JP3571159B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a sorting device having a plurality of bin trays.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A sorting apparatus of an image forming apparatus that classifies sheets on which an image is formed by a copying machine or the like according to a user's intention is widely used. In a normal sorting device, a discharge tray for interrupted jobs and a non-sorting / Non The proof tray, which is a colleting discharge tray, is prepared separately, and the paper presence information of the bin tray for sorting and collating is detected by a penetration sensor for all bin trays.
In this configuration, the paper presence information of the proof tray and the bin tray for sorting / collating can be individually managed for easy control and reliable grasp of the bin tray paper information. Further, a jogger mechanism for aligning the discharged transfer paper (aligning the discharged paper) is provided, and the paper discharged to the bin tray for sorting and collating is aligned.
However, since providing another proof tray increases the cost, a sorting device has been proposed in which the top bin of the bin tray 308 is assigned to the proof tray 306 and used as shown in FIG.
In this apparatus, the proof tray 306 and the bin tray 308 move up and down as a unit, and all the bins use a penetration sensor 300 to detect that there is paper in any one of the bins. Ah You. While being advantageous over conventional sorting devices in terms of cost, it has the following disadvantages.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
First, there is a sheet in the proof tray 306, and if sorting or the like is performed, alignment (sheet alignment) processing is also performed on the sheet in the proof tray 306, and the sheet in the proof tray 306 may be damaged. For example, it is assumed that the paper discharged to the sorting / collating bin tray 308 is A4 vertical paper, and the A4 horizontal transfer paper is discharged to the proof tray 306 by an interrupt job or the like. When ending the interrupt job and continuing the sorting processing performed before the interrupt job, it is premised that the copy sheet discharged in the interrupt job is removed and executed.
[0004]
That is, when the alignment process (paper preparation process) is performed on the paper discharged to the sorting / collating bin tray, the width of the paper of the proof tray 306 (in the direction perpendicular to the paper discharging direction) is determined as described above. If the length of the paper discharged to the combination bin tray 308 is longer than the width, the alignment processing (paper alignment processing) is performed on the paper width of the bin tray, so that the paper in the proof tray 306 is bent and curled or damaged. Become. Therefore, in the sorting device of FIG. 12, it is preferable that the sorting job is executed after the sheet of the proof tray 306 is removed.
[0005]
However, in this sorting apparatus, since the proof tray 306 is assigned the highest pin of the bin tray 308, if there is a sheet in a bin other than the proof tray 306, it is determined whether or not the sheet is removed after the sheet is discharged to the proof tray 306. Cannot be identified by the sheet detection sensor that is the penetration sensor 300.
Therefore, when the interruption job is ended and the sorting process performed before the interruption job is continued, it is preferable that the copy sheet discharged in the interruption job is removed from the proof tray 306 so that the job can be executed. Therefore, a warning display or the like can be considered, but it is necessary to give a warning at an appropriate timing. It is also preferable to minimize the issuance of a warning in order to reduce the burden on the operator due to the operability and the warning and to realize a comfortable operability. Further, it is desired that the processing be performed accurately also in the output of the transfer paper in the mixed size.
[0006]
Also, the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-148777, which is a conventional example, is a technique relating to a case where a sorter is used in a second job after the completion of a first job. Use To If so, the start of copying of the second job is prohibited by the sheet conditions of the first job and the second job. Further, start copying the second job of The prohibition is released after the removal of the paper from the sorter is detected because the first job is completed.
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problem. , It is an object of the present invention to provide a sorting apparatus with improved operability and to realize a highly reliable image forming apparatus by preventing erroneous copying.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of bin trays for sorting copy sheets are provided, the plurality of bin trays are moved up and down to store copy sheets, and the top bin is used for sorting and collating. In an image forming apparatus provided with a sorting device which is a proof tray for discharging at the time of an interrupt job or a non-sorting / non-collating job, a sheet aligning unit for aligning a plurality of sheets stored in the sorting device is provided. A bin tray paper presence / absence detection unit that detects presence of paper in any of the bin trays of the sorting apparatus, a paper size detection unit that detects a paper size for each copy sheet discharged, and a detection result of the paper size detection unit Paper size comparing means for comparing the paper size of the proof tray and the other bin tray discharge, If the maximum paper width of the paper discharged to the proof tray is larger than the maximum width of the paper discharged to the other bin tray by the paper size comparing means, an instruction to remove the paper from the proof tray is issued. Warning, otherwise prohibiting said warning The object is achieved by providing a warning unit and a copy operation start instructing unit for instructing a start of a copy operation when a sheet is removed based on the warning of the warning unit.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment.
The control of the entire apparatus is performed by a CPU (central processing unit) 11, a ROM (read only memory) 12, a RAM (random access memory) 13, a nonvolatile RAM 14, a serial interface (I / F) 15, a timer 16, and the like. Is carried out by the main control unit 10 having a built-in function. The main control unit 10 is connected to a motor for driving the photoconductor, various AC loads 30 such as a paper feed motor and a clutch in the paper feed unit 50 and the duplex unit 60, and various DC loads 31.
[0014]
The paper feed unit 50 is connected to a paper size detection sensor 51 for detecting the paper size of the paper feed tray. The main control unit 10 detects the paper size based on the state of the paper size detection sensor 51. Also, inputs of various sensors 40 such as a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the fixing roller are connected. The automatic document feeder (ADF) 80, the sorting device (sorter) 70, and the operation unit 20 are connected via the serial I / F 15, and transfer necessary control data by serial communication. .
[0015]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a sorting device (sorter) 70 connected to this device. 2, the sorting device 70 is controlled by a sorter control unit 210 including a CPU 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, a serial interface (I / F) 214, and the like. The sorter control section 210 operates the paper input mechanism 220, bin lift mechanism 230, jogger mechanism 240, chuck mechanism 250, staple mechanism 260, and paper presence / absence detection mechanism 270.
[0016]
Further, it is connected to the main unit via a serial I / F 214, and exchanges necessary control data by serial communication. The paper input mechanism 220 discharges copy paper to a proof or bin tray. The bin lift mechanism 230 moves up and down the bin. The jogger mechanism 240 operates the jogger plate based on the paper size received from the main unit to perform paper alignment. The chuck mechanism 250 moves the sheet discharged to the bin tray to a staple position.
The stapling mechanism 260 staples the sheet sent to the stapling section by the chuck mechanism 250. The paper presence / absence detection mechanism 270 detects whether or not there is paper in all the bins of the proof tray and the bin for sorting and collating, and is composed of a pair of issuing / receiving sensors. When the state of the presence or absence of paper in the bin changes, a signal indicating the presence or absence of the bin is transmitted to the main unit.
[0017]
Next, the operation when the sheet is discharged to the sorting device 70 will be described. The main unit transmits a movement signal to the bin to be discharged first, and causes the bin to move to the bin to be discharged. Then, a motor-on is transmitted at the beginning of copying, and a paper size and a discharge bin signal are transmitted each time the paper is discharged. In the sort mode, a sort mode signal is transmitted, and in the proof mode, a proof mode signal is transmitted.
When the sorting device 70 receives the sort mode signal and finishes discharging the paper to the bin, the jogger mechanism 240 performs paper alignment. When the proof mode signal is received, the paper alignment after the paper is discharged to the bin is not performed. Even when a sort mode signal is received, if different paper widths are discharged to the same bin, paper alignment is not performed to prevent damage to the paper.
[0018]
FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the operation unit 20 provided in the present apparatus, which is constituted by hard keys such as numeric keys and touch panel keys arranged on a liquid crystal. The ten keys 21 are used to make settings such as the number of copies. The clear / stop key 22 is used to clear the input number of copies and the like, and to temporarily stop the copy operation. The liquid crystal display screen 23 is a touch panel that displays an operation state and a message.
The guidance key 24 is used to shift to a mode for displaying a description of a function and a manner of operation. The program key 25 is used to register and call frequently used settings. The brightness adjustment knob 26 is used when adjusting the brightness of the liquid crystal display screen. The mode clear / preheat key 27 is used for canceling the set contents or performing a setting to be set to the preheat state by pressing continuously for a predetermined time or more. The interrupt key 28 is used to interrupt during a copy operation and to copy another original. The start key 29 instructs the start of a copy operation.
[0019]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display screen 400. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 401 denotes a message area for displaying a message such as "copy is possible" or "please wait", 402 denotes a number of sheets set in the upper row, and a copy number display section for displaying the number of copies in the lower row. 403 denotes an image density. 404 is an automatic paper selection key for automatically selecting transfer paper, 405 is a paper designation scaling key for automatically performing enlargement / reduction processing according to the transfer paper size, and 406 is A sort key 407 for designating a process of arranging copies one by one in the page order, a stack key 407 for designating a process of sorting the copies for each page, a staple key 408 for designating a process of binding the sorted products one by one, 409 Is a special original feed key, 410 is a scaling key, 411 is a two-sided / page continuous key, 412 is an erase / move key, 413 is a cover A slip sheet key.
Various keys in the display screen have a touch panel configuration, and the displayed item is input by touching the displayed screen with a finger or the like.
[0020]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the sheet processing of the sorting device 70 after the power is turned on.
First, whether or not sheets remain in the sorting device 70 (step 11) is determined by the sheet presence / absence detection mechanism 270 in FIG. If there is paper in the sorting device 70, a message such as "Please remove the paper in the sorter" is displayed as a warning in the message area 401 shown in the display example of the operation unit 20 in FIG. 4 (step 12). When it is detected in step 11 that the sheet has been removed, the warning issued in step 12 is released (step 13).
[0021]
Further, hereinafter, flags fProofPaperExist and fBinPaperExist indicating whether paper is present in the proof tray and the bin tray other than the proof tray stored in the RAM 13 of FIG. (Step 14).
The flags of fProofPaperExist and fBinPaperExist are used thereafter, and are cleared to 0 when the sorting device 70 has run out of paper. When the sheet is discharged to the proof tray after the job is started, 1 is set to fProofPaperExist, and when the sheet is discharged to a bin tray other than the proof tray, 1 is set to fBinPaperExist.
[0022]
Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 6, of a state after the processing after power-on in FIG. 5 is completed and the sorting apparatus 70 has run out of paper. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation for issuing a warning for removing a sheet when a job using a bin tray is performed next in a state where there is proof tray sheet according to the second embodiment. .
First, the case where a job using the bin tray is performed next with the proof tray paper present is shown in steps 21 and 22. When a request to start a job using the proof tray is given by the start key 29 in FIG. 3 in a state where there is no paper in the sorting device 70 (step 27; Y). , 28; Y ), Start the copy operation and step 29 Is set to 1 in fProofPaperExist.
[0023]
After the job, with paper in the proof tray (step 21), it is recognized that paper is discharged to a bin tray other than the proof tray (step 22), and there is a discharge history in the proof tray (fProofPaperExist is 1). If there is no ejection history in bin trays other than the proof tray (fBinPaperExist is 0), if paper remains in the proof tray and the paper width of the proof tray ejection is larger than the paper width of the bin tray which is a non-proof tray, the paper aligning means In order to prevent the transfer paper discharged from the proof tray from being rolled up and curled or damaged, a paper removal warning is issued in the message area 401 shown in FIG. 4 until the paper is confirmed to be removed. (Step 24).
[0024]
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
This flowchart shows processing in a case where sheets are discharged to the proof tray in a state where sheets are present in the bin tray which is a non-proof tray, and a job to be subsequently executed is a job using a bin tray other than the proof tray.
6 in that the evaluation contents in step 43 and the warning in step 44 are canceled in step 48 after the copy start request. In step 43, the paper is discharged to the proof tray with the paper in the bin tray which is a non-proof tray. When , FProofPaper E xist and fBinPaperExist are both 1 When It is indicated in step 42 that the identified and subsequently executed job is a job that uses a bin tray other than the proof tray.
[0025]
This assumes a case where the interrupt mode is executed, for example, while the sort mode using the bin tray is being executed in a non-interrupt state (the paper has been discharged to the sorting device 70). If the paper ejected to the bin is not removed and the alignment process (paper alignment process) is permitted for the bin tray, A4 horizontal transfer paper is discharged to the proof tray and A4 vertical paper is discharged to the bin tray. If the sort mode is performed while leaving the sheets on the proof tray, the transfer sheet of the interrupt job may be damaged by the alignment mechanism. However, in step 43, the alignment process (paper alignment process) To On the other hand, if the operation is not performed, the above-described inconvenience does not occur. Therefore, in step 44, a warning of paper removal in the above-mentioned state is issued to the message area 401 shown in FIG.
[0026]
The warning OFF timing may be, for example, when the next copy start instruction is detected. In this case, when the warning is turned off, it is recognized that the paper in the proof tray has been removed, and fProofPaperExist is set to 0. However, since the paper presence / absence detection mechanism 270 detects the proof tray and the bin tray with the penetration sensor, as long as the paper in the bin tray exists, it cannot be recognized that the paper has actually been removed from the proof tray. Further, the warning OFF timing can be said to be OFF after a predetermined time.
[0027]
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the paper discharged to the sorting / collating bin tray is A4 portrait paper, and A4 landscape transfer paper is discharged to the proof tray in an interrupt job or the like. When ending the interrupt job and continuing the sorting processing performed before the interrupt job, it is premised that the copy sheet discharged in the interrupt job is removed and executed. This is because when the alignment process (paper alignment process) is performed on the paper discharged to the sorting / collating bin tray, the width of the proof tray paper (in the direction perpendicular to the paper discharging direction) is sorted / collated as described above. If the length is longer than the width of the paper discharged to the combined bin tray, the alignment processing (paper alignment processing) is performed on the paper width of the bin tray, so that the paper in the proof tray is bent and curled or damaged. It is.
[0028]
In this embodiment, since the proof tray is assigned the highest bin of the bin tray to the proof tray, if there is paper in a bin other than the proof tray, it is determined whether or not the paper has been removed after discharging the paper to the proof tray. It cannot be identified by a paper detection sensor that is a sensor. Therefore, when ending the interrupt job and continuing the sorting process that was performed before the interrupt job, a warning is issued so that the copy paper ejected in the interrupt job can be removed from the proof tray and executed beforehand. of The removal is urged to prevent the sheet alignment (sheet alignment) process from being performed on the proof tray.
With the above configuration, hand After reliably removing the copy sheet discharged by the interrupt job from the proof tray, the job using the bin tray is continuously executed. And the paper in the proof tray in advance of Since the removal is promoted so that the process of aligning the paper with the proof tray (paper alignment) is not performed, it is possible to prevent the paper in the proof tray from being damaged.
[0029]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this flowchart, the timing of the "paper removal warning" (step 67) is such that the paper is ejected to the proof tray in a state where there is paper in the bin tray which is a non-proof tray, and a job to be subsequently executed uses a bin tray other than the proof tray. When a copy operation start instruction of the job is received, a warning is issued. Further, the temporary copy operation is interrupted in response to the copy start request (step 63) (step 66), the removal of the sheet is prompted by a warning, and the copy operation is resumed on the assumption that the removal of the sheet has been completed by the request for the start of copying again. This is different from the processing in FIG.
[0030]
Specifically, the processing corresponding to steps 42, 43, 44 and 48 in FIG. 7 is evaluated after the copy start request is detected in step 63 in FIG. Further, if the sheets are discharged to the proof tray in a state where the sheets are present in the bin tray which is the non-proof tray in steps 64 and 65, and it is detected that the job to be executed subsequently is a job using a bin tray other than the proof tray, The copying operation is interrupted (step 66). Further, a warning of paper removal is issued (step 67). Then, since fProofPaperExist is set to 0 in step 67 in response to the instruction to start copying again, the process proceeds to step 68 via step 65. Further, since the flag fAlarm indicating that a warning is issued in step 67 is 1 (step 68; Y), the warning is canceled (step 69).
As described above, by setting the warning timing at the time of receiving the copy operation start instruction of the next job using the bin tray as compared with the third embodiment in FIG. 7, the paper in the proof tray is more reliably removed before the bin tray is reused. It becomes possible.
[0031]
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This embodiment differs from the third and fourth embodiments in the following points. That is, when the proof tray discharge copy is performed in a state where the bin tray has the sheet, a warning for removing the sheet from the proof tray is issued. However, if the paper width of the proof tray and the bin tray are equal, or if the paper width of the proof tray is smaller than the paper width of the bin tray discharge, even if the alignment processing (paper alignment processing) is performed on the paper of the proof tray, The paper will not be damaged.
Therefore, the warning by the warning means described in the third and fourth embodiments is prohibited from being unconditionally warned in accordance with the state of the paper size discharged to the sorting device 70.
Specifically, steps 86 and 94 are added to the flowchart of FIG.
[0032]
Step 94 has the contents shown in FIG. 10. Depending on whether the transfer paper is discharged to the proof tray or the bin tray by executing the copying operation (steps 101 and 102), the discharge direction of the sorting device 70 is determined from the respective sheet size data. The paper length (paper width) in the direction perpendicular to the proof tray is stored in the variables ProofPaperWidth and BinPaperWidth in which the paper width data discharged from the proof tray and bin trays other than the proof tray are stored in the RAM 13 of FIG. Write.
[0033]
The paper size is detected by the state of a paper size detection sensor 51 for detecting the paper size of the paper feed tray of the paper feed unit 50.
Then, based on the paper width data of ProofPaperWidth and BinPaperWidth obtained in step 94, the alignment processing (paper alignment processing) is performed only when ProofPaperWidth> BinPaperWidth is performed. ) Is performed, there is a possibility that the paper in the proof tray is damaged, so a warning for paper removal is issued (step 88).
[0034]
Here, the explanation is made in comparison with FIG. 8, but also in FIG. 7, the judgment corresponding to step 86 in FIG. 9 is performed before step 44 in FIG. The same result can be obtained by adding the process of step 94.
With the above configuration, careless warning can be prevented and load Is also reduced. Further, since the copying operation is interrupted once at the time of the copy start instruction and a warning is issued, the operator does not need to instruct the copy instruction twice, and a more comfortable and reliable sorting apparatus can be realized.
[0035]
Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The fifth embodiment corresponds to the case where the paper size is mixedly discharged onto the proof tray and the bin tray and discharged.
Specifically, the process of “sort sheet size storage” in step 94 of FIG. 9 is changed. For example, when the paper size is mixed and discharged on the proof tray, the paper width data having the largest paper width among the discharged papers is stored in ProofPaperWidth as shown in steps 115 and 116. Similarly, when paper sizes are mixed and discharged on the bin tray, the paper width data having the largest paper width among the discharged papers is stored in BinPaperWidth. Based on this data, it is determined at step 86 in FIG. 9 whether or not to issue a warning.
[0036]
This is because when the paper lengths in the direction orthogonal to the sorting device discharge direction of the paper discharged from each bin tray of the sorting device 70 are not the same (when the sizes are mixed), the alignment processing is performed to the maximum paper width of the discharged paper. It is necessary to perform this process (the transfer process will be damaged if it is performed in a small size).
As a result, it is possible to reliably cope with a case where the paper size is mixedly discharged onto each bin tray and the proof tray of the sorting device 70 and discharged.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
Claim 1 According to the invention described above, if the proof tray and the other bin tray have the same paper width, or if the proof tray paper width is smaller than the other bin tray discharge paper width, the proof tray can perform the alignment process on the proof tray paper. Since the paper in the tray is not damaged, it is prohibited to issue an unconditional warning by the warning means according to the size of the paper discharged to the sorting device. This can prevent inadvertent warnings and reduce the load on the operator.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a sorting device.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an operation unit.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of paper processing of the sorting device after power is turned on.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process after the power-on process is completed and the sorting apparatus runs out of paper.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process according to a third embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process according to a fourth embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process according to a fifth embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process of step 94 in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process according to a sixth embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a conventional sorting device.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Main control unit
11 CPU
20 Operation section
50 Paper feed unit
51 Paper Size Detection Sensor
70 Sorting device
210 Sorter control unit
270 Paper presence detection mechanism
400 display screen
401 message area

Claims (1)

It has a plurality of bin trays for sorting copy paper, and the plurality of bin trays are moved up and down to store copy paper.The top bin is not used for sorting and collation, and it is not used for interrupt jobs, non-sorting, In an image forming apparatus including a sorting device that is a proof tray for discharging at the time of a non-collated job,
Sheet aligning means for aligning a plurality of sheets stored in the sorting device,
Bin tray paper presence / absence detecting means for detecting that there is paper in any bin tray of the sorting device,
Paper size detection means for detecting a paper size for each copy paper discharged;
Paper size comparison means for comparing the paper size of the proof tray and the other bin tray discharge according to the detection result of the paper size detection means,
If the maximum paper width of the paper discharged to the proof tray is larger than the maximum width of the paper discharged to the other bin tray by the paper size comparing means, an instruction to remove the paper from the proof tray is issued. Warning means , otherwise, warning means for prohibiting the warning,
A copy operation start instructing unit for instructing a start of a copy operation when the sheet is removed based on the warning of the warning unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images