JP2712438B2 - Paper transport control system for recording device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper transport control system for a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to managing paper on a paper transport path one by one, for example, for paper of different sizes or discharge. The present invention relates to a sheet conveyance control system of a recording apparatus that can perform conveyance control for each sheet, such as simultaneously and efficiently conveying different sheets.

(Prior art)

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, recording apparatuses such as copiers have been using advanced control technology and data processing technology with the introduction of computers, and available functions have been diversified. 1x copy,
In addition to the main functions such as enlargement, reduction, copy density selection, and duplex copying, in the transfer of copy paper, for example, the supply of copy paper depends on the paper size or supply type, such as a paper tray in a copier, a manual tray, and a large capacity. The paper is carried in from a supply unit such as a tray, and the discharge destination or discharge method is variously varied depending on the copy mode, such as discharging straight or inverting and discharging.

Conventionally, a paper transport control system that controls a paper transport system that transports these copy papers has a paper size (or
(A paper supply mode such as an MSI mode), a corresponding paper tray is selected, and further, based on a copy mode, a corresponding transport control mode is selected. The copy paper is carried in from the tray, and the transport of the paper is controlled. Therefore, the sheets are input from one sheet tray and are conveyed and discharged in the same conveyance control mode until the start is started and the last copy sheet is discharged. In other words, all copy sheets conveyed on the sheet conveyance path are discharged to the same discharge destination via the same conveyance path and the same size. As described above, in the conventional paper transport control system, the transport conditions of the copy paper are all unified in advance such as the same size, the same transport path, the same discharge destination, etc. The transport is made easy and accurate.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, according to the paper transport control system of the conventional recording apparatus, the transport conditions of the copy paper are all unified in advance such as the same size, the same transport path, the same discharge destination, etc. When copying originals of different sizes (so-called MIX originals) in the original feed mode, the next second copy paper cannot be pulled in unless all the copy paper of the first size is ejected and transported. There was a problem with poor efficiency. Further, since the individual copy sheets are transported without recognition (discrimination), even if, for example, the occurrence of an invalid pitch is detected (that is, a blank copy sheet is ejected without performing copying), the invalid copy is performed. There has been a problem in that flexible processing cannot be performed according to individual situations, such as discharging copy paper at a pitch to another discharge destination.

An object of the present invention is to provide a paper transport control system of a recording apparatus capable of simultaneously transporting copy papers having different transport conditions such as a plurality of paper sizes, a plurality of transport paths, and discharge to a plurality of discharge destinations. That is.

[Means for solving the problem]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention controls a sheet conveyance system of a recording apparatus such as a copying machine to convey a recording sheet to a predetermined conveyance route selected from a plurality of conveyance routes. In the system, an index table having a recording area corresponding to the maximum number of transportable recording sheets transported to the paper transport system, and a transport position of the recording paper being transported to the paper transport system and paper information are stored. A location table to be stored, and a table address of the location table in which the transport position and the paper information are stored in the index table based on a transport order of the recording paper being transported. When the transfer of the transfer route is completed, the corresponding transfer position and the sheet information are deleted from the location table. And storing the table address of the location table in the index table based on a new transport order of the recording paper being transported, and the paper transport system based on the storage contents of the index table and the location table. The present invention provides a paper transport control system for a recording apparatus, comprising a control unit for controlling the paper transport.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a paper transport control system of a recording apparatus according to the present invention. The location detector 01 detects a location (transport position) of a copy paper and outputs a location detection signal. Input the paper information creation unit 02 to be created and the location detection signal,
It comprises a location management unit 03 that creates location information of copy sheets and matches each sheet on the sheet transport path with the sheet information, and a control unit 04 that controls the transport of individual copy sheets based on the sheet information.

In this embodiment, a copying machine will be described as an example of a recording device. Here, prior to the description of the document supply apparatus of the present invention, an outline of the overall configuration of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the copying machine. The copying machine to which the present invention is applied can be equipped with some additional devices to the base machine 1. The base machine 1, which is a basic configuration, has a platen glass 2 on which an original is placed. Are arranged, and below them, the optical system 3 and the marking system 5 are arranged. On the other hand, an upper tray 6-1, a middle tray 6-2, and a lower tray 6-3 are attached to the base machine 1, and all of these paper feed trays can be pulled out to the front, improving operability. In addition to saving the space required for disposing the copying machine, a copying machine having a clean design that does not protrude from the base machine 1 is realized. An inverter 9 is provided in the paper transport system 7 for transporting the paper in the paper feed tray.
10 and a duplex tray 11 are arranged.
Further, a user interface 12 composed of a CRT display is mounted on the base machine 1, and a document feeder (here, a duplex auto document feeder: hereinafter referred to as DADF) 13 is mounted on the platen glass 2. An MSI (multi-sheet inserter: manual feed tray) 16 and an HCF (high capacity feeder: large capacity tray) 17 can be attached to the supply side of the paper transport system 7. , One or a plurality of sorters 19 can be arranged. Reference numeral 4 denotes a photosensitive material belt, and reference numeral 20 denotes a simple catch tray.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration by a CPU. As shown in FIG. 3, a copying machine system to which the present invention is applied includes an SQMGR subsystem 32, C
Four subsystems consisting of HM subsystem 33, IMM subsystem 34, and marking subsystem 35, and U / I subsystem 36, INPUT subsystem 37, and OUTPUT
Subsystem 38, OPT subsystem 39, IEL subsystem
It consists of nine subsystems with five subsystems consisting of 40. Then, for the SQMGR subsystem 32, the CHM subsystem 33 and the IMM subsystem 34
Is the main CPU shown in FIG. 4 together with the SQMGR subsystem 32.
41 Since it is executed by the software underneath, it is connected by an interface between subsystems (shown by a solid line) that does not require communication. However, since other subsystems are executed by software under the CPU separate from the main CPU 41, the serial communication interface (dotted line display)
Connected by

 Next, these subsystems will be described briefly.

The SQMGR subsystem 32 receives the copy mode setting information from the U / I subsystem 36, and synchronizes the subsystems so that the copy operation can be performed efficiently,
It is a sequence manager that issues work instructions to each subsystem, constantly monitors the status of each subsystem, and performs prompt status determination processing when an abnormality occurs.

The CHM subsystem 33 is a subsystem that controls a paper storage tray, a duplex tray, and a manual feed tray, controls the feed of copy paper, and controls the purge operation of copy paper. That is, it plays the role of the sheet transport control system of the present embodiment.

The IMM subsystem 34 is divided into panels on the photosensitive belt,
It is a subsystem that controls the running / stop of the photosensitive material belt, the control of the main motor, and other controls around the photosensitive material belt.
Further, the IMM subsystem 34 outputs a reference pitch signal serving as a reference signal for synchronizing control of the entire system. The output of the reference pitch signal is determined by first determining how many copy panels should be made on the photosensitive material in the SQMGR subsystem 32 based on the copy information, and then in the IMM subsystem based on the number of the copy panels. This is performed by generating a reference pitch so that the panel is determined at a predetermined position on the photosensitive material.

The marking subsystem 35 is a subsystem that controls the potential of the corotron, the exposure lamp, the developing machine, the potential of the photosensitive material belt, and the toner density.

The U / I subsystem 36 is a subsystem that performs all control of the user interface, display of machine status, job management such as determination of a copy mode, and job recovery.

The INPUT subsystem 37 is a control system for the document feeder, and includes automatic document feed (DADF), semi-automatic document feed (SADF), large size (A2) document feed (LDC), and computer form document feed (CFF). ), A sub-system for controlling the automatic feed (2-UP) of two originals, detecting the original size, and the like.

The OUTPUT subsystem 38 is a subsystem that controls a sorter and a finisher, outputs copies in sorting, stacking, and non-sorting modes, and performs binding output.

The OPT subsystem 39 is a subsystem that controls scanning, lens movement, shutter, and PIS / NON-PIS when exposing a document, and moves the carriage in the LDC mode.

The IEL subsystem 40 is a subsystem that erases unnecessary images on the photosensitive material belt, erases the leading and trailing edges of the images, and erases images according to the edit mode.

The above-described system is configured with seven CPUs shown in FIG. 4 as a core, and can flexibly cope with a combination of the base machine 1 and additional devices surrounding the base machine.
Here, the main CPU 41 is on the main board of the base machine 1 and has the SQMGR subsystem 32, the CHM subsystem 33,
It includes software of the IMM subsystem 34 and is connected to each of the CPUs 42 to 47 via the serial bus 53. These CPUs 42-47
Correspond one-to-one with each subsystem connected by the serial communication interface shown in FIG. Serial communication is performed between the main CPU 41 and each of the other CPUs 42 to 47 according to a predetermined timing with 100 msec as one communication cycle. Therefore, for signals that require strict timing mechanically and cannot be synchronized with the timing of serial communication, an interrupt port (INT terminal signal) is provided in each CPU and interrupts are issued by a hot line separate from the serial bus 53. It is processed. That is, for example, if a copy operation is performed at a process speed of 64 cpm (A4LEF) and 309 mm / sec, and the control accuracy of the register is set to ± 1 mm, a job that cannot be processed in a communication cycle of 100 msec as described above occurs. A hotline is required to guarantee the execution of such a job.

Accordingly, in this copier, various types of additional devices can be attached, and software can also adopt a system configuration corresponding to each of these additional devices.

One of the reasons for adopting such a configuration is that if operation control programs for all of these additional devices are prepared in the base machine 1, the memory capacity required for this becomes enormous. by. Further, in the case where new additional devices are developed in the future or the current additional devices are improved, these additional devices can be used without replacing or expanding ROMs (read only memories) in the base machine 1. This is so that they can be used.

For this reason, the base machine 1 has a basic storage area for controlling a basic part of the copying machine and an additional storage area for storing a program taken together with function information composed of an IC card. Various programs such as a control program for the DADF 13 and a control program for the user interface 12 are stored in the additional storage area. When an IC card is set in an IC card device (not shown) in a state where a predetermined additional device is attached to the base machine 1, a program necessary for a copy operation is read through the user interface 12, and is loaded into the additional storage device. It has become so. The loaded program controls the copying operation in cooperation with the program written in the basic storage area or with a priority over the program. The memory used here is a nonvolatile memory composed of a random access memory backed up by a battery. Of course, other storage media such as an IC card, a magnetic card, and a floppy disk can be used as the nonvolatile memory. In this copier, in order to reduce the burden on the operator, the setting of image density and magnification can be preset, and the preset values are stored in a non-volatile memory. ing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the state division of the main system. In this embodiment, the system operation is managed by dividing the main system into a plurality of states. The state division of the main system divides the state after the power ON from the copy operation and the state after the end of the copy operation into several parts, decides the job to be performed in each state, and if all the jobs in each state are not completed, the next This is to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of the control by preventing the transition to the state. Flags are determined for each state, and each subsystem refers to this flag so that the main system Know which state you are in and decide what you need to do. Each subsystem is also divided into states, and a flag is similarly determined corresponding to each state. The main system refers to the flag and grasps and manages the state of each subsystem.

First, when the power is turned on, the state of the processor is initialized, and it is determined whether the mode is the diagnostic mode or the user mode (copy mode). The diagnostic mode is a mode used by service personnel for repairs and the like, and performs various tests based on the conditions set in NVRAM.

In the initialization state in the user mode, the initialization is performed according to the contents of the NVRAM. For example, the carriage is set at the home position, the lens is set at a position of 100% magnification, and an initialization command is issued to each subsystem. When the initialization ends, the state transits to standby.

Standby is a state until all subsystems have completed the initial setting and the start button is pressed,
Display "Please wait" on the fully automatic screen. Then, the Colt lamp is turned on and the fuser idles for a predetermined time, and when the fuser reaches a predetermined control temperature, the U /
I will display the message "Can be copied" in the message. This standby state is a period of about several tens of seconds at the first power ON.

The setup is a preparatory state of copying in which the start button is pressed and started, and the main motor and the sorter motor are driven to adjust the constants such as the _{VDP of the} photosensitive material belt. Also, the ADF motor is turned on, the first document feed starts, the first document reaches the registration gate, and the document size is detected.
The magnification is determined and the ADF manuscript is laid on the platen. Then, the second document of the ADF is sent out to the registration gate, and the state shifts to cycle-up.

Cycle-up is a state where the belt is divided into several pitches and panel management is performed, and the first panel reaches the get park point. That is, the pitch is determined in accordance with the copy mode, and the optical subsystem is informed of the magnification and the lens is moved. Then, the copy mode is notified to the CHM subsystem and the IMM subsystem,
When the magnification set is recognized, the scan length is determined by the magnification and the paper size, and the optical subsystem is notified. Then, the copy mode is notified to the marking subsystem, and when the start of the marking subsystem is completed, the panel L / E determined by the pitch is checked by the IMM subsystem, and the first copy panel is found, and is set at the get park point. When it reaches, it becomes get park ready and enters the cycle.

The cycle is a copy operation, and the ADC (Automatic D
The copy operation is repeatedly performed while performing ensity control), AE (Automatic Exposure), DDP control, and the like.
When R / L = counted number of sheets, document exchange is performed, and when this is performed for a predetermined number of sheets, a coincidence signal is output and the cycle starts.

Cycle down is a state in which the carriage scan, paper feed, etc. are completed and the copy operation is cleaned up.Each corotron, developing machine, etc. are turned off, and the panel next to the last used panel stops at the stop park position. Panel management to ensure that only specific panels are used and do not cause fatigue.

From this cycle down, it usually returns to standby,
If the start key is pressed again when copying in the platen mode, the process returns to the setup in the case of restart. If a cycle-down factor such as a jam occurs even from setup and cycle-up, the state transitions to cycle-down.

Purging is a state in which a jam has occurred, and when the cause jam sheet is removed, other sheets are automatically discharged. Normally, when a jam occurs, the state transitions from any state to cycle down → standby → purge. Then, a transition is made to standby or set-up due to the purge end, but if a jam occurs again, a transition is made to cycle down.

The belt-down occurs when a jam occurs on the tray side from the tacking point. In a state where the belt drive is stopped by releasing the belt clutch, the paper before the belt can be discharged.

The 24V power supply is cut off in a state where the interlock is opened and a dangerous state occurs or a machine clock failure occurs and the control becomes uncontrollable.

Then, when these belt down and hard down factors are removed, the state shifts to standby.

Next, in the configuration of the copying machine to which the present invention described above is applied,
In particular, the configuration of the paper transport system 7 under the control of the paper transport control system will be described in detail.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of a paper transport system of the copying machine of the present embodiment, in which upper trays 6-1 and middle trays 6 are used as paper trays.
2, lower tray 6-3, and duplex tray
11 is installed in the base machine, a high capacity tray (HCF) 17 and a manual feed tray (MSI) 16 are optionally installed on the side, and each tray is equipped with a paperless sensor, size sensor, clutch, etc. as appropriate I have. Here, the no-paper sensor is a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a copy sheet in the supply tray, and the size sensor is a sensor for determining the size of the copy sheet stored in the tray. The clutch is a component for controlling on / off of driving of each paper feed roll. In this way, by allowing copy paper of the same size to be set in a plurality of supply trays, when one copy tray runs out of copy paper, copy paper of the same size is automatically fed from another supply tray. .

The feeding of copy sheets is performed by a dedicated feed motor, and a step motor is used as the feed motor. Whether or not the copy sheet is normally fed is detected by the feed sensor. A gate solenoid is used for registration for aligning the leading edge of the copy sheet once sent. The gate solenoid is different from this type of solenoid in that the gate is opened at the time of energization and controls the passage of copy sheets. Therefore, in a standby state in which no copy paper arrives, power is not supplied to the gate solenoid, and the gate is kept open to reduce power consumption. The gate solenoid is energized slightly before the arrival of the copy sheet, and the gate is closed to prevent passage. Thereafter, when the conveyance of the copy sheet is restarted at a predetermined timing, the power supply is stopped and the gate is opened. By performing such control, the position of the gate at the time when the leading edge of the copy sheet is blocked from passing is reduced, and even when the copy sheet is pressed against the gate with a relatively strong force, the positioning of the gate is determined. Can be done accurately.

When copying again in the duplex mode in which copying is performed on both sides of the paper or the composite mode in which copying is performed multiple times on the same side,
The sheet is guided to a transport path stacked on the duplex tray 11. In the case of the duplex mode, the sheets are stacked directly on the duplex tray 11 from the transport path.In the case of the composite mode, however, the sheet is temporarily transported from the transport path to the inverter 10 for the composite mode, and then reversed to be guided to the duplex tray 11. I will A gate 503 is provided at a branch point between the paper discharge outlet 502 from the transport path 501 to a sorter and the duplex tray 11 side, and a transport path is provided at a branch point leading to the synthesis mode inverter 10 on the duplex tray 11 side. Gates 505 and 506 for switching are provided, and a gate 507 is provided at the paper discharge outlet 502. The gate 507 is inverted by the triroll inverter 9 so that the copied surface can be discharged with the front side.

The upper tray and the middle tray are trays that can store a sheet size of about 500 sheets, A3 to B5, legal, letter, special B4, and 11 × 17. As shown in FIG. 7, a tray motor 551 is provided, and the tray 552 is inclined when the number of sheets is reduced. As sensors, three paper size sensors 553-5 to detect paper size
55, a paperless sensor 556 for detecting running out of paper, and a surface control sensor 557 used for adjusting the height of the tray. There is also an emergency switch 558 for preventing the tray from rising too high. The lower tray is a tray that can store about 1100 sheets and can store the same paper size as the upper tray and the middle tray.

In FIG. 6, a duplex tray is a tray that can hold about 50 sheets and can hold the same sheet size as each of the above-mentioned trays. This is a tray for temporarily storing the copied paper when performing copying. Feed rollers 50 are provided on the entrance side conveyance path of the duplex tray 11.
9. A gate 505 is provided, and the gate 505 controls switching of sheet conveyance according to the combination mode and the duplex mode. For example, in the case of the double-sided mode, the sheet conveyed from above is guided to the feed roll 509 side by the gate 505, and in the case of the synthesizing mode, the sheet conveyed from above is temporarily set by the gates 505 and 506 in the synthesizing mode. After that, when it is turned over, it is led to the feed roll 510 and the duplex tray 11 side by the gate 506. In order to store paper in the duplex tray 11 and allow it to fall freely to a predetermined edge position, a tray inclination angle of about 17 ° to 20 ° is generally required. However, in the present embodiment, since the duplex tray 11 is stored in a narrow space in order to reduce the size of the apparatus, a maximum of 8
Can only take the inclination angle of ゜. Thus, the duplex tray 11 is provided with a side guide 561 and an end guide 562 as shown in FIG. In the control of the side guide and the end guide, when the sheet size is determined, the sheet is stopped at a position corresponding to the sheet size.

A high capacity tray (HCF) is a supply tray that can hold thousands of copy sheets. For example, it is often appropriate for a customer who does not need to make a copy by enlarging or reducing a document or a customer having a small copy amount to purchase the base machine alone. On the other hand, a customer who makes a large number of copies or a customer who requires a complicated copy operation often needs a duplex tray or a large capacity tray. As a means to fulfill these various requirements, this copier system has a structure that allows each additional device to be easily attached and detached, and provides an independent CPU (central processing unit) for some of the additional devices. Then, distributed control is performed by a plurality of CPUs. This not only has the advantage that the product desired by the customer is easily obtained, but also the possibility of installing new additional equipment teaches the customer the possibility of a new copying operation. This will greatly enhance the purchase of this copier system in promoting the evolution of office paperwork.

The manual feed tray (MSI) 16 is a tray capable of storing about 50 sheets and paper sizes A2F to A6F, and is particularly capable of using large-size paper that cannot be stored in another tray. Conventional manual feed trays of this type
Since manual sheet feeding is performed one by one, it is only necessary to send copy paper preferentially from the manual feeding tray at the time of manual feeding, and the operator does not need to select the manual feeding tray itself. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 16 of this embodiment can set a plurality of copy sheets at the same time. Therefore, if the feeding from the manual feed tray 16 is performed with the set of copy sheets, the feed may be started when a plurality of copy sheets are set. In order to prevent such a situation, the user selects the manual feed tray 16 via the user interface 12.

In the present embodiment, compactness is achieved by adopting a configuration in which a nudger roll 513, a feed roll 512, and a takeaway roll 511 are integrally mounted on a tray. After the leading edge of the sheet is nipped by the take away roll 511, the leading edge is detected by a feed-out sensor described later and temporarily stopped, thereby performing pre-registration for adjusting the transfer position, and feeding the sheet at the feeder unit. Absorbs variations. The fed sheet is fed to the transfer position of the photosensitive material belt 4 via the aligner 515.

FIG. 9 shows a paper detection sensor arranged in the paper transport system 7. Feed-out sensors 514 provided on the exit side of the upper tray 6-1, the middle tray 6-2, and the lower tray 6-3 are each shown in FIG. Detects the paper sent from the tray. Bypass tray
Similarly, feed-out sensors 534 and 535 for detecting sheets to be fed are provided on the exit side of the large capacity tray 16 and the exit side, respectively. Between the slip roll 531 and the registration roll 530, a resin for detecting the paper supplied to the registration roll 530 is provided.
A -gate sensor 536 is provided, and a Fuser-in sensor 537 and a Fuser-exit sensor 538 for detecting the loading and unloading of paper into and from the fuser 521 are also provided on the entrance side and the exit side of the fuser 521. The exit 502 is provided with an Exit sensor 539 for detecting the ejection of the recording-completed sheet. In addition, Du
A plex-in sensor 523 is provided to detect the number of sheets supplied to the tray 11. Further, a Duplex-out sensor 527 is provided on the exit side of the duplex tray 11,
The number of sheets sent out from the tray 11 is detected. And duplex tray 11 and upper, middle,
Duplex- is provided on the transport path between the lower trays 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.
A transport sensor 540 is provided. The duplex tray 11 is provided with a no-paper sensor 528, which detects the presence or absence of a sheet in the tray 11, and is different from the above-described sensor for monitoring the sheet on the transport path. Are different.

In the above configuration, the paper transport control system (CHM subsystem 33) of this embodiment is described in detail in the order of location definition, paper information, location management, transport control (copy of MIX original), and transport control (ejection of blank paper). Will be described.

Definition of Location The location divides a paper transport path into a plurality of areas based on a paper detection sensor, a clutch, and the like, and defines one area as one location. As shown in the location definition table, 27 locations were defined, and a location number was added to each location in hexadecimal (Hex) as location information. For example, location number "11"
Inputs a predetermined pitch signal (in this case, plays the role of the upper tray transport request signal), and then feeds the upper tray
This is the transport state until the clutch (details are omitted) is turned on.

FIG. 11 shows the interrelationship of these 27 locations. For the location number, copy paper is
From the state (location number “00”) stored in the lower tray 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, the manual tray 16, the large capacity tray 17, and the duplex tray 11, as the copy paper is transported. Transition to the right side sequentially. For example, when copying paper is supplied from the upper tray 6-1 to perform one-sided copying, the location number is “00” → “11” → “12” → “13” → “05” → “06” → “ The transition is "07" → "08" → "09" → "0A" → "00". The locations are mutually exclusive, and each copy sheet on the sheet transport path 501 has a different location number from other copy sheets.

Therefore, the location detection unit 01 in the present embodiment includes:
Feed-out sensor 514, Reg shown in the location definition table
i-gate sensor 536, Fuser-in sensor 537, Fuser-exit sensor 538, Duplex-in sensor 523, Duplex-out sensor 527, E
Sensors such as xit sensor 539, Duplex-transport sensor 540, etc., upper, middle and lower feed clutches, upper, middle and lower takeaway clutches, Duplex-Feed clutch, Regi-gate
It is composed of a solenoid and the like.

Paper Information In this embodiment, the paper information includes paper size, supply tray, reversal, discharge destination, last paper, billing (BILLING information), EPS information, pitch division information, blank page information, jam information, and pitch index. Create information such as These pieces of information are registered together with a location number in a location table described later. Hereinafter, the contents of each information will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b).

The paper size was classified into 17 sizes according to the type of paper and the paper direction, and a set value was defined as a paper size value in hexadecimal for each.

The supply tray indicates the tray from which copy paper is input,
Upper / middle / lower trays 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, bypass tray 16,
Large capacity tray 17, duplex tray 11, and AE
Seven setting values “0” to “6” are set for the scan.

The presence / absence of the reversal is set to “1” when inverting at the time of EXIT discharge and at the time of combining mode at the time of discharging to a duplex tray.

The discharge destination is a purge tray, duplex tray,
The sorter, the stack, and the non-sort tray are classified into four types of "0" to "3" and set. The discharge destination is set based on the copy mode. For example, when a blank sheet occurs, the discharge destination is changed as necessary.

The last sheet sets whether the copy sheet is a sheet in the middle of a job or the last sheet for one document.

The billing information is information as to whether or not to bill the corresponding copy sheet, and specifically, is information as to whether or not to perform a billing counter addition process. Basically, set "1" (charge) when receiving the copy mode, and then
If necessary, for example, it is changed to “0” (no charge) in the slip sheet mode when an effective pitch occurs and when a blank sheet occurs.

EPS information is information used for calculation of a feed timer and the like, and is set based on a copy mode.

The pitch division information is information indicating how many pitches are generated in one circumference of the photosensitive material belt, in other words, how many copies can be made during one rotation of the photosensitive material belt. It is set based on the calculation of the feed timer and the jam timer.

The blank sheet information is set to “0” (normal paper) as an initial value. For example, when a copy sheet is carried in from the supply tray, the corresponding pitch is canceled, and the copy sheet is not copied, that is, when the copy sheet is not used Is set to "1" (blank paper).

As the jam information, “0” (normal paper) is set as an initial value, and when a jam occurs, “1” (jam paper) is set to all copy papers upstream from the cause jam paper.

The pitch index indicates that the corresponding pitch is copy scan,
This is information indicating which of a slip sheet scan and an AE scan is used.

These sheet information are sent to the sheet information creation unit 02 when a copy sheet is requested to be transported due to the occurrence of a pitch.
Created for each copy sheet. Further, as described above, depending on the type of paper information, for example, information whose content changes during conveyance due to occurrence of an invalid pitch or the like is updated as needed.

Location management When receiving a location detection signal, the location management unit 03 creates (or updates) a location number as location information based on the location definition table, and stores the location number and paper information in one table. (Location table) so that the physical location (transport position) always matches the sheet information. Hereinafter, the location management of the location management unit 03 will be described in detail.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show a location table 33a and an index table 33b used by the location management unit 03. FIG.

When the effective pitch occurs, the location table 33a
Location number and paper information
By storing the information together with the table address indicated by the pointer, the information is matched (associated). The location table 33a is used sequentially from the table address "No. 0", and when it is set to "No. 7", it is returned to "No. 0" and used again.

The index table 33b manages table addresses in use of the location table 33a so that the location table 33a can be searched efficiently. As shown in FIG. 14, the index pointer of the index table 33b points to No. 0 when no copy sheet is flowing in the copying machine.
No. → No.1 → No.2 ‥‥‥ No.8 (the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed simultaneously). In addition, copy paper is
When the last sensor such as 9 or the Duplex-in sensor 523 is turned on, it goes down one by one (for example, from No. 3 to No. 2). When location information and paper information are set in the location table 33a, the location table
The table address 33a is set in the area indicated by the index pointer. Therefore, the index pointer indicates not only the number of copy sheets flowing in the copying machine but also the number of used areas of the location table 33a.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b), a registration process of a location number and paper information when an effective pitch occurs will be described. FIG. 7A shows a state in which four copy sheets are being conveyed in the copying machine, and the index pointer of the index table 33b points to No. 4. In the location table 33a, it can be seen that the numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5 are in use from the table addresses of the index table 33b. Further, from the table address No. 2 of the location table 33a, it can be seen that the corresponding copy sheet is in the state of the location number “0A”, that is, the exit sensor 539 is turned on and the copy sheet is being discharged. Here, when an effective pitch occurs, the location management unit 03 adds 1 to the location pointer and the index pointer, and advances the pointer to the next available area. Next, the table address (No. 6) indicated by the location pointer is set to the pointer address (No. 5) indicated by the index pointer. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the location number and the paper information are registered in the table address (No. 6).

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the discharge of the copy sheet of the table address (No. 2) has been completed from the state of FIG. 15 (b). With the completion of the conveyance control of the copy sheet by the discharge, The location number and paper information are deleted (cleared) from the location table 33a. In addition, the corresponding data is also deleted from the index table 33b, so that the table address is shifted and the point address is reset one by one.

Next, a description will be given of how the location number is updated when the copy sheet is transported. For example, upon input of an UPPER T / A clutch ON signal as a location detection signal from the location detection unit 01, the location management unit 03 ends the location number "13" and starts the location number "05" from the location definition table. Recognize. Therefore, since it is necessary to update the location number “13” set in the location table 33a to “05”, the table address is referred to sequentially from the pointer address (No. 1) of the index table 33b, and Check the location number in table 33a. For example, the location table 33a in FIG.
, The location table 33a according to the table address set in the pointer address (No. 1).
Referring to the table address (No. 3), the location number is “08”, which is not the location number to be updated.
No.), the table address (No. 4) is referred to. This operation is repeated until the location number to be updated is found. When the location number "13" is confirmed, the location number "13" is changed to "05" and set. Thus, the location table 33
Since the location number of a is updated as the copy paper is transported, the copy paper is always integrated with the corresponding paper information according to the physical location (transport position) → location number → paper information. Can handle. Further, by specifying the location number as needed, the sheet information of each copy sheet can be known, and the copy sheets being conveyed can be recognized (discriminated) one by one.

Conveyance Control (Copy of MIX Document) Next, control of simultaneous conveyance of a plurality of paper sizes will be described with reference to an example of copying a MIX document having A3 size and B5 size alternately. When the start button is pressed after setting the MIX original in the DADF 13, the first A3-size original is transported to a predetermined position on the platen 2. The CHM subsystem 33 selects a supply tray based on the copy mode and the paper size (here, A3 size). Thereafter, when the occurrence of the pitch is notified, the sheet information creation unit 02 creates the sheet information, and the location management unit 03 sets the location table 33a and the index table 33b. At the same time, the control unit 04 sets a transport control mode such as a feed timer or a jam timer based on the information of the first sheet, and
The copy sheet is conveyed. Subsequently, when the next paper size is input, the supply tray is similarly selected based on the copy mode and the paper size (here, the B5 size). The information is created, and the location management unit 03 sets the location table 33a and the index table 33b. The control unit 04 uses the information of the second sheet to
A transport control mode such as a feed timer or a jam timer is set to transport the second copy sheet. Below, the control unit
04 sets the transport control mode based on the paper information of each copy paper, and transports each copy paper.
Thus, copy sheets of a plurality of sheet sizes can be simultaneously conveyed.

Conveyance Control (Ejection of Blank Paper) Exception processing based on paper information will be described by taking blank paper ejection when an invalid pitch occurs as an example. For example, when an invalid pitch occurs while copy paper is being conveyed in the stack mode (mode for discharging copy paper to the sorter), the paper information of the corresponding copy paper is updated based on the location number (normally). Paper → blank paper, charge → not charge, sorter → purge tray). Control unit 04
Indicates that the blank copy paper is a blank paper based on the updated paper information when it reaches the predetermined switching gate,
Knowing that the accounting process is not to be performed and that the discharge destination is the purge tray, the blank paper is discharged to another discharge destination (here, the purge tray) separately from the normal paper, that is, without being discharged to the sorter as exceptional processing. I do.

In this embodiment, as the conveyance control, the conveyance during the copying of the MIX original and the exception processing when the blank paper is discharged are described. However, the present invention is not limited to these. And various other applications.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the sheet transport control system of the recording apparatus of the present invention, the maximum value of the pointer address in use stores the table address of the location table in the index table representing the number of recording sheets being transported,
Since the transport position of the recording paper being transported and the paper information are stored in the table address of the location table, a plurality of recording papers having different transport conditions can be transported simultaneously without requiring complicated control.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the overall configuration of the copying machine. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration by a CPU of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the state division of the main system. FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the sheet transport system.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the paper tray. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a duplex tray. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet detection sensor arranged in the sheet transport system. Figure 10 is a location definition table.
Figure 11 is a diagram of the relationship between locations. FIG. 12 (a),
FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram of sheet information. FIG. 13 (a) is an explanatory diagram of a 4-location table. FIG. 13 (b) is an explanatory diagram of an index table. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the index pointer. 15 (a), (b), and FIG. 16 are diagrams for explaining location management. EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS 01: Location detection unit 02: Paper information creation unit 03: Location management unit 04: Control unit 1: Base machine 2: Platen glass 3: Optical system (scanning exposure device) 4: Sensitive material belt, 5 Marking system 6-1 Upper tray, 6-2 Middle tray 6-3 Lower tray, 7 Paper transport system 9,10 Inverter 11 Duplex tray 12 …… User interface 13 …… DADF 16 …… Multi sheet inserter 17 …… HCF, 19 …… Sorter 20 …… Simple catch tray 31 …… Main board 32 …… SQMGR subsystem 33 …… CHM subsystem 34 …… IMM Subsystem 35 Marking subsystem 36 U / I subsystem 37 INPUT subsystem 38 OUTPUT subsystem 39 OPT subsystem 40 IEL subsystem 41 Main CPU 42 Marker CPU 43 for INPUT CPU 44 for CPU for OUTPUT 45 CPU for OPT 46 CPU for U / I 47 CPU for IEL 53 Serial bus 501 Transport path 502 Paper exit 503,505,506,507… Gate 509,510,512… Feed roll 511… Take away roll 513… Nuja roll 514… Feed-out sensor 515… Aligner device 521… Fuser 523… Duplex-in sensor 527… Duplex-out Sensor 527 528 …… No paper sensor 530 …… Regi roll 531 …… Slip roll 534,535 …… Feed-out sensor 536 …… Regi-gate sensor 537 …… Fuser-in sensor 538 …… Fuser-exit sensor 539 …… Exit sensor 540 Duplex-transport sensor 551 Tray motor, 552 Tray 553, 554, 555 Paper size sensor 556 Paperless sensor 557 Surface control sensor 558 Emergency switch 561 Side guy 562 ...... end guide

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sheet conveyance control system for a recording apparatus for controlling a sheet conveyance system of a recording apparatus such as a copying machine to convey a recording sheet to a predetermined conveyance route selected from a plurality of conveyance routes. An index table having a recording area corresponding to the maximum number of conveyable recording sheets to be conveyed to the paper sheet; a location table for storing a conveyance position and sheet information of the recording sheet being conveyed to the sheet conveyance system; The position and the table address of the location table in which the paper information is stored are stored in the index table based on the transport order of the recording paper being transported, and the recording paper has finished transporting the predetermined transport route. When the corresponding transport position and the paper information are deleted from the location table, Control means for storing the table address of the location table in the index table based on a new sheet conveyance order, and controlling the sheet conveyance system based on the storage contents of the index table and the location table. A sheet transport control system for a recording apparatus.