JP2023140387A - Image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation system in a series tandem type that can print on only one side of a sheet without deteriorating material, and also decrease the number of times of replenishment with sheets.SOLUTION: An image formation system comprises a sheet feed device (second large-capacity sheet feed device 30) connected between a first image formation device 20 and a second image formation device 40. The sheet feed device comprises: a sheet tray 31 which houses sheets; a sheet feed part 32 which feeds the sheets housed in the sheet tray 31 to the second image formation device 40; a first conveyance path 33 for conveying a sheet where an image is formed by the first image formation device 20 to the second image formation device 40; and a second conveyance path 34 for conveying the sheet fed by the sheet feed part 32 to the second image formation device 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a series tandem type image forming system in which two image forming apparatuses are connected in series is known. In a serial tandem image forming system, when printing on only one side of paper, the paper is fed from a large-capacity paper feeder connected to the upstream front-stage machine, and either the front-stage machine or the rear-stage machine Since the paper passes through without printing an image, the materials (photoreceptor, transfer belt, fixing unit, etc.) deteriorate.

Therefore, when printing only on one side of paper, a configuration has been disclosed in which the deterioration of the material is suppressed by feeding the paper from a paper feed tray built into a downstream machine and printing (for example, Patent Document 1 reference).

JP2012-128241A

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the paper feed tray built in the subsequent stage machine has a small loading capacity, so that paper needs to be frequently replenished.

The present invention provides an image forming system that is capable of printing on only one side of a sheet of paper without deteriorating the material in a serial tandem type image forming system, and that is capable of reducing the number of times paper is replenished. The purpose is to provide

The invention according to claim 1 is made to achieve the above object,
In a series tandem type image forming system including a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus connected in series to a downstream side of the first image forming apparatus,
a paper feeding device connected between the first image forming device and the second image forming device;
The paper feeding device includes:
A paper tray for storing paper,
a paper feeding section that feeds paper stored in the paper tray to the second image forming apparatus;
a first conveyance path for conveying a sheet on which an image is formed by the first image forming apparatus to the second image forming apparatus;
a second conveyance path for conveying the paper fed by the paper feeding unit to the second image forming apparatus;
It is characterized by having the following.

The invention according to claim 2 is the image forming system according to claim 1,
The second conveyance path is characterized in that it includes a conveyance path with a small bend.

The invention according to claim 3 is the image forming system according to claim 2,
The paper tray includes a cardboard tray capable of storing cardboard,
The second conveyance path includes a cardboard conveyance path for conveying the cardboard fed from the cardboard tray by the paper feeding unit to the second image forming apparatus,
The cardboard transport path is characterized by having a small bend.

The invention according to claim 4 is the image forming system according to claim 3,
The cardboard conveyance path is characterized in that it is the conveyance path with the smallest bend among the second conveyance paths.

The invention according to claim 5 is the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first conveyance path is characterized by having a small bend.

The invention according to claim 6 is the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The first conveyance path is characterized in that it is a conveyance path when multiple devices are connected.

The invention according to claim 7 is the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
comprising a control unit that controls the first image forming device, the second image forming device, and the paper feeding device;
The control section is characterized in that during single-sided printing, the control section causes the paper feeding section to feed the paper to the second image forming apparatus, and causes the second image forming apparatus to form an image on the paper.

The invention according to claim 8 is the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A plurality of the paper feeding devices can be connected and connected between the first image forming device and the second image forming device.

According to the present invention, in a serial tandem type image forming system, when printing only on one side of paper, printing is possible without deteriorating the material, and the number of times paper is replenished can be reduced.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a control structure of an image forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to a modification.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to a first large-capacity paper feeder 10 and a stage subsequent to the first large-capacity paper feeder 10, and is configured to print images on paper based on print data. a first image forming apparatus 20 that forms a second image forming apparatus; a second large capacity paper feeding apparatus (paper feeding apparatus) 30 connected to the rear stage of the first image forming apparatus 20; The second image forming apparatus 40 is connected to the image forming apparatus 40 and forms an image on paper based on print data. That is, the image forming system 1 is a series tandem type image forming system that includes a first image forming apparatus 20 and a second image forming apparatus 40 connected in series after the first image forming apparatus 20. .

The first large-capacity paper feeding device 10 includes a plurality of paper trays, paper feeding means including a paper feeding roller, a separating roller, a paper feeding/separating rubber, a feeding roller, and the like. Each paper tray stores paper according to paper type (paper type, basis weight, paper size, etc.), and the paper is conveyed one by one to the first image forming device 20 from the top of the paper. .

The first image forming apparatus 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is endlessly stretched around in a circular shape, and C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K ( (black) An image forming unit 22 that forms a toner image of each color, a transfer section 23 that transfers the toner image (image) to paper, and a fixing section 24 that fixes the transferred toner image (image) to the paper. It is composed of The first image forming apparatus 20 uses an image forming unit 22 to form a full-color toner image by superimposing CMYK color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 21 . Then, the transfer section 23 transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto a sheet of paper conveyed from the first large-capacity sheet feeding device 10 or the built-in sheet feeding tray T20. Furthermore, after the toner image is thermally fixed on the paper by the fixing unit 24, the paper is outputted to a subsequent device (here, the second large-capacity paper feeder 30). Note that the first image forming apparatus 20 is not limited to the tandem electrophotographic type described above, and may use any method for forming an image on paper.
Further, the first image forming apparatus 20 is provided with a paper reversing section 25 on the downstream side of the fixing section 24, and after reversing the front and back of the paper on which the image has been formed by the first image forming apparatus 20, The inverted sheet can be conveyed to the second large capacity sheet feeding device 30. Note that it is also possible to convey the paper as it is without turning it over.

The second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 includes a plurality of paper trays, a paper feeding means including a paper feeding roller, a separating roller, a paper feeding/separating rubber, a feeding roller, and the like. Each paper tray stores paper according to paper type (paper type, basis weight, paper size, etc.), and the paper is conveyed one by one to the second image forming device 40 from the top of the paper. . The second large capacity paper feeding device 30 is connected (arranged) between the first image forming device 20 and the second image forming device 40.

The second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 includes a plurality of paper trays 31 that store paper, a paper feeding unit 32 that feeds the paper stored in each paper tray 31 to the second image forming device 40, and a first image forming device 30. A first conveyance path 33 for conveying the paper on which an image has been formed by the forming device 20 to the second image forming device 40 , and a first conveyance path 33 for conveying the sheet fed by the paper feeding section 32 to the second image forming device 40 A second conveyance path 34 is provided.

The paper tray 31 includes a cardboard tray 311 that can store cardboard. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cardboard tray 311 is placed at the bottom of all (three) paper trays 31.

The first conveyance path 33 is a conveyance path with a small bend. Here, the conveyance path with small bending means a conveyance path in which the bending rate of the bent portion is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the bending is suppressed to such an extent that it does not interfere with cardboard conveyance.
Moreover, the first conveyance path 33 is a conveyance path when multiple devices are connected. Each of the second large-capacity paper feeding devices 30 is provided with a conveyance path in advance that allows the device to pass through the device (that is, paper can pass through the device from the device at the front stage to the device at the rear stage). The conveyance route is used for heavy duty. That is, when a plurality of second large-capacity paper feeders 30 are connected together (multiplexed), the paper fed by the second large-capacity paper feeder 30 on the previous stage is passed through and transferred to the subsequent device (in this example). In order to transport the sheet to the second image forming apparatus 40), the through-path transport path provided in advance in each second large-capacity paper feeder 30 can be used as the first transport path 33.

The second conveyance path 34 includes a conveyance path with a small bend.
Further, the second conveyance path 34 includes a cardboard conveyance path 341 for conveying the cardboard fed from the cardboard tray 311 by the paper feed section 32 to the second image forming apparatus 40 .
The cardboard conveyance path 341 is the conveyance path with the smallest bend among the second conveyance paths 34 .

The second image forming device 40 includes an intermediate transfer belt 41 that is endlessly stretched around in a ring, and C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K ( (black) An image forming unit 42 that forms a toner image of each color, a transfer section 43 that transfers the toner image (image) to paper, and a fixing section 44 that fixes the transferred toner image (image) to the paper. It is composed of The second image forming apparatus 40 uses an image forming unit 42 to form a full-color toner image by superimposing CMYK color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 41 . Then, the transfer unit 43 transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 41 onto a sheet of paper conveyed from the second large-capacity sheet feeding device 30 or the built-in sheet feeding tray T40. Furthermore, after the toner image is thermally fixed on the paper by the fixing unit 44, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray T1. Note that the second image forming apparatus 40 is not limited to the tandem electrophotographic type as described above, and may use any method for forming an image on paper.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1 includes a control section 110, a storage section 120, a first large capacity paper feeder 10, a first image forming apparatus 20, and a second large capacity paper feeder. 30 and a second image forming apparatus 40.

The control unit 110 includes a CPU, ROM, and memory.
The CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, and according to the programs, each part of the image forming system 1 (first large capacity paper feeder 10, first image forming apparatus 20, second large capacity paper feeder 30) and the second image forming apparatus 40, etc.).
The ROM is composed of a non-volatile semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various processing programs, parameters, files, etc. necessary for executing the programs.
The memory is composed of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like, and temporarily stores various data such as programs and image data related to various image processing.
During single-sided printing, the control unit 110 causes the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 to feed the paper to the second image forming device 40, and causes the second image forming device 40 to form an image on the paper.

The storage unit 120 is a nonvolatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a semiconductor memory that stores various data such as programs and image data. The storage unit 120 stores data such as program data and various setting data in a readable and writable manner from the control unit 110 .

Next, the operation of the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3.
First, the control unit 110 determines whether one-sided printing has been instructed (step S101).
When the control unit 110 determines that one-sided printing has been instructed (step S101: YES), the control unit 110 moves to the next step S102.
On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that single-sided printing has not been instructed (that is, double-sided printing has been instructed) (step S101: NO), the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S<b>102 , the control unit 110 causes the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 to feed the paper to the second image forming apparatus 40 via the second conveyance path 34 .

Next, the control unit 110 causes the second image forming device 40 to form an image on the paper (step S103).

In step S<b>104 , the control unit 110 causes the first large-capacity paper feeder 10 to feed paper to the first image forming apparatus 20 .

Next, the control unit 110 causes the first image forming device 20 to form an image on the surface of the paper (step S105).

Next, the control unit 110 causes the paper reversing unit 25 of the first image forming apparatus 20 to invert the paper, and then conveys the inverted paper to the second large-capacity paper feeder 30 (step S106). .

Next, the control unit 110 transports the paper transported in step S106 to the second image forming apparatus 40 via the first transport path 33 of the second large-capacity paper feeder 30 (step S107).

Next, the control unit 110 causes the second image forming device 40 to form an image on the back side of the paper (step S108).

As described above, during single-sided printing, the control unit 110 causes the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 to feed the paper to the second image forming device 40, and causes the second image forming device 40 to feed the paper to the second image forming device 40. Form an image.
As a result, when printing only on one side of a sheet of paper, printing can be performed by the second image forming device 40 on the rear side without going through the first image forming device 20 on the front side. Printing can be performed without deteriorating the transfer belt, fixing unit, etc.). Further, since it is possible to increase the paper loading capacity when printing is performed by the second image forming apparatus 40 on the rear stage side, it is possible to reduce the number of times paper is replenished.

As described above, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment uses a paper feeding device (second large capacity paper feeding device 30) connected between the first image forming device 20 and the second image forming device 40. Be prepared. The paper feed device includes a paper tray 31 that stores paper, a paper feed unit 32 that feeds the paper stored in the paper tray 31 to the second image forming device 40, and an image forming device 20 that forms an image. a first conveyance path 33 for conveying the sheet of paper fed by the paper feeding section 32 to the second image forming apparatus 40; , is provided.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, in a serial tandem type image forming system, when printing only on one side of a sheet, printing is performed on the downstream side without going through the first image forming device 20 on the upstream side. Since the second image forming apparatus 40 can perform printing, printing can be performed without deteriorating materials (photoreceptor, intermediate transfer belt, fixing unit, etc.). Further, since it is possible to increase the paper loading capacity when printing is performed by the second image forming apparatus 40 on the rear stage side, it is possible to reduce the number of times paper is replenished.

Further, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the second conveyance path 34 includes a conveyance path with a small bend.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the path used when conveying the paper fed by the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large capacity paper feeding device 30 to the second image forming device 40 is Since the bending is small, the transport load of paper such as cardboard is reduced, and the paper transport performance can be improved. Furthermore, the positional accuracy of images formed on cardboard can be improved.

Further, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the paper tray 31 includes a cardboard tray 311 capable of storing cardboard, and the second conveyance path 34 is fed from the cardboard tray 311 by the paper feeding unit 32. The cardboard transport path 341 includes a cardboard transport path 341 for transporting printed cardboard to the second image forming apparatus 40, and the cardboard transport path 341 has a small curvature.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the cardboard fed from the cardboard tray 311 by the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 is transported to the second image forming device 40. Since the curvature of the path used for this purpose is small, the transport load on the cardboard can be reduced and the transport performance can be improved. Furthermore, the positional accuracy of images formed on cardboard can be improved.

Further, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the cardboard conveyance path 341 is the conveyance path with the smallest bend among the second conveyance paths 34 .
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the cardboard fed from the cardboard tray 311 by the paper feeding unit 32 of the second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 is transported to the second image forming device 40. Since the curvature of the path used for this purpose is the smallest, the transport load on the cardboard can be further reduced and the transport performance can be further improved. Furthermore, the positional accuracy of images formed on cardboard can be further improved.

Further, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the first conveyance path 33 has a small bend.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, when printing on both sides of a sheet in a serial tandem type image forming system, the sheet on which an image has been formed by the first image forming apparatus 20 is transferred to the second image forming system. Since the curvature of the path used when conveying to the forming device 40 is small, the conveyance load on paper such as cardboard is reduced, and the paper conveyance performance can be improved. Furthermore, the positional accuracy of images formed on cardboard can be improved.

Further, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the first conveyance path 33 is a conveyance path when multiple images are connected.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the through-path conveyance path provided in advance in each second large-capacity sheet feeding device 30 can be used as the first conveyance path 33. It is possible to suppress the increase in size and cost of the device.

Further, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 110 that controls the first image forming device 20, the second image forming device 40, and the paper feeding device, and the control unit 110 , the paper is fed to the second image forming device 40 by the paper feeding unit 32, and the second image forming device 40 forms an image on the paper.
Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, in a serial tandem type image forming system, when printing only on one side of a sheet, printing is performed on the downstream side without going through the first image forming device 20 on the upstream side. Since the second image forming apparatus 40 can perform printing, printing can be performed without deteriorating materials (photoreceptor, intermediate transfer belt, fixing unit, etc.). Further, since it is possible to increase the paper loading capacity when printing is performed by the second image forming apparatus 40 on the rear stage side, it is possible to reduce the number of times paper is replenished.

Although the present invention has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, in the embodiment described above, a configuration in which one second large-capacity paper feeding device 30 is connected between the first image forming device 20 and the second image forming device 40 is described as an example. It is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of second large-capacity paper feeding devices 30 (two in FIG. 4) are connected between the first image forming device 20 and the second image forming device 40. It's okay.
As described above, a plurality of paper feeding devices can be connected and connected between the first image forming device 20 and the second image forming device 40, so that printing can be performed by the second image forming device 40 on the downstream side. In this case, the paper loading capacity can be further increased, so the number of times paper needs to be replenished can be further reduced.

Further, in the above embodiment, a configuration in which two color machines (multicolor machines) are arranged side by side is exemplified and explained, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a configuration in which two monochrome machines (single-color machines) are arranged side by side, or a structure in which a color machine and a monochrome machine are arranged side by side.
Examples of a configuration in which two monochrome machines are arranged side by side include a configuration in which the first image forming apparatus 20 that prints special colors (red, gold, etc.) is placed in the first stage, and the second image forming apparatus 40 that performs black printing is placed in the rear stage; Examples include a configuration in which the first image forming apparatus 20 that performs black printing is placed at the front stage, and the second image forming apparatus 40 that performs special color (red, gold, etc.) printing is placed at the rear stage. In these configurations, it is more preferable to arrange the main color (priority color) at the latter stage during printing. This is because, in the present invention, when single-sided printing is performed, an image is formed on the paper by the second image forming device 40 disposed at a later stage.
In the case of the above-mentioned configuration in which two monochrome machines are arranged side by side, when printing in color only from the latter stage machine (second image forming apparatus 40), a Paper is fed from a paper feeding device (second large-capacity paper feeding device 30), and printing is performed only by a subsequent stage machine (second image forming device 40).

Further, as a configuration in which a color machine and a monochrome machine are arranged side by side, for example, the first image forming apparatus 20 that performs special color printing (red, gold, etc.) is placed in the front stage, and the second image forming apparatus 40 that performs color (multicolor) printing is placed in the front stage. Examples include a configuration in which the first image forming apparatus 20 that performs color (multicolor) printing is placed in the first stage and a second image forming apparatus 40 that performs spot color (red, gold, etc.) printing is placed in the latter stage. It will be done.
In the case of the above-mentioned configuration in which a color machine and a monochrome machine are arranged side by side, if printing is performed using only the color of the subsequent stage machine (second image forming apparatus 40), the printer connected between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the second image forming apparatus 40 is The paper is fed from a paper feeding device (second large capacity paper feeding device 30), and is printed only by the subsequent stage machine (second image forming device 40).

In addition, the detailed configuration of each device constituting the image forming system and the detailed operation of each device can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Image forming system 10 First large capacity paper feeding device 20 First image forming device 21 Intermediate transfer belt 22 Image forming unit 23 Transfer section 24 Fixing section 25 Paper reversing section T20 Paper feeding tray 30 Second large capacity paper feeding device (paper paper feed device)
31 Paper tray 311 Cardboard tray 32 Paper feed section 33 First transport path 34 Second transport path 341 Cardboard transport path 40 Second image forming device 41 Intermediate transfer belt 42 Image forming unit 43 Transfer section 44 Fixing section T40 Paper feed tray T1 Paper ejection tray 110 Control section 120 Storage section

Claims (8)

In a series tandem type image forming system including a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus connected in series to a downstream side of the first image forming apparatus,
a paper feeding device connected between the first image forming device and the second image forming device;
The paper feeding device includes:
A paper tray for storing paper,
a paper feeding section that feeds paper stored in the paper tray to the second image forming apparatus;
a first conveyance path for conveying a sheet of paper on which an image has been formed by the first image forming apparatus to the second image forming apparatus;
a second conveyance path for conveying the paper fed by the paper feeding section to the second image forming apparatus;
An image forming system comprising: The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyance path includes a conveyance path with a small bend. The paper tray includes a cardboard tray capable of storing cardboard,
The second conveyance path includes a cardboard conveyance path for conveying the cardboard fed from the cardboard tray by the paper feeding unit to the second image forming apparatus,
3. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the cardboard transport path has a small curvature. 4. The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the cardboard conveyance path is a conveyance path with the smallest bend among the second conveyance paths. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyance path has a small bend. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first conveyance path is a conveyance path during continuous operation. comprising a control unit that controls the first image forming device, the second image forming device, and the paper feeding device;
2. The control section, when performing single-sided printing, causes the paper feeding section to feed the paper to the second image forming apparatus, and causes the second image forming apparatus to form an image on the paper. 6. The image forming system according to any one of items 6 to 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a plurality of the paper feeding devices can be connected and connected between the first image forming device and the second image forming device. Formation system.

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