JP4363231B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on continuous paper that does not have a hole for conveyance.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image on continuous paper (so-called continuous paper pinless paper) that does not have a hole for conveyance has been proposed, and examples thereof are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below.

  Such an image forming apparatus conveys continuous paper with high accuracy or stably conveys continuous paper during image formation after the continuous paper is set, even if the continuous paper is not provided with a hole for conveyance. can do.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the end in the width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of continuous paper having no conveyance hole is brought into close contact with the endless belt by a suction device, and the endless belt is used as it is. By circulating, continuous paper having no conveyance holes is conveyed with high accuracy.

In addition, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 sets continuous paper that does not have a hole for conveyance, and rotates the conveyance roller disposed at the subsequent stage of the transfer unit in advance of the subsequent image formation. On the other hand, by reversely rotating the transport roller arranged at the front stage of the transfer unit, unnecessary slack of the continuous paper is removed at the front stage of the transfer unit, and at the time of image formation, unnecessary slack is not generated on the continuous paper. In this way, stable continuous conveyance of continuous paper is performed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-29745 JP 2002-53252 A

  However, in such an image forming apparatus, the continuous paper is set by the manual operation of the user of the apparatus, and the loading position of the continuous paper after being set in the apparatus is finely adjusted by the manual operation of the user of the apparatus. The For this reason, the continuous paper loading position varies. As a result, at the time of image formation immediately after the continuous paper is set in the apparatus, there is a drawback that the accuracy of the image forming position (so-called printing position) such as the image forming start position of the continuous paper is deteriorated.

  In addition, if the loading position varies as described above, unnecessary slack or the like may occur in the continuous paper, and the continuous paper conveyance speed may vary during image formation immediately after the continuous paper is set in the apparatus. It is not preferable.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of improving the accuracy of the image forming position and the conveying speed of a continuous sheet at the time of image formation performed after setting a continuous sheet having no conveying hole in the apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

The image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, conveys by sandwiching the continuous sheet with no holes for conveyance, which is set, the conveying speed at the time of loading of the continuous paper, the continuous paper image A transport unit that switches to a speed slower than the transport speed at the time of formation, and a cross-direction position that contacts the continuous paper being transported at the transport speed at the time of loading and controls a position in a direction that intersects the transport direction of the continuous paper Control means, and detection means for detecting a reference mark recorded in advance on the continuous paper being conveyed at the conveyance speed at the time of loading, wherein the conveyance means is the reference mark detected by the detection means If it is determined that the paper feed amount for the alignment of the continuous paper is reached based on the paper, the speed is lower than the conveyance speed at the time of the continuous paper loading when the continuous paper is loaded It is characterized by stopping the conveyor.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, continuous paper having no hole for conveyance is handled.

  When such continuous paper is set in the image forming apparatus, the continuous paper is nipped and conveyed by the conveying means.

Here, in the present image forming apparatus, the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper by the transport means is switched by the transport means to a speed slower than the transport speed at the time of image formation of the continuous paper.

  That is, since the image forming apparatus transports the continuous paper at a speed slower than that at the time of image formation as described above, the behavior of the continuous paper is stable, for example, skew of the continuous paper or unnecessary slack. There is no problem, and the image forming position of the continuous paper when the image is formed thereafter can be made more accurate.

Further, when the continuous paper is loaded, the position in the direction intersecting the continuous paper transport direction is controlled by the cross direction position control means coming into contact with the continuous paper. Therefore, the image forming position of the continuous paper at the time of image formation can be made more accurate, which is preferable.

Further, a reference mark is recorded in advance on the continuous paper.

  When such continuous paper is set in the image forming apparatus, the continuous paper is nipped by the transport means and transported at the transport speed at the time of loading, and the reference mark of the continuous paper being transported at the transport speed at the time of loading. Is detected by the detecting means.

  When the reference mark is detected by the detection means, the conveyance stop means advances a predetermined distance from the position where the reference mark is detected by the detection means based on the detection result of the reference mark by the detection means. The conveyance at the time of loading the continuous paper is stopped. Therefore, the image forming position of the continuous paper at the time of image formation can be made more accurate, which is preferable.

The image forming apparatus according to the invention of claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, in advance a plurality of said reference marks said the continuous paper along its longitudinal direction is recorded at predetermined intervals , when the conveying speed at the time of pre-Symbol loading are carrying the continuous paper conveyance determines a conveying speed at the time of loading of the continuous paper from the detection period of the reference mark detected by said detecting means, which is the calculated Speed correction means for correcting the transport speed during loading of the continuous paper based on the speed.

On the continuous paper handled by the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of reference marks are recorded in advance along the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals.

  When such continuous paper is set in the image forming apparatus, the continuous paper is nipped by the transport means and transported at the transport speed at the time of loading, and the reference mark of the continuous paper being transported at the transport speed at the time of loading. Is detected by the detecting means.

  When the reference mark is detected by the detection means, the continuous paper is loaded from the reference mark detection cycle detected by the detection means when the continuous paper is being conveyed by the speed correction means at the conveyance speed at the time of loading. A conveyance speed is obtained, and the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper is corrected based on the obtained conveyance speed.

  Therefore, the image forming position and the conveyance speed of the continuous paper when the image is formed can be made more accurate, which is preferable.

The image forming apparatus may include a conveyance stop unit described in the first aspect of the invention. In this case, based on the detection result of the reference mark by the detection unit, the conveyance at the time of loading the continuous paper can be stopped at a position advanced by a predetermined distance from the position where the detection unit has detected the reference mark.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a conveyance speed at the time of loading continuous paper that does not have a conveyance hole, which is lower than the conveyance speed at the time of image formation. The effect of improving the accuracy of the image forming position and the conveying speed of the continuous paper at the time of image formation executed after setting the continuous paper having no holes for use in the apparatus can be obtained.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 10 handles continuous paper 12 and forms an image on the continuous paper 12.

  The continuous paper 12 is, for example, a continuous paper (a so-called continuous book pinless paper) in which no hole for conveyance is formed. A plurality of reference marks 14 are recorded in advance on the continuous paper 12 at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction (see FIG. 2).

  In the image forming apparatus 10, a sensor 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the movement path of the reference mark 14. The sensor 16 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a reflection type optical sensor. When the sensor 16 detects the reference mark 14, it outputs an H level detection signal.

  In addition, the photosensitive drum 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the sensor 16 in the conveyance direction of the continuous paper 12 so as to correspond to the conveyance path of the continuous paper 12. While rotating, the photosensitive drum 20 forms an electrostatic latent image on itself by the laser beam emitted from the LED head 18, and the toner supplied from the developing device 19 is attached to the electrostatic latent image (development). Further, the image (toner image) formed by the adhesion of the toner is transferred to the continuous paper 12 in cooperation with the transfer charger 21.

  An optical fixing device 22 for fixing the toner image transferred to the continuous paper 12 to the continuous paper 12 is provided on the downstream side of the photosensitive drum 20 in the transport direction. The optical fixing device 22 irradiates the toner image transferred to the continuous paper 12 with light. That is, the optical fixing device 22 supplies light energy to the toner image transferred to the continuous paper 12 and fixes the toner image on the continuous paper 12.

  In such an image forming apparatus 10, a pair of drive rollers 24 that transport the continuous paper 12 in the transport direction and a pair of back tension rollers 26 are provided. The drive roller 24 is disposed downstream of the photosensitive drum 20 in the transport direction, and the back tension roller 26 is disposed upstream of the sensor 16 in the transport direction. The back tension roller 26 is set to rotate slightly slower than the drive roller 24, and prevents the continuous paper 12 from slacking between the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26.

  An aligning roller 28 is disposed downstream of the back tension roller 26 in the transport direction and upstream of the sensor 16 described above in the transport direction. The aligning roller 28 contacts the continuous paper 12 when the continuous paper 12 is loaded (described later).

  When the vicinity of the aligning roller 28 is viewed from the side opposite to the aligning roller 28 with respect to the continuous paper 12 (see arrow A in FIG. 1), when the continuous paper 12 is loaded, as shown in FIG. The circumferential surface of the roller 28 abuts on the continuous paper 12, and the continuous paper 12 is sent in a direction (see arrow B) intersecting the conveyance direction by the rotation of the aligning roller 28 accompanying the conveyance of the continuous paper 12.

  Corresponding to the feeding direction of the continuous paper 12 by the aligning roller 28, a plate-shaped paper abutting guide 30 is provided inside the image forming apparatus 10 (not shown in FIG. 1). The sheet abutting guide 30 is arranged with its plate thickness direction being the continuous paper 12 side, and the continuous sheet 12 is fed out in the direction of arrow B by the aligning roller 28 and the upper surface (plane) of the sheet abutting guide 30. When the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction while being in contact with the sheet, it is possible to eliminate positional deviation in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the continuous paper 12.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the image forming apparatus 10.

  The sensor 16 described above is connected to a control unit 40 composed of a microcomputer or the like. The control unit 40 includes a timer 48, a registration unit 50, and a calculation unit 52.

  The registration unit 50 of the control unit 40 determines in advance the transport amount required to transport the continuous paper 12 by a predetermined distance in the transport direction from the position where the reference mark 14 of the continuous paper 12 is detected by the sensor 16 when the continuous paper 12 is loaded. Registered (stored) (hereinafter, this transport amount is referred to as a prescribed amount). The prescribed amount is set to a conveyance amount that eliminates positional deviation in the width direction of the continuous paper 12 when the continuous paper 12 is loaded. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the specified amount is determined by the leading edge of the image formed on the photosensitive drum 20 and the continuous paper 12 from the position where the reference mark 14 of the continuous paper 12 is detected by the sensor 16 when the continuous paper 12 is loaded. The continuous paper 12 is transported to a position where the image formation start position coincides with the transport amount. The specified amount can be arbitrarily set according to the state of the image forming apparatus 10 and the thickness of the continuous paper 12 used.

  In addition, the registration unit 50 registers a transport speed that is a reference when forming an image of the continuous paper 12 and a transport speed that is a reference when loading the continuous paper 12. In the present embodiment, the transport speed that serves as a reference when loading the continuous paper 12 is set to a speed that is slower than the transport speed that serves as a reference when forming an image of the continuous paper 12.

  Further, the timer 48 of the control unit 40 measures the time that has elapsed since the reference mark 14 was detected by the sensor 16. In addition to this, the timer 48 measures the time from when the loading of the continuous paper 12 is started until the reference mark 14 is detected for the first time.

  Further, the calculation unit 52 of the control unit 40 conveys the continuous paper 12 during loading based on the detection period of the reference mark 14 detected by the sensor 16 when conveying the continuous paper 12 at the conveyance speed during loading. The speed is obtained by calculation. Further, the calculation unit 52 performs continuous paper 12 at the time of image formation executed after correction of the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 based on a correction result of the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 described later. A correction value for correcting the transport speed is also calculated.

  Such a control unit 40 stops the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 when the conveyance amount of the continuous paper 12 at the time of loading reaches the above specified amount based on the number of times the reference mark 14 is detected by the sensor 16. This stop signal is output to the conveyance control unit 42 described later.

  Further, when starting image formation, the control unit 40 outputs an exposure start signal for causing the LED head 18 to emit a laser beam to an exposure control unit 44 described later.

  Further, the control unit 40 corrects the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 based on the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 obtained from the detection period of the reference mark 14 detected by the sensor 16 (its reference). An instruction to correct the conveyance speed is given to a conveyance control unit 42 which will be described later, and the conveyance control unit 42 is caused to correct the conveyance speed when loading the continuous paper 12.

  In addition, the control unit 40 switches between the conveyance speed during image formation and the conveyance speed during loading of the continuous paper 12 registered in the registration unit 50 in cooperation with the conveyance control unit 42 described later.

  In addition to the sensor 16 described above, the transport control unit 42, the exposure control unit 44, and the graphical user interface (GUI) 46 are connected to the control unit 40 described above.

  The conveyance control unit 42 performs control related to the overall conveyance of the continuous paper 12, such as driving a motor that rotates the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26. For example, when the stop signal is input from the control unit 40, the transport control unit 42 stops driving the motors of the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26 and stops the transport of the continuous paper 12.

  Furthermore, when an instruction to load the continuous paper 12 is given from the control unit 40, the conveyance control unit 42 controls the rotational speeds of the motors of the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26, so The continuous paper 12 is transported to the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26 at a speed slower than the transport speed of the continuous paper 12. In the present embodiment, the conveyance control unit 42 performs the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 from the position where the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 is stopped and the exposure of the photosensitive drum 20 by the LED head 18 in accordance with the specified amount. When executed in synchronization, the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 is stopped so that the leading edge of the image formed on the photosensitive drum 20 and the image formation start position of the continuous paper 12 coincide.

  The exposure control unit 44 controls the overall image formation by exposure, such as the LED head 18, the developing device 19, the photosensitive drum 20, the transfer charger 21, and the optical fixing device 22. The exposure control unit 44 is activated when the exposure start signal is input from the control unit 40, and immediately emits a laser beam from the LED head 18 toward the photosensitive drum 20.

  The GUI 46 is operated by a user of the apparatus when setting a prescribed amount registered in the registration unit 50 or inputting an instruction to start image formation. When an instruction indicating that the continuous paper 12 has been loaded is input to the image forming apparatus 10, the GUI 52 outputs a loading signal corresponding to the instruction to the control unit 40, and the image formation start instruction When input, an image formation start instruction signal corresponding to this instruction is output to the control unit 40.

  The continuous paper 12 subjected to the image forming process by the image forming apparatus 10 as described above is conveyed to the post-processing apparatus and cut.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the image forming apparatus 10 when the continuous paper 12 is loaded.

  When the continuous paper 12 is set in the image forming apparatus 10 and the loading of the continuous paper 12 is started, in step 100, the microcomputer in the control unit 40 sets the reference for loading the continuous paper 12 from the registration unit 50. Information on the conveyance speed is read out. That is, the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 is switched from the conveyance speed at the time of image formation to the conveyance speed at the time of loading. Next, the process proceeds to step 102.

  In step 102, an instruction to load the continuous paper 12 is given from the control unit 40 to the conveyance control unit 42. In response to this instruction, the conveyance control unit 42 drives the motors of the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26. Here, the continuous paper 12 at the time of loading is conveyed at a speed slower than the conveying speed at the time of image formation. That is, since the continuous paper 12 at the time of loading is conveyed at a speed slower than the conveyance speed at the time of image formation, for example, when there is a problem such as unnecessary slack in the continuous paper 12, it is slowly conveyed. According to the above, the above problem is solved. Therefore, after this loading is completed, the image forming position of the continuous paper 12 when forming an image can be made more accurate.

  Further, in this case, the continuous paper 12 is sent to the paper abutment guide 30 side by the aligning roller 28 (refer to the arrow B in FIG. 2) as it is conveyed by the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26, and the paper abutment. It is transported in the transport direction while contacting the guide 30. As a result, the continuous paper 12 conveyed while being in contact with the paper abutting guide 30 does not shift in the position in the width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the continuous paper. Therefore, after this loading is completed, the image forming position of the continuous paper 12 when the image is formed can be made more accurate.

  When the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 is started in such a step 102, the process immediately proceeds to step 104. Here, it is determined whether or not the distance traveled after the continuous paper 12 is conveyed reaches a specified amount. This specified amount is determined in step 112 described later. The determination in step 104 is performed by the control unit 40 based on the number of times the sensor 16 detects the reference mark 14 of the continuous paper 12. If this determination is affirmed, the routine proceeds to step 120. On the other hand, if this determination is negative, the routine proceeds to step 106. When the process proceeds from step 102 to step 104 (ie, immediately after loading the continuous paper 12), this determination is denied and the process proceeds to step 106.

  In step 106, the timer 48 is started and the time until the reference mark 14 of the continuous paper 12 is detected by the sensor 16 is measured. When the timer 48 is activated, the routine proceeds to step 108.

  In step 108, it is determined whether or not the reference mark 14 on the continuous paper 12 is detected by the sensor 16. If this determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 110. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 104 and the above-described processing is repeated.

  When the determination at step 108 is affirmed and the routine proceeds to step 110, it is determined whether or not the reference mark 14 is detected for the first time by the sensor 16. If this determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 112;

  When the determination in step 110 is affirmed and the routine proceeds to step 112, the paper feed amount (specified amount) for alignment of the continuous paper 12 is set to the reference in step 108 after the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 is started in step 102. Based on the time until the mark 14 is detected by the sensor 16, it is determined by the control unit 40. This prescribed amount is, for example, a conveyance amount that eliminates positional deviation of the continuous paper 12 in the width direction, and the leading edge of the image formed on the photosensitive drum 20 matches the image formation start position of the continuous paper 12. The continuous paper 12 is transported to such a position. Therefore, after this loading is completed, the image forming position of the continuous paper 12 when the image is formed can be made more accurate. When such a prescribed amount is determined, the routine proceeds to step 114.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 110 is negative and the process proceeds to step 116, the detection period of the reference mark 14 by the sensor 16 and the reference when loading the continuous paper 12 read into the microcomputer in the control unit 40 in step 100. The control unit 40 compares the reference period corresponding to the reference transport speed obtained from the transport speed information. Next, the process proceeds to step 118.

  In step 118, based on the comparison result obtained in step 116, the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 is corrected so that the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 becomes the reference transport speed. The As a result, the continuous paper 12 is stably conveyed at the time of loading, and after this loading is completed, the image forming position and the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 at the time of the above-described image formation are more accurately controlled. Can be high. When the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 is corrected in this way, the process proceeds to step 114.

  When the process of step 112 ends or the process of step 118 ends, in step 114, the counter of the timer 48 is reset and the timer 48 is initialized. When the timer 48 is initialized, the process returns to step 104 and the above-described processing is repeated.

  When the determination in step 104 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step 120, the control unit 40 outputs a stop signal to the conveyance control unit 42, and motors such as the drive roller 24 and the back tension roller 26 are provided to the conveyance control unit 42. The driving is stopped, and the continuous paper 12 is stopped at a position corresponding to the specified amount. As a result, for example, when the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 from the stop position and the exposure to the photosensitive drum 20 by the LED head 18 are executed in synchronization, the leading edge of the image formed on the photosensitive drum 20 is detected. The image formation start position of the continuous paper 12 can be matched. Next, the process proceeds to step 122.

  In step 122, based on the result of correcting the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 obtained in the process of step 118, the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 at the time of image formation executed after the end of this processing routine is corrected. A correction value for this is calculated by the calculation unit 52. The conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 is caused by the thermal expansion of the drive roller 24, the thickness of the continuous paper 12 or the like regardless of whether it is loading or image formation. The result of the correction of the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 is reflected in the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 at the time of image formation, so that the speed of the continuous paper 12 at the time of image formation can be accurately corrected. It is. As described above, when the correction value of the conveyance speed at the time of image formation of the continuous paper 12 is calculated, the process proceeds to step 124.

  In step 124, in order to shift from the loading process of the continuous paper 12 to the image forming process, information on the conveyance speed at the time of image formation of the continuous paper 12 is read from the registration unit 50 by the microcomputer in the control unit 40. Next, an instruction to form an image on the continuous paper 12 is given from the control unit 40 to the conveyance control unit 42. As a result, the transport control unit 42 switches the transport speed of the continuous paper 12 to the transport speed at the time of image formation.

  In this way, when the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 is switched to the conveyance speed at the time of image formation, this processing routine is ended.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper 12 having no conveyance hole is made slower than the conveyance speed at the time of image formation. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the image forming position and the conveyance speed of the continuous paper 12 at the time of image formation executed after the continuous paper 12 is set in the apparatus.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view of an aligning roller and the vicinity as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the image forming apparatus when loading continuous paper according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Continuous paper 14 Reference mark 16 Sensor 24 Drive roller 26 Back tension roller 28 Aligning roller 30 Paper abutting guide 40 Control part 42 Conveyance control part 50 Registration part 52 Calculation part

Claims (2)

It conveys by sandwiching the continuous paper that does not have a set pore for conveying a conveying means for the conveying speed at the time of continuous paper loading, switching to a slower speed than the conveying speed at the time of image formation of the continuous paper ,
An intersecting direction position control means for controlling a position in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the continuous paper by contacting the continuous paper being conveyed at the conveying speed at the time of loading;
Detecting means for detecting a reference mark recorded in advance on the continuous paper being conveyed at the conveyance speed at the time of loading;
When the conveying unit determines that the sheet feeding amount for the alignment of the continuous sheet has been reached based on the reference mark detected by the detecting unit, the image of the continuous sheet at the time of loading the continuous sheet An image forming apparatus, wherein conveyance at a speed slower than a conveyance speed at the time of formation is stopped. A plurality of the reference marks are recorded at predetermined intervals in advance along the longitudinal direction of the continuous paper,
When the continuous paper is being transported at the transport speed at the time of loading, the transport speed at the time of loading the continuous paper is obtained from the detection period of the reference mark detected by the detection means, and the obtained transport speed is obtained. Speed correction means for correcting the conveyance speed at the time of loading the continuous paper based on,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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