 52 is in a state where it can be pulled out from the housing 11. The image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment can supply the sheet to the second accommodating portion 52 by pulling it out from the housing 11 while the sheet accommodated in the first accommodating portion 51 is being printed. Will be done.

On the other hand, when it is selected not to feed the paper by the second sheet Sb (ACT006: NO), the control unit 17 stops driving the transfer mechanism 53 (ACT009). The control unit 17 notifies the user that the first storage unit 51 is to be replenished with the first sheet Sa, which is plain paper (ACT010). The control unit 17 notifies the user by displaying a notification to replenish the first sheet Sa on the display 162 of the input unit 16. The control unit 17 releases the lock mechanism for fixing the first accommodating unit 51 to the housing 11 so that the first accommodating unit 51 can be pulled out from the housing 11.
Based on the notification displayed on the display 162, the user pulls out the first accommodating portion 51 from the housing 11 to replenish the first sheet bundle SSa.

The control unit 17 detects that the first sheet bundle SSa has been replenished in the accommodation cassette 511 based on the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55 (ACT011). The control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 to transport the first sheet Sa, which is plain paper, one by one from the first sheet bundle SSa replenished to the first accommodating unit 51 by the transport unit 60. The control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 and the printer unit 14 under drive conditions suitable for the first sheet Sa, which is plain paper selected by the user. The first sheet Sa is supplied to the printer unit 14 by the transport unit 60 under transport conditions suitable for plain paper. The printer unit 14 resumes printing on the first sheet Sa in a plain paper mode suitable for plain paper (ACT012).

When the sheet types of the first accommodating unit 51 and the second accommodating unit 52 are set to be the same in the sheet type setting instruction (ACT002: NO), the control unit 17 eliminates the first sheet Sa from the first accommodating unit 51. Continue printing until. The control unit 17 detects the presence / absence of the first sheet Sa based on the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55.

When the control unit 17 detects that the first sheet Sa has disappeared from the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55, the control unit 17 stops driving the transport unit 60 (ACT013, ACT014). When the control unit 17 determines that the first sheet Sa has disappeared by the detection signal from the first sheet detection unit 55, the control unit 17 drives the lifter 512 to lower the accommodation cassette 511.

After stopping the drive of the transport unit 60, the control unit 17 drives the transfer mechanism 53 to transfer the second sheet bundle SSb to the first accommodating unit 51 (ACT015). As shown in FIG. 6A, the transfer mechanism 53 transfers the transfer member 153 to the first accommodating portion 51 side to deliver the second sheet bundle SSb to the accommodating cassette 511. The control unit 17 determines whether or not the second sheet bundle SSb transferred to the transfer member 153 has reached a predetermined position of the accommodation cassette 511 of the first accommodation unit 51 based on the detection signal of the second transfer member detection unit 58. Is determined.

When the control unit 17 determines that the second sheet bundle SSb is placed in an appropriate position of the accommodation cassette 511, the control unit 17 drives the transfer mechanism 53 so as to return the transfer member 153 to the home position as shown in FIG. 6B. Let me. The control unit 17 detects that the transfer member 153 has returned to the home position based on the detection signal of the second transfer member detection unit 58.

The control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 to transport the second sheet Sb one by one from the second sheet bundle SSb transferred to the first accommodating unit 51 by the transport unit 60. Since the second sheet Sb is the same plain paper as the first sheet Sa, the control unit 17 drives the transport unit 60 and the printer unit 14 under drive conditions suitable for the first sheet Sa. The second sheet Sb is supplied to the printer unit 14 by the transport unit 60 under the same transport conditions as the first sheet Sa. The printer unit 14 continues printing on the second sheet Sb in a plain paper mode suitable for plain paper (ACT016).
As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment executes the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 when receiving the sheet type setting instruction.

In the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, even when different types of sheets are accommodated in the first accommodating unit 51 and the second accommodating unit 52 in the tandem type paper feeding device 13, the type of sheet input from the input unit 16 The transfer mechanism 53 and the transfer unit 60 can be driven by the control unit 17 under the conditions according to the settings. In the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to independently set the sheet types of the first accommodating portion 51 and the second accommodating portion 52.

When the plain paper stored in the first storage unit 51 runs out, the image forming apparatus 1 can notify the user whether or not to continuously feed the thick paper stored in the second storage unit 52. The image forming apparatus 1 drives the transfer mechanism 53 when the paper feeding by the thick paper is continued in response to the paper type setting instruction from the user input to the input unit 16, and the first accommodating unit 51 is the thick paper. 2 Sheet bundle SSb can be replenished. When the first accommodating unit 51 is replenished with thick paper, the image forming apparatus 1 can supply the thick paper to the printer unit 14 by driving the transport unit 60 under conditions suitable for the thick paper. Since the transport unit 60 is driven under conditions suitable for thick paper, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of paper jams due to the change of the sheet accommodated in the first accommodating unit 51 from plain paper to thick paper. Since the image forming apparatus 1 drives the printer unit 14 under conditions suitable for thick paper, the occurrence of image forming defects due to fixing defects caused by the change of the sheet accommodated in the first accommodating unit 51 from plain paper to thick paper occurs. Can be suppressed. The image forming apparatus 1 acquires information regarding the type setting of the sheets to be accommodated in the first accommodating unit 51 and the second accommodating unit 52 from the information input to the input unit 16. The image forming apparatus 1 can solve the problem of erroneous detection of the sensor and the problem of cost.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, even when different types of sheets are accommodated in the two accommodating portions of the tandem type paper feeding apparatus 13, the occurrence of image forming defects and the occurrence of paper jams are inexpensive. Can be suppressed.
In the above-described embodiment, the tandem type paper feed device of the paper feed device 13 may have three or more sheet accommodating portions.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and variations thereof are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof, as are included in the scope and gist of the invention.

1 ... Image forming device, 13 ... Paper feeding device, 14 ... Printer unit, 17 ... Control unit, 51 ... First accommodating unit, 52 ... Second accommodating unit, 53 ... Transfer mechanism, 60 ... Transfer unit, 153 ... Transfer member , S ... sheet, Sa ... first sheet, Sb ... second sheet, SSa ... first sheet bundle, SSb ... second sheet bundle.

Claims (5)

A first accommodating portion for accommodating a bundle of first sheets including a plurality of first sheets,
A second accommodating portion for accommodating a bundle of second sheets including a plurality of second sheets,
A transfer mechanism for transferring the second sheet bundle to the first accommodating portion, and
A transport section for transporting sheets one by one from the first sheet bundle or the second sheet bundle housed in the first storage section to the printer section.
An image forming apparatus including a transfer mechanism and a control unit that controls the drive of the transfer unit based on information regarding setting of types of sheets to be accommodated in the first storage unit and the second storage unit. When the types of the first sheet and the second sheet are set to be different, the control unit determines whether or not to feed the paper by the second sheet when the first sheet disappears from the first accommodating unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which notifies the user of the selection. The image forming according to claim 2, wherein the control unit drives the transfer mechanism to transfer the second sheet bundle to the first accommodating unit when it is selected to feed the paper by the second sheet. Device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit does not drive the transfer mechanism when it is selected not to feed the paper by the second sheet. After the first accommodating portion is replenished with the first sheet bundle, the control unit replenishes the first sheet bundle one by one from the first accommodating portion replenished with the first accommodating portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

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