JP5263564B2 - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a multifunction peripheral, and a program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus , and more particularly to an image forming apparatus and a program for performing control according to humidity.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral, a toner image is formed on a photoreceptor provided in an image forming unit based on image data obtained by reading from a document reading device, and the toner An image is formed (also referred to as a print) by transferring an image onto a sheet fed from a tray and further fixing the image.
Various types of paper are used for printing, and the coated paper has a characteristic that air permeability is poor because the surface is coated. In the high humidity environment, this coated paper tends to increase the adhesion between the coated papers, and the adhesiveness is easily increased. The first coated paper loaded in the tray is removed from the second coated paper. If the paper is not peeled off, the paper cannot be fed into the machine and may cause a paper jam. Also, when printing is performed by transporting paper in a high humidity state, paper dust is generated from the paper in the transport path, and it gradually accumulates on the optical sensor that detects the paper provided in the transport path and causes malfunction. There is a problem of inviting. Therefore, conventionally, an image forming apparatus in which a heater for dehumidification is provided on a tray has been proposed in order to lower the humidity of the coated paper. Further, in the image forming apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1, the humidity in the apparatus is detected by a sensor, and a tray having a long conveyance path is automatically selected when the inside of the image forming apparatus is high humidity, so that the paper is formed in a high humidity environment. Generation | occurrence | production of powder | flour is suppressed and it prevents that paper dust accumulates on the optical sensor provided in the conveyance path shared with another tray.

JP 2003-276883 A

However, even if a heater for dehumidification is provided on the tray, there may be cases where the dehumidified state is not sufficient immediately after the power is turned on or due to environmental changes, etc. When coated paper is fed at this time, jamming and paper dust accumulation on the transport path will occur. There are easy problems. In addition, when printing is performed on high humidity paper, heat is taken away by evaporation of water contained in the paper, so that the fixing temperature of the paper does not rise sufficiently, and there is a risk of causing an image defect due to a decrease in the fixing temperature.
Furthermore, the image forming apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1 does not change that paper dust accumulates on the optical sensor in the vicinity of the fed tray, and completes coated paper jam due to high humidity environmental factors. It cannot be prevented.

The present invention has been made in the context of the above circumstances, and is an image caused by jamming, accumulation of paper dust on the conveyance path, and poor fixing by conveying a sheet that is sufficiently dehumidified to perform printing. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of effectively preventing defects and a program for operating the image forming apparatus .

  (1) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and humidity detection means for detecting humidity in the tray; A dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray and the dehumidifying device are controlled, and a tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less is selected from the plurality of trays, and the image forming unit executes image formation. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs control as described above.

  (2) When there is no tray in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value among the plurality of trays, the control unit prohibits the image forming unit from forming an image, and the dehumidifier removes the tray. The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein after the dehumidification, when the humidity in the tray becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the image forming unit executes image formation.

  According to the present invention of (2) above, the image formation is performed by performing flying while performing dehumidification in a high-humidity environment, thereby shortening the standby time for dehumidification and efficiently performing image formation. it can.

(3) The control unit executes the control when it is designated to form an image using a sheet of a specific paper type, and selects a tray that stores a paper other than the specific paper type. The image forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the image forming unit executes image formation regardless of humidity in the tray.

(4) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray, an operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays, and controlling the dehumidifying device, and based on a detection result detected by the humidity detecting means. Based on the determined humidity of each tray and the priority set for the plurality of trays, the tray having the highest priority in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is selected from the plurality of trays. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the forming unit to perform image formation.

(5) wherein, before if humidity Quito the ray is determined to exceed the predetermined value, the (4) image forming apparatus, wherein letting dehumidify the tray into the dehumidifier.

  (6) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and a humidity detection unit that detects humidity in the tray; A dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray, and a control unit for controlling the dehumidifying device and controlling image formation by the image forming unit, wherein the control unit includes a plurality of trays in the tray. When there is no tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less, the dehumidifying device starts dehumidification of the tray, selects a tray having the lowest humidity in the tray from the plurality of trays, and displays an image on the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus that controls to execute formation.

  (7) An operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray from among the plurality of trays is provided, and the control unit includes a tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less in the plurality of trays. The image forming apparatus according to (6), wherein a tray having a highest priority level in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is selected from the plurality of trays, and the image forming unit executes image formation. apparatus.

(8) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and humidity detection means for detecting humidity in the tray; In each tray where the humidity is determined on the basis of the detection result detected by the humidity detection unit and the humidity is determined based on the detection result detected by the humidity detection unit, and the humidity is not depleted in the tray, an image forming apparatus, comprising a control unit which controls to execute the scheduled time to complete dehumidification selects the shortest tray image formed on the image forming unit from among the plurality of trays.

  (9) The control unit, when there is a tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less, selects a tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less and causes the image forming unit to perform image formation. The image forming apparatus described.

(10) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and humidity detection means for detecting humidity in the tray; A dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray, an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays, and controls the dehumidifying device, and the humidity in the tray is predetermined by dehumidification by the dehumidifying device. Whether or not the scheduled time until reaching the value is equal to or longer than a predetermined time is determined from a tray having a higher priority of the tray, and when the scheduled time is less than the predetermined time, the tray is selected, and the scheduled time is When the predetermined time is longer than the predetermined time, the above determination is made for the next-order tray. When the scheduled time of the next-order tray is less than the predetermined time, the tray is selected. If there is much trays repeating the determination for the tray said next order, when said expected time for all the trays above a predetermined time, the image formed by selecting the highest priority tray according to the priority An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that causes the image forming unit to perform image formation.

(11) By storing an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, and a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and performing a dehumidifying operation even when no print instruction is given a plurality of trays made of humidity in the tray from the tray without a tray and the dehumidification function with dehumidification function is maintained below a predetermined value, the dehumidification function from the plurality of trays when the print instruction is issued An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls a selected tray to cause the image forming unit to perform image formation.

  (12) The image forming apparatus according to (11), further comprising humidity detecting means for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function, and a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray having the dehumidifying function. .

(13) outboard with the outside humidity sensor for detecting humidity of said control unit, when the humidity detected by the該機outside humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, selecting a tray having a front Kijo wet function above, wherein the to Rukoto (11) or (12) an image forming apparatus according.

  (14) In the case where there are a plurality of trays having the dehumidifying function, the control unit further selects a tray whose humidity in the toy detected by the humidity detecting means is not more than a predetermined value (11) ) Image forming apparatus.

(14) An operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray is further provided, and the control unit includes a tray having a dehumidifying function according to the priority order when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value. The image forming apparatus according to (13), wherein the tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order when the humidity outside the apparatus is equal to or lower than a predetermined value.
(15) An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray having a dehumidifying function for storing the sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit and maintaining the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and a dehumidifying function A plurality of trays that have no tray, an external humidity sensor that detects humidity outside the apparatus, an operation unit that sets a priority for selecting the tray, and a humidity detected by the external humidity sensor is predetermined. When the value exceeds the value, a tray having a dehumidifying function is selected according to the priority order, and when the humidity outside the apparatus is a predetermined value or less, a tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order. Image forming apparatus.
(16) The image forming apparatus according to (15), further comprising humidity detecting means for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function, and a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray having the dehumidifying function. apparatus.
(17) An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray having a dehumidifying function for storing the sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit and maintaining the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and a dehumidifying function A plurality of trays each including a tray having no dehumidifying function, humidity detecting means for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function, a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray having the dehumidifying function, and A control unit that controls the image forming unit to perform image formation by selecting a tray having the dehumidifying function in which the humidity in the tray detected by the humidity detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. An image forming apparatus.
(18) Provided with an external humidity sensor for detecting the humidity outside the apparatus, and when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value. The image forming apparatus according to (17), wherein a tray having the dehumidifying function is selected.
(19) The control unit further includes an operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray, and when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the humidity in the tray is predetermined according to the priority order. (18) The tray according to (18), wherein a tray having a dehumidifying function that is equal to or lower than a value is selected, and when the humidity outside the apparatus is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order. Image forming apparatus.
(20) is pre-Symbol controller, when a non-specific paper type is designated as the sheet for image formation is to select a tray in accordance with the priority order from the tray which houses the non-specific paper type ( 19 ) The image forming apparatus as described in ( 19 ) above.

( 21 ) A paper amount sensor for detecting the amount of paper stored in the tray is provided, and the control unit prohibits selection of the tray when an increase in paper is detected by the paper amount sensor. The image forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to ( 20 ), wherein:
(22) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and a humidity detection unit that detects humidity in the tray; A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray,
A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less from the plurality of trays and causing the image forming unit to perform image formation.
(23) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising: a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray; and an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays.
Based on the humidity of each tray determined based on the detection result detected by the humidity detection means and the priority set for the plurality of trays, the humidity in the trays from the plurality of trays is a predetermined value or less. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having the highest priority and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation.
(24) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and a humidity detection unit that detects humidity in the tray; A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray,
When there is no tray having a humidity below a predetermined value in the plurality of trays, the dehumidifying device starts dehumidifying the tray, and the tray having the lowest humidity in the tray is selected among the plurality of trays. A program for selecting and operating the image forming apparatus to cause the image forming unit to perform image formation.
(25) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, and a humidity detection unit that detects humidity in the tray; A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the inside of the tray,
In each tray whose humidity is determined based on the detection result detected by the humidity detecting means, if there is no tray whose humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the tray with the shortest scheduled time until completion of dehumidification is selected from the plurality of trays. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation.
(26) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising: a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray; and an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays.
Whether the scheduled time until the humidity in the tray reaches a predetermined value due to dehumidification by the dehumidifying device is greater than or equal to a predetermined time is determined from a tray with a higher priority of the tray, and the scheduled time is less than the predetermined time The tray is selected, and when the scheduled time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the determination is made for the next-order tray, and when the scheduled time for the next-order tray is less than the predetermined time, the tray is selected. When the scheduled time is a predetermined time or more, if there is a next-order tray, the determination for the next-order tray is repeated, and when the scheduled time is a predetermined time or more for all trays, the highest priority is given according to the priority. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having a high priority and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation.
(27) By storing an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, and a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and performing a dehumidifying operation even when no print instruction is given A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising a tray having a dehumidifying function for maintaining the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value and a plurality of trays not having the dehumidifying function,
A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having the dehumidifying function from the plurality of trays and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation when a print instruction is given.
(28) An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray having a dehumidifying function for storing the sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit and maintaining the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and a dehumidifying function For controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays each having no tray; an external humidity sensor that detects humidity outside the apparatus; and an operation unit that sets priority order for selecting a tray. The program of
When the humidity detected by the outside humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, a tray having a dehumidifying function is selected according to the priority order, and when the outside humidity is not more than a predetermined value, the plurality of trays according to the priority order. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray from among the programs.
(29) An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray having a dehumidifying function for storing the sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit and maintaining the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and a dehumidifying function An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays each including a tray having no dehumidification; a humidity detecting unit for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function; and a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray having the dehumidifying function. A program for controlling the operation of
The image forming unit is configured to select a tray having the dehumidifying function in which the humidity in the tray detected by the humidity detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value from the plurality of trays, and to cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. A program characterized by operating a device.

According to the present invention, by prohibiting image formation on highly humid paper, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of problems such as the occurrence of jams in high humidity environments, the accumulation of paper dust, and a decrease in fixing temperature.
In addition, for specific papers that need dehumidification, image formation on high-humidity papers is prohibited, and for non-specific papers that do not cause problems, image formation is performed immediately, even in high humidity environments. Image formation can be performed quickly and efficiently without performing an unnecessary dehumidification step.
Further, by performing image formation by performing flying while performing dehumidification in a high-humidity environment, the standby time for dehumidification can be shortened and image formation can be performed efficiently.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mechanical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is the schematic which shows the inside of a tray. Similarly, it is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the operation part by which the normal operation screen was displayed. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the operation part by which the tray priority order setting screen was displayed. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the operation part by which the paper type setting screen was displayed. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the operation part by which the paper type change screen was displayed. 10 is a flowchart for executing printing when the humidity in the tray becomes a predetermined value or less. It is a flowchart which selects a tray in consideration of the paper type of a paper. It is a flowchart which selects a tray, when providing a several tray. It is a flowchart in case a specific paper type is designated. It is a flowchart which selects a tray in consideration of the priority of a tray. It is a flowchart which selects a tray and performs printing before the humidity in a tray becomes below a predetermined value. It is a flowchart which selects a thing with the shortest scheduled time until dehumidification completion, and performs pudding. 10 is a flowchart for selecting a tray depending on whether a scheduled time is shorter than a predetermined time when a tray is selected according to the priority order of the tray. It is a flowchart in case only some trays have a dehumidification function among several trays. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for selecting trays having a dehumidifying function in order according to a set priority order of trays when preferentially selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function. When selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function, it is a flowchart for selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function whose humidity in the tray is a predetermined value or less. 10 is a flowchart when a specific paper type to be printed is specified in consideration of humidity. 6 is a flowchart when the amount of paper is increased by supplying paper to a tray.

Below, one Embodiment of this invention is described based on FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical configuration inside an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
Around each of the four color (Y, M, C, K) photoconductors 1 to 4 rotating in the direction of the arrow, chargers 5 to 8 for each of the four colors and latent images for each of the four colors are formed. Exposure units 9 to 12 and two-component developing units 13 to 16 for four colors. Further, the image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer body 21 that sequentially transfers the toner images formed on the photosensitive members 1 to 4, and a transfer roller 22 that transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 21 to a sheet described later. Have. Further, in the vicinity of the intermediate transfer member 21, a separation unit 23 and a cleaning device 24 are disposed downstream of the transfer roller 21 in the rotation direction. Each of these loads is controlled in output timing, output value, output polarity, and the like by a control unit 103 including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like shown in FIG.
The above-described photoreceptors 1 to 4, chargers 5 to 8, exposure units 9 to 12, and developing units 13 to 16 constitute the image forming unit 106 shown in FIG. 3, which includes an intermediate transfer member 21, a transfer roller 22, and the like. The transfer unit 105 shown in FIG. 3 is configured.

In addition, the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of trays 25a to 25c that form a sheet feeding unit 25 and store sheets. In this figure, three trays are shown, but the number of the trays is not limited in the present invention, and a single tray or a large capacity tray may be used.
In each tray 25a to 25c, paper for feeding paper is stored. Above each tray, a rolling roller 61 that can be moved up and down by a solenoid (not shown) is disposed. A feeding roller 62 is arranged in the feeding direction of the separating roller 61, and an optical sensor 64 for detecting the leading edge of the paper is arranged downstream of the feeding direction. Each tray 25a to 25c is provided with a dehumidifying heater 70 as a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray. Further, in order to indirectly detect and determine the humidity in the tray, a temperature sensor 73 for detecting the temperature in the tray is disposed. Further, the image forming apparatus is provided with an external humidity sensor 80 for detecting the humidity outside the image forming apparatus and an external temperature sensor 81 for detecting the temperature outside the image forming apparatus. The temperature sensor 73 for detecting the temperature in the tray, the external humidity sensor 80, the external temperature sensor 81, and a humidity detection means for determining the humidity in the tray are configured by the determination program of the control unit.

Note that the sheets fed from the trays 25 a to 25 c are fed through a conveyance path including the guide plate 26. A registration roller 28 for positioning the paper P is disposed in the conveyance path, and a transfer unit 105 having a transfer roller 22 is positioned on the downstream side of the registration roller 28 via a guide plate 30.
3 includes the above-described trays 25a to 25c, the separating roller 61, the feed roller 62, the guide plates 26 and 30, the registration roller 28, and the like.

  A fixing device 34 including a pressure roller 32 and a heating roller 33 is disposed downstream of the transfer unit. A gate 31 for switching the conveyance path is provided on the downstream side of the fixing device 34. A reversing path 42 is provided as a transport path switched by the gate. A reverse discharge roller 46 and a reverse roller 44 are provided in the reverse path 42 on the downstream side of the reverse discharge roller 46. A double-sided path 43 is provided in the feeding direction of the reverse roller 44. The front end side of the double-sided path 43 faces the entrance side of the registration roller 28. The gate 31, the reverse path 42, the reverse roller 44, and the double-side path 43 constitute a part of the paper feeding / conveying unit 108.

  A paper discharge roller 47 is disposed downstream of the above-described gate 31 and a paper discharge sensor 48 and a paper discharge tray 40 are provided further downstream. The above-described gate 31, paper discharge rollers 47 and 47, paper discharge sensor 48, and paper discharge tray 40 constitute a paper discharge unit 109 shown in FIG.

Next, the operation in the mechanical configuration will be described.
In the image forming operation, first, the photosensitive members 1 to 4 are driven by a main motor (not shown), and the surface thereof is charged by the discharge of the chargers 5 to 8 supplied with a voltage by a power source (not shown), and exposure is performed by a laser beam. Optical writing according to image data is performed by the units 9 to 12, and electrostatic latent images are formed on the photoreceptors 1 to 4. The formed electrostatic latent image is visualized by reversal development by applying a developing bias by the developing devices 13 to 16, and a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor. The toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer member 21 that is in contact with the photosensitive member. The toner on the photoreceptors 1 to 4 remaining after the primary transfer is cleaned by the cleaning units 17 to 20.

On the other hand, the paper P is sent out one by one from the trays 25 a to 25 c, guided by the guide plate 26, and conveyed to the position of the registration roller 28. In the trays 25 a to 25 c, as shown in FIG. 2, the roller P 61 is rotated with respect to a plurality of sheets P to convey the sheet P stacked on the top to the feed roller 62, and is rolled by the feed roller 62. Thus, only the top sheet P is fed. By the way, when the paper is coated paper, the surface of the coated paper is coated, so the air permeability is poor. In a high humidity environment, moisture remains between the coated papers to increase the adhesion, and the first coated paper loaded in the tray cannot be fed without being peeled off from the second coated paper. It can cause paper jams. Therefore, a dehumidifying heater 70, a heater temperature adjusting temperature sensor 71, a dehumidifying fan 72, and a tray internal temperature sensor 73 are installed in the tray to lower the humidity of the coated paper.
The temperature of the dehumidifying heater 70 is constantly adjusted to, for example, 70 ° C. by measuring the temperature in the vicinity of the heater with the heater temperature adjusting temperature sensor 71. In this image forming apparatus, dehumidification is performed by controlling the temperature in the tray to a temperature higher than the outside air temperature. The control unit 103 monitors the output value of the temperature sensor 73 in the tray in order to keep the temperature in the tray at a predetermined temperature, and rotates the dehumidifying fan 72 until the temperature reaches the predetermined temperature. Is blown into the tray, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the dehumidifying fan 72 is stopped.

  The sheet P fed from any one of the trays 25a to 25c is corrected to the transfer roller 22 at the timing when the image position of the toner image on the intermediate transfer body 21 coincides after the leading edge of the sheet P is corrected by the registration roller 28. It is carried out. The paper P carried out from the registration roller 28 is guided by the guide plate 30 and sent to the transfer nip portion between the intermediate transfer body 21 and the transfer roller 22. The transfer roller 22 applies a bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner, and secondarily transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer member 21 to the paper P by the action of electrostatic force. The sheet P carrying the toner image is neutralized by the neutralization unit 23 and separated from the intermediate transfer member 21, and conveyed to a fixing device 34 having a heating roller 33 and a pressure roller 32. In the case of single-sided printing, the paper P on which the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing device 34 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 40 via the gate 31 and the paper discharge roller 47.

  In the case of double-sided printing, the paper P is conveyed to the reverse path 42 through the gate 31, reversed upside down by the reverse roller 44, conveyed on the double-sided path 43, and conveyed to the registration roller 28. After the paper bending at the leading edge of the paper P is corrected by the registration roller 28, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 40 in the same manner as in the above-described single-sided printing. The surface of the intermediate transfer member 21 after passing through the transfer nip is cleaned of residual toner by a cleaning unit 24 having a blade, and the image forming operation is repeated.

Next, the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is shown in the block diagram of FIG.
The image forming apparatus 100 has a printer function and a copier function. Upon operation of the printer function, the control unit 103 that has received a print instruction from the host computer 200 issues an image development instruction to the image processing unit 111 and a print start instruction to the image forming unit 106. The control unit 103 includes a CPU and a ROM containing a control program, and further includes a non-volatile storage unit such as a flash memory (not shown) that stores various setting information.
Upon receiving the image development instruction, the image processing unit 111 performs image processing on the image data transferred from the host computer 200 and then stores the image data in the image memory 110 including a RAM, an HDD, or the like. The image processing unit 111 includes a CPU and a ROM containing a control program.

  On the other hand, when the copier function is operated, a print instruction is notified to the control unit 103 by pressing a copy button or the like of the operation unit 120, and the control unit 103 issues an image development instruction to the image processing unit 111 and a scan start instruction to the scanner 112. Each print start instruction is issued to the image forming unit 106. Upon receiving the scan start instruction, the scanner 112 controls the CCD image sensor and the document exposure lamp to scan the document. Upon receiving the image development instruction, the image processing unit 111 stores the image data generated by the scanner 112 in the image memory 110. In any of the printer function and the copier function, the image forming unit 106 that has received a print start instruction receives image data from the image memory 110 via the image processing unit 111, starts image formation, and forms a toner image. Further, the paper feeding and conveying unit 108 is instructed to start feeding the paper P, the paper P is transported to the registration roller 28, and when the paper P reaches the registration roller 28, the paper P is temporarily stopped. Then, the conveyance of the paper P is resumed at the timing when it reaches, and the transfer unit 105 transfers the toner image onto the paper P. The fixing device 107 fixes the toner image on the paper P by heat and pressure at the nip between the heating roller 33 and the pressure roller 32. The paper P is discharged out of the apparatus by a paper discharge unit 109 including a paper discharge roller 47 and a paper discharge sensor 48.

The humidity detection unit 131 includes a temperature sensor 73 in the tray provided in the tray of the paper feeding / conveying unit 108, an external humidity sensor 80 installed outside the apparatus, and an external temperature sensor 81. The detection results of these sensors are output to the control unit 103. The dehumidifying device 130 includes a dehumidifying heater 70, a heater temperature adjusting temperature sensor 71, and a dehumidifying fan 72, and is controlled by the control unit 103. The control unit 103 controls the dehumidifying device 130 provided on the tray of the paper feeding / conveying unit 108 based on the detected humidity data from the humidity detecting unit 131 to control dehumidification in the tray. In the dehumidification, the target humidity is set as a predetermined value, but in this embodiment, the temperature in the tray is actually the control target instead of the humidity. That is, the inside of the tray is dehumidified by raising the temperature in the tray to the target temperature based on the detected outside humidity and outside temperature. The control unit 103 determines that the humidity is maintained below a predetermined value when the tray internal temperature is equal to or higher than the target temperature. The target temperature converted into a predetermined value related to humidity is stored in a non-volatile storage unit such as a flash memory provided in the control unit 103 in association with the outside humidity (outside air humidity) and the outside temperature (outside air temperature). . Specifically, the target temperature in the tray is determined as follows. The control unit 103 controls the dehumidifying heater at 70 ° C., and rotates / stops the dehumidifying fan, thereby blowing / stopping hot air from the dehumidifying heater into the tray and maintaining it below the target temperature.
As described above, the humidity detecting means may be one that detects indirectly, or may be one that provides a humidity sensor in the tray and directly detects the humidity in the tray.

Outside humidity is less than 56% → The dehumidifying heater is not heated and the dehumidifying fan does not rotate.
56-60% → Target temperature = outside air temperature + 6 ° C
61-65% → target temperature = outside air temperature + 7 ° C
66-70% → Target temperature = outside air temperature + 8 ° C
71-75% → Target temperature = Outside air temperature + 9 ° C.
Over 75% → Target temperature = outside temperature + 10 ° C
(When the outside air humidity is 56% or more, the dehumidifying heater is controlled at 70 ° C ± 10 ° C)

Further, when the dehumidifying device 130 is controlled, the control unit 103 calculates a scheduled time until the predetermined tray reaches a predetermined value. In this embodiment, it is the estimated time until the tray internal temperature reaches the target temperature, and is specifically calculated by the following simplified formula. The scheduled time is calculated by the control unit 103.
Scheduled time (minutes) = (Target temperature (° C)-Tray temperature (° C)) / (° C / min)
In the control unit 103, a predetermined time is set as a reference for changing the contents of control when the control is performed according to the scheduled time. For example, a time of 5 minutes can be set as an initial value. The set value can be stored in a nonvolatile storage unit such as a flash memory of the control unit 103. The predetermined value can be changed by the operation unit 120, and the changed predetermined time is also stored in the control unit 103 in the same manner.
The control of the tray humidity adjustment by the control unit can be performed at an appropriate time, and can be performed when the image forming apparatus is turned on or when a job execution command is issued. Further, the humidity adjustment may be performed when a paper type such as coated paper that requires dehumidification control is designated.

  The control unit 103 receives the dehumidifying state of each tray and determines, for example, whether each tray has a humidity equal to or lower than a predetermined value. The control unit 103 executes image formation when the humidity in one of the trays is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and prohibits image formation when the humidity in the tray exceeds the predetermined value.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes an operation unit 120 that displays various types of information and inputs settings. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 can be configured by a touch panel or the like. The operation unit 120 is controlled by the control unit 103 to display various types of information, and allows input of settings and the like. Information input by the operation unit 120 is notified to the control unit 103.

  4 to 7 show the operation unit 120. FIG. The operation unit 120 is set so that an operator can operate the appropriate part of the image forming apparatus main body. In this embodiment, the operation unit 120 includes a touch display and a plurality of buttons. FIG. 4 shows a normal operation screen 121 and indicates to the user that copying / printing is possible. This screen shows that four trays are provided, and the operation screen 121 displays the size and type of paper stored in each tray in the tray display section 121a. Each time the “tray automatic selection” button 121b of the touch display is touched, the automatic tray selection function is switched between valid / invalid. The automatic tray selection function is a mechanism that automatically selects a tray to be fed from a plurality of trays according to a predetermined rule. In this example, a tray that contains paper of the same size as the original size is used when copying the original. The function of selecting and feeding paper is provided. Further, when used as a printer, it is a function for extracting image size information from received image data and selecting and feeding a tray for storing sheets of the same size. The automatic tray selection function can be obtained by the operation of the control unit 103.

When the above tray automatic selection function is enabled, the display of “automatic tray selection” is displayed in black and white inversion, the tray is selected according to the priority order described later, and only the selected tray is displayed in black and white inversion. It becomes. When the automatic tray selection function is disabled, the character display of the “automatic tray selection” button 121b is displayed normally instead of black-and-white reversal. When the user touches the display portion of the tray to be fed, only the display portion of the corresponding tray is displayed. Is displayed in black and white inversion, and tray selection is completed.
In addition, the user needs to set the priority of the tray in advance with the priority tray setting. When the “priority tray setting” button 121c at the lower right of the operation unit is pressed, the touch display is switched to the priority tray setting screen 122 as shown in FIG. Note that the copy button 121d in FIG. 4 is a button for inputting an image formation command.

  In the priority tray setting screen 122 of FIG. 5, the tray priority order column 122a indicates that the tray 2 is set to the first priority. In this state, for example, when the tray 4 is set to the first priority and the priority order of the other trays is left unchanged, the character portion of “Tray 4” is touched to display the character portion of “Tray 4” in black and white inversion. Thereafter, if the “high priority” button 122b is pressed three times, the character portion of “tray 4” moves to the top and the tray 4 becomes the first priority. On the other hand, for example, if the character portion of “tray 2” is touched and the “low priority” button 122c is pressed, the character portion of “tray 2” moves to a position with a low priority according to the number of the pushes. Can lower the priority. The priority order of trays to be automatically selected as described above can be set by the operation unit 120 described above, and the set priority order information is notified to the control unit 103. The control unit 103 stores the priority order in a nonvolatile storage unit such as a flash memory.

The automatic tray selection function includes a humidity mode and a fixed mode in consideration of the humidity of the paper. In the fixed mode, the tray is automatically selected only according to the tray priority order designated by the user on the priority tray setting screen. In the humidity mode, for example, when the first priority tray designated by the user is in a high humidity state and the second priority tray is in a low humidity state, the second priority tray is automatically selected. Of course, when the first priority tray is in a low humidity state, the first priority tray is automatically selected. The humidity mode and the fixed mode can be shifted to each mode by pressing the humidity mode button 122d and the fixed mode button 122e, respectively.
If the “priority tray setting” button 122f is pressed while the priority tray setting screen is displayed, the changed priority order is reflected and the screen display returns to the normal screen in FIG.

Further, in each tray, the paper type can be changed by changing the stored transfer material. In that case, it is necessary to change the setting of the paper type stored in the tray.
FIG. 6 shows that the paper type set in the tray can be changed on the paper type change screen 123. The paper type change screen 123 can be displayed on the operation unit 120 and shifted by a user's designation from a setting menu screen or the like. In the paper type change screen 123, when a tray to be changed is selected from the tray selection field 123b, a paper type selection screen 124 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. When the paper type change button 123a is pressed on the paper type change screen 123, the changed setting is reflected and the screen returns to the previous screen such as the setting menu screen.

  In the paper type selection screen 124 shown in FIG. 7, the tray selected in the previous screen is displayed in the tray display field 124a, and selectable paper types are displayed in the paper type list field 124b. When a desired button is pressed from among a plurality of paper type buttons displayed in the paper type list field 124b, the button is highlighted and the paper type is selected. When the paper type selection button 124c is pressed after the paper type is selected, the screen returns to the previous screen in a state where the change of the paper type related to the tray displayed in the tray display field 124a is reflected.

Next, the content of dehumidification control according to the humidity in each tray will be described.
(Reference embodiment-1)
First, with reference to FIG. 8, a description will be given of a control for executing printing when the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value in a tray that feeds paper for image formation.
The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction such as a push button of a copy button in the operation unit 120 (step a1), and when the print instruction is given, determines the humidity in the tray to be fed (step a2). Specifically, the humidity or temperature is detected by the outside humidity sensor 80, the outside temperature sensor 81, and the tray temperature sensor 73, and the detection result is notified to the control unit 103. Based on the detection result, the control unit 103 calculates a target temperature in the tray so that the humidity in the tray becomes a predetermined value. If the temperature in the tray is equal to or higher than the target temperature, it is determined that the humidity in the tray is lower than a predetermined value. If the temperature in the tray is low, it is determined that the humidity in the tray exceeds the predetermined value. If it is determined that the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step a3, Yes), the dehumidification control is unnecessary, and printing is executed as it is (step a6). On the other hand, when the controller 103 determines that the humidity in the tray exceeds the predetermined value (step a3, No), printing is prohibited (step a4), and dehumidification by the dehumidifier 130 is started (step a5). . With the start of dehumidification, the humidity in the tray is continuously determined, and dehumidification is continued until the humidity in the tray becomes a predetermined value or less (step a3). When the humidity in the tray becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step a3, Yes), the control unit 103 executes printing (step a6). When the printing is completed (step a7, YES), the dehumidifying device is stopped. (Step a8).
When there is a print instruction as described above, if the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, printing is performed immediately. If the humidity in the tray is high humidity, printing is performed after dehumidification. It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of jamming and the like, and to perform printing immediately after dehumidification, thereby eliminating waste of work.

  In the control procedure described above, the control after the print instruction is given is described. However, even when there is no print instruction, printing is performed by adjusting the humidity in the tray through the steps a2 to a5. It can also be made possible. In this case, if there is a print instruction, printing can be executed immediately without requiring a dehumidifying operation.

(Reference embodiment-2)
In the above control procedure, the paper type of the paper is not considered, but the control content can be changed depending on the paper type. That is, the paper type of the paper stored in each tray is registered in the operation unit. Furthermore, coated paper or the like that causes a problem in a high humidity environment is registered as a specific paper type. When a specific paper type is specified for a job that has received a print instruction, or when a tray that stores a specific paper type is specified in the operation unit or the like, the control unit 103 selects a specific paper type. Control is performed to select a tray for storing paper. Further, when a tray of a specific paper type is selected, problems due to a high humidity environment can be avoided by performing the same control as a1 to a8 shown in Reference Mode-1. On the other hand, if the paper type is other than a specific paper type, there is no problem even in a high humidity environment, so printing can be performed quickly by executing printing without judging the humidity of the tray. Can be executed.

  This control procedure will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction such as a push button of a copy button in the operation unit 120 (step b1). When the print instruction is made (step b1, Yes), it is determined whether or not a specific paper type is specified. (Step b2). If a specific paper type is not designated (step b2, No), a tray for storing paper other than the specific paper type is selected (step b8), and printing is executed (step b9). If a specific paper type is specified (step b2, Yes), the humidity in the tray that stores the specific paper type is determined (step b3), and whether the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Is determined (step b4). If it is determined that the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step b4, Yes), the dehumidification control is unnecessary, so a tray of a specific paper type is selected (step b7) and printing is executed (step b7). Step b9). On the other hand, when the control unit 103 determines that the humidity in the tray exceeds the predetermined value (step b4, No), printing is prohibited (step b5), and dehumidification by the dehumidifier 130 is started for the tray. (Step b6). With the start of this dehumidification, the humidity in the tray is continuously determined, and the dehumidification is continued until the humidity in the tray falls below a predetermined value (step b4). When the humidity in the tray falls below a predetermined value (step b4, Yes), the control unit 103 selects a tray of a specific paper type (step b7) and executes printing (step b9). When printing is completed (step b10, YES), the dehumidifier is stopped (step b11).

(Embodiment-1)
Next, when a plurality of trays that store sheets of the same size are provided as in Embodiment 1, the dehumidification is not performed from the plurality of trays, rather than waiting for the dehumidification to be completed with one tray. Printing can be performed at an early stage by selecting a tray that has been marked.

  The control procedure will be described with reference to FIG. When a print instruction is issued (step c1, YES), the control unit 103 determines the humidity in each tray when there are a plurality of trays that store sheets of the same size as the size specified in the job ( Step c2). Based on the determination result, it is determined whether or not there is a tray whose humidity in the tray is a predetermined value or less among the plurality of trays (step c3). If there is a tray having a humidity equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step c3, Yes), the tray is selected (step c4) and printing is performed (step c5). If there is no tray having a humidity equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step c3, No), printing is prohibited (step c8), and dehumidification by the dehumidifier is started on each tray (step c9). The humidity in the tray is continuously determined, and it is determined whether there is a tray having a humidity below a predetermined value (step c3). When dehumidification is completed in one of the trays and the humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (step c3, Yes), the tray is selected (step c4) and printing is performed (step c5). When printing is completed (step c6, YES), dehumidification of the tray is stopped (step c7).

(Embodiment-2)
In the first embodiment, when printing is specified to be a specific paper type for performing control to execute printing when the humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the paper of the specific paper type is stored. A tray is selected when the humidity in the tray is below a predetermined value. Since a specific paper type is likely to cause a problem in a high humidity environment, the occurrence of the problem can be prevented by executing printing in a low humidity state. If the paper type is other than a specific paper type, no problem occurs in a high humidity environment, so the tray is selected regardless of the humidity in the tray.

  This control procedure will be described with reference to FIG. When a print instruction is given (step d1, YES), the control unit 103 determines whether or not a specific paper type is designated (step d2). If a specific paper type is not specified (step d2, No), a tray for storing paper other than the specific paper type is selected (step d5), and printing is performed (step d7). When a specific paper type is specified (step d2, Yes), the humidity in each tray that stores the specific paper type is determined (step d3). Further, the tray in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is determined. It is determined whether or not there is (step d4). If there is a tray whose humidity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step d4, Yes), dehumidification control is unnecessary, so the tray whose humidity is lower than the predetermined value is selected (step d6), and printing is executed. (Step d7). On the other hand, if there is no tray having a humidity equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step d4, No), printing is prohibited (step d8), and the dehumidifying device 130 starts dehumidifying the tray (step d9). With the start of this dehumidification, the humidity in the tray is continuously determined, and the dehumidification is continued until the humidity in the tray falls below a predetermined value (step d4). When the humidity in the tray becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step d4, Yes), the control unit 103 selects the tray whose humidity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step d6), and executes printing (step d7). When printing is completed (step d10, YES), the dehumidifier is stopped (step d11).

(Embodiment-3)
Further, in the automatic tray selection, when there are a plurality of trays that are candidates for selection, the trays can be selected in consideration of the priority order of the trays to be selected. The contents of the control will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the case where selection priority is set for three trays will be described as an example.

  The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step e1), and when there is a print instruction (step e1, Yes), it determines the humidity of a plurality of trays having a size specified by the job (step e2). Next, it is determined whether or not the humidity in the tray set to the first priority among the plurality of trays that are candidates for selection is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (step e3). If the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value in this determination (step e3, Yes), the first priority tray is selected (step e4), and printing is performed (step e13). On the other hand, when the humidity in the tray set to the first priority exceeds a predetermined value (step e3, No), printing is prohibited (step e6), and dehumidification of the first priority tray is started. (Step e7). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a next priority tray (step e8). If there is no next priority tray (step e8, No), the process returns to step e2, and it is continuously determined whether or not the humidity in the tray set to the first priority is below a predetermined value. When there is a next priority tray (step e8, Yes), it is determined whether the humidity in the next priority tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (step e9). In this determination, when it is determined that the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step e9, Yes), the tray with the next priority is selected (step e10), and printing is performed (step e13). . On the other hand, when the humidity in the next priority tray exceeds a predetermined value (step e9, No), printing is prohibited (step e11), and dehumidification of the next priority tray is started (step e12). . Next, the process returns to step e8, and the same determination is made for the subsequent priority trays, and continues until there are no candidate trays (step e8, No). When printing is completed in the above (step e14, Yes), dehumidification of the tray being dehumidified is stopped (step e15). Dehumidification is progressing in each tray as time elapses, and by repeating the above procedure, a tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less is selected according to the priority order, and printing is executed.

(Embodiment 4)
In each of the above procedures, printing is executed after the humidity in each tray falls below a predetermined value. However, printing may be executed before the humidity in the tray falls below a predetermined value to increase efficiency. Is possible.

  The contents of the control will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step f1), and when there is a print instruction (step f1, Yes), determines the humidity of each tray (step f2). Next, there is a tray having a humidity equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Whether or not (step f3). If there is a tray having a humidity equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step f3, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected (step f4) and printing is performed (step f5). If there is no tray with a humidity below the predetermined value (step f3, No), dehumidification of each tray is started (step f6), the tray with the lowest humidity in the tray is selected (step f7), and printing is performed. (Step f5). At the time of printing, it is expected that the humidity in the tray can be quickly reduced to a predetermined value or less by dehumidification. Therefore, the problem due to high humidity is relatively small, and while printing on a plurality of sheets, It is also expected that the humidity in the tray will be below a predetermined value. When printing is completed (step f8, Yes), dehumidification of the tray being dehumidified is stopped (step f9).

(Embodiment-5)
Calculate the estimated time until the humidity in the tray reaches the specified value from the current value for each tray, select the item with the shortest estimated time, and execute printing to wait until the humidity reaches the specified value. It is possible to save unnecessary time and to complete printing quickly and efficiently. In addition, since it is expected that the humidity in the tray can be reduced to a predetermined value or less by dehumidification, the problem due to high humidity can be minimized. This scheduled time can be determined more accurately by considering not only the humidity in the current tray but also the ease of temperature rise in each tray. Examples of factors that affect the easiness of temperature increase include the volume in the tray, the remaining amount of the transfer material, the paper type, and the amount of soot.

  The contents of this control will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step g1), and when there is a print instruction (step g1, Yes), determines the humidity of each tray (step g2). Next, there is a tray having a humidity equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Whether or not (step g3). If there is a tray with a humidity below the predetermined value (step f3, Yes), a tray with a humidity below the predetermined value is selected (step g8), and printing is performed (step g7). When there is no tray having a humidity below the predetermined value (step g3, No), the dehumidification of each tray is started (step g4), the estimated time until the completion of dehumidification of each tray is calculated (step g5), and the dehumidification is completed. The tray with the shortest scheduled time is selected (step g6), and printing is performed (step g7). When printing is completed (step g9), dehumidification of the tray being dehumidified is stopped (step g10).

(Embodiment-6)
Also, when selecting a tray according to the priority order of the tray, the tray may be selected depending on whether the scheduled time is shorter than a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) serving as a reference.

  Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step I1), and when there is a print instruction (step I1, Yes), it determines the humidity of the tray (step I2). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a tray having a humidity below a predetermined value (step I3). If there is a tray with a humidity below the predetermined value (step I3, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected from the trays with the humidity below the predetermined value (step I8), and printing is performed (step I9). When there is no tray having a humidity equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step I3, No), dehumidification of each tray is started (step I4). Further, the estimated time until the humidity in each tray reaches a predetermined value is calculated (step I5). Next, the control unit 103 determines whether or not the scheduled time of the first priority tray is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) based on the calculation result (step I6). If the scheduled time is less than 5 minutes (step I6, Yes), the tray having the first priority is selected (step I7), and printing is performed (step I9). On the other hand, when the scheduled time of the first priority tray is 5 minutes or more (step I6, YES), the control unit 103 prohibits printing (step I10), and whether there is a next priority tray or not. Is determined (step I11). If there is no next priority tray (step I11, No), the tray with the highest priority is selected (step I14), and printing is performed (step I9). If there is a tray with the next priority (step I11, Yes), it is determined whether or not the scheduled time of the tray with the next priority is a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) or more (step I12). When the predetermined time of the next priority tray is less than 5 minutes (step I12, NO), the control unit 103 selects the next priority tray (step I13) and executes printing (step I13). I9). If the scheduled time of the next priority tray is 5 minutes or more (step I12, YES), the control unit 103 prohibits printing (step I10), returns to step I11, and further trays of the next priority. The determination whether or not the scheduled time is longer than a predetermined time is continued until the tray runs out. When printing is completed (step I15, Yes), dehumidification of the tray being dehumidified is stopped (step I16).

(Embodiment-7)
Note that, in the above-described Reference Aspects 1 and 2 and Embodiments 1 to 6, each tray has been described as having a dehumidifying function including a dehumidifying device and a humidity detecting means. In the present embodiment-7, only some of the plurality of trays may have a dehumidifying function. The reason why only some trays have a dehumidifying function is mainly cost reduction.

  FIG. 16 shows a control procedure when some trays have a dehumidifying function. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step j1). If there is no print instruction (step j1, No), the humidity of the dehumidifying tray is determined (step j4), and the determined humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not it is humidity (step j5). If the humidity of the tray with the dehumidifying function is not below the predetermined value (step j5, No), dehumidification is started (step j6). If the humidity of the tray with the dehumidifying function is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step j5, Yes), dehumidification during dehumidification is stopped (step j7). After these steps j6 and j7, the process returns to the determination of whether or not there is a print instruction again (step j1). Control to maintain the following humidity. Thereby, the tray dehumidified always can be provided. When there is a print instruction (step j1, Yes), a tray having a dehumidifying function is preferentially selected (step j2), and printing is executed (step j3). When printing is completed (step j8, Yes), the process returns to step j1. This makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of problems due to high humidity by actively using a tray whose humidity has been adjusted.

(Embodiment-8)
When preferentially selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function, trays having a dehumidifying function are sequentially selected according to the set priority order of the trays. In this case, when the humidity outside the machine is detected and the humidity outside the machine is below a predetermined value, the tray is selected from all trays according to the set priority of the tray, and the humidity outside the machine is When the value is exceeded, the tray can be selected in accordance with the priority order of the trays from only the trays having the dehumidifying function in the above procedure.

  FIG. 17 shows this control procedure. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step k1), and when there is a print instruction (step k1, Yes), the humidity outside the apparatus is determined by the external humidity sensor (step k2), and the determined humidity It is determined whether or not the humidity is below a predetermined value (step k3). If the humidity is not below the predetermined value (step k3, No), a tray with a dehumidifying function is selected (step k6) and printing is performed (step k5). If the humidity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step k3, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected preferentially (step k4) and printing is performed (step k5). When printing is completed (step k7, YES), the process returns to step k1. As a result, a tray with a dehumidifying function can be preferentially selected, and the occurrence of problems can be minimized even in a high humidity environment.

(Embodiment-9)
In addition, when selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function in each of the above procedures, it is preferable to perform control so as to select a tray having a dehumidifying function whose humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

  FIG. 18 shows this control procedure. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step L1). If there is a print instruction (step L1, Yes), the external humidity sensor determines the humidity outside the apparatus (step L2), and the detected humidity It is determined whether or not the humidity is below a predetermined value (step L3). If the humidity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step L3, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected preferentially (step L4) and printing is performed (step L5). If the humidity is not below the predetermined value (step L3, No), the humidity of the dehumidifying function tray is determined (step L6), and whether or not there is a tray having a humidity below the predetermined value in the dehumidifying function tray. Is determined (step L7). When there is a tray equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (step L7, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected from the trays (step L8), and printing is performed (step L5). When there is no tray equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (No at Step L7), dehumidification is started (Step L9), the process returns to Step L6, and the above determination is continued until the dehumidification is completed. When printing is completed (step L10, Yes), dehumidification is stopped (step L11). As a result, when selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function, it is possible to select a tray having a dehumidifying function whose humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, thus preventing occurrence of problems even in a high humidity environment. it can.

(Embodiment-10)
In addition, when a specific paper type to be printed in consideration of humidity is specified, the paper type does not cause a problem in a high humidity environment, and is set in the case of plain paper that is not a specific paper type. Select the tray according to the priority order. On the other hand, when the paper type is set as a specific paper type such as coated paper, it becomes a problem in a high humidity environment. Therefore, it is preferable to select a tray having a dehumidifying function according to the above procedure.

FIG. 19 shows this control procedure. The control unit 103 waits for a print instruction (step M1), and if there is a print instruction (step M1, Yes), it determines whether or not a specific paper type is specified (step M2). If a specific paper type is not specified (step M2, No), the highest priority tray other than the specific paper type is selected (step M5), and printing is executed (step M6). When a specific paper type is specified (step M2, Yes), the humidity outside the machine is determined by the humidity sensor outside the machine (step M3), and whether or not the detected humidity outside the machine is below a predetermined value. Is determined (step M4). If the humidity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (step M4, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected preferentially (step M8) and printing is performed (step M6). If the humidity is not below the predetermined value (step M4, No), the humidity of the dehumidifying function tray is determined (step M9), and whether or not there is a tray having a humidity below the predetermined value in the dehumidifying function tray. Is determined (step M10). If there is a tray equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (step M10, Yes), the tray with the highest priority is selected from the trays (step M11), and printing is executed (step M6). When there is no tray equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (No at Step M10), dehumidification is started (Step M12), the process returns to Step M9, and the above determination is continued until the dehumidification is completed. When printing is completed (step M13, YES), dehumidification is stopped (step M14). As a result, when selecting a tray having a dehumidifying function, it is possible to select a tray having a dehumidifying function whose humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, thus preventing occurrence of problems even in a high humidity environment. it can.
When a specific paper type to be printed in consideration of humidity is specified by the above control, there is a problem in a high humidity environment. Therefore, for a specific paper type, printing is performed under a predetermined humidity. If it is a paper type other than a specific paper type, such as plain paper, there is no problem even in a high humidity environment. If it is not a specific paper type, the tray is selected according to the set tray priority. As a result, the problem of the high humidity state can be prevented and printing can be performed efficiently.

(Embodiment-11)
In each of the control procedures of Reference Embodiments 1 and 2 and Embodiments 1 to 10, control is performed on the assumption that the humidity in the tray is appropriately determined by detecting the humidity or temperature in the tray. ing. However, when the amount of paper is increased by replenishing paper in the tray, the sensor in the tray cannot immediately follow, and the detection result may be inaccurate. For this reason, when the amount of paper in the tray is increased, it is desirable to exclude the tray from the selected tray for a predetermined time. The predetermined time can be determined as appropriate and can be stored in the control unit 103. Also, the predetermined time may be determined in consideration of the paper type, size, and amount of paper of the increased amount of paper.

  FIG. 20 shows this control procedure. The control unit 103 continuously detects an increase in the amount of paper in each tray (step N1), and when detecting an increase in the amount of paper, prohibits selection of the tray for a predetermined time (step N2).

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the description of the above-described embodiment, and it is a matter of course that embodiments modified within the scope of the present invention are not limited thereto. It is included in the range.

1, 2, 3, 4 Photoconductor 5, 6, 7, 8 Charger 9, 10, 11, 12 Exposure unit 13, 14, 15, 16 Developer 21 Intermediate transfer member 22 Transfer roller 25 Paper feed unit 25a, 25b 25c Tray 70 Dehumidifying heater 72 Dehumidifying fan 73 In-tray temperature sensor 80 External humidity sensor 81 External temperature sensor 100 Image forming device 103 Control unit 106 Image forming unit 120 Operation unit 130 Dehumidifying device 131 Humidity detection means

Claims (29)

  An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the liquid and the dehumidifying device, and controls the image forming unit to perform image formation by selecting a tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less from the plurality of trays. And an image forming apparatus.   When there is no tray in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value among the plurality of trays, the control unit prohibits the image forming unit from forming an image and dehumidifies the tray by the dehumidifying device. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: causing the image forming unit to perform image formation when the humidity in the tray becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value. 3. The control unit executes the control when it is designated to form an image using a paper of a specific paper type, and when the tray that stores a paper other than the specific paper type is selected, regardless of the humidity in the tray, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that to perform the image formation on the image forming section. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the operation unit, an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from among the plurality of trays, and a controller that controls the dehumidifying device and that is determined based on a detection result detected by the humidity detecting unit. Based on the humidity of the tray and the priority set for the plurality of trays, the tray having the highest priority in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is selected from the plurality of trays, and the image forming unit is selected. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls to execute image formation. Wherein, before if humidity Quito the ray is determined to exceed the predetermined value, the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein letting dehumidify the tray into the dehumidifier. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A dehumidifying device that dehumidifies, and a control unit that controls the dehumidifying device and controls image formation by the image forming unit,
The control unit causes the dehumidifying device to start dehumidifying the tray when there is no tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less in the plurality of trays. An image forming apparatus that controls to select a tray having the lowest image size and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. An operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays;
The control unit selects a tray having a highest priority level in which the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than a predetermined value from the plurality of trays when the humidity in the tray is a predetermined value or lower in the plurality of trays. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming unit is configured to execute image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, In each tray that controls the dehumidifier and dehumidifying device and determines the humidity based on the detection result detected by the humidity detecting means, when there is no tray having a predetermined value or less, the plurality of an image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit for the expected time to completion dehumidification from the tray by selecting the shortest tray controls to execute the image formed on the image forming unit.   9. The image formation according to claim 8, wherein when there is a tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less, the control unit selects a tray having a humidity of a predetermined value or less and causes the image forming unit to perform image formation. apparatus. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the air, an operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays, and controlling the dehumidifying device, and the humidity in the tray reaches a predetermined value by dehumidification by the dehumidifying device. It is determined from the tray having a higher priority of the tray whether or not the scheduled time until the time is over, and when the scheduled time is less than the predetermined time, the tray is selected, and the scheduled time is over the predetermined time In this case, the determination is made for the next-order tray. If the scheduled time of the next-order tray is less than a predetermined time, the tray is selected. If the scheduled time is more than the predetermined time, the next-order tray is selected. If there are i repeats the determination with respect to the tray of said next order, when said expected time for all the trays above a predetermined time, by selecting the highest priority tray according to the priority to the image forming section An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that executes image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data and a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit are housed , and even if no print instruction is given, a dehumidifying operation is performed to perform a dehumidification operation . a plurality of trays made of humidity and tray without a tray and the dehumidification function with dehumidification function is maintained below a predetermined value, the tray with the dehumidification function from the plurality of trays when the print instruction is issued An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that selects and controls the image forming unit to perform image formation.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function; and a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray having the dehumidifying function. Comprising a outside humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the outside machine, the control unit may select the tray with the case, before Kijo wet ability humidity detected by the該機outside humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value Rukoto the image forming apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in. The control unit further includes an operation unit for setting a priority for selecting a tray, and when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the control unit selects a tray having a dehumidifying function according to the priority. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the humidity outside the apparatus is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray that stores a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and has a dehumidifying function that maintains the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and does not have a dehumidifying function A plurality of trays composed of trays, an external humidity sensor that detects humidity outside the apparatus, an operation unit that sets a priority for selecting the tray, and the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value In this case, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that a tray having a dehumidifying function is selected according to the priority order, and a tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order when the humidity outside the apparatus is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. . The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function; and a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the inside of the tray having the dehumidifying function. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray that stores a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and has a dehumidifying function that maintains the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and does not have a dehumidifying function A plurality of trays comprising trays, humidity detecting means for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function, a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray having the dehumidifying function, and the plurality of trays, And a control unit that controls the image forming unit to perform image formation by selecting a tray having the dehumidifying function in which the humidity in the tray detected by the humidity detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Image forming apparatus. The dehumidifying function is provided with an external humidity sensor that detects humidity outside the apparatus, and the control unit is configured such that when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a tray having an image is selected. The controller further includes an operation unit for setting a priority order for selecting a tray, and when the humidity detected by the external humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the humidity in the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value according to the priority order. 19. The image forming according to claim 18, wherein a tray having a certain dehumidifying function is selected, and when the humidity outside the apparatus is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the tray is selected from the plurality of trays according to the priority order. apparatus. Before SL control unit, when the non-specific paper type is designated as the paper for image formation, and characterized by selecting a tray in accordance with the priority order from the tray which houses the non-specific paper type The image forming apparatus according to claim 19 . A paper amount sensor for detecting a paper amount of paper stored in the tray; and the control unit prohibits selection of the tray when an increase in the paper amount is detected by the paper amount sensor. 21. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20 . An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising:
A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having a humidity within a predetermined value or less from the plurality of trays and causing the image forming unit to perform image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus, comprising: a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the operation unit; and an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays.
Based on the humidity of each tray determined based on the detection result detected by the humidity detection means and the priority set for the plurality of trays, the humidity in the trays from the plurality of trays is a predetermined value or less. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having the highest priority and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising:
When there is no tray having a humidity below a predetermined value in the plurality of trays, the dehumidifying device starts dehumidifying the tray, and the tray having the lowest humidity in the tray is selected among the plurality of trays. A program for selecting and operating the image forming apparatus to cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising:
In each tray whose humidity is determined based on the detection result detected by the humidity detecting means, if there is no tray whose humidity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the tray with the shortest scheduled time until completion of dehumidification is selected from the plurality of trays. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a plurality of trays that store sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, a humidity detecting unit that detects humidity in the tray, A program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus, comprising: a dehumidifying device that dehumidifies the operation unit; and an operation unit that sets a priority order for selecting a tray from the plurality of trays.
Whether the scheduled time until the humidity in the tray reaches a predetermined value due to dehumidification by the dehumidifying device is greater than or equal to a predetermined time is determined from a tray with a higher priority of the tray, and the scheduled time is less than the predetermined time The tray is selected, and when the scheduled time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the determination is made for the next-order tray, and when the scheduled time for the next-order tray is less than the predetermined time, the tray is selected. When the scheduled time is a predetermined time or more, if there is a next-order tray, the determination for the next-order tray is repeated, and when the scheduled time is a predetermined time or more for all trays, the highest priority is given according to the priority. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having a high priority and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data and a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit are housed, and even if no print instruction is given, a dehumidifying operation is performed to perform a dehumidification operation. A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising: a tray having a dehumidifying function for maintaining humidity at a predetermined value or less; and a plurality of trays each having a tray not having the dehumidifying function,
A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray having the dehumidifying function from the plurality of trays and cause the image forming unit to perform image formation when a print instruction is given. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray that stores a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and has a dehumidifying function that maintains the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and does not have a dehumidifying function A program for controlling the operation of an image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays, an external humidity sensor that detects humidity outside the apparatus, and an operation unit that sets priority order for selecting a tray. There,
When the humidity detected by the outside humidity sensor exceeds a predetermined value, a tray having a dehumidifying function is selected according to the priority order, and when the outside humidity is not more than a predetermined value, the plurality of trays according to the priority order. A program for operating the image forming apparatus to select a tray from among the programs. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data, a tray that stores a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit, and has a dehumidifying function that maintains the humidity in the tray below a predetermined value, and does not have a dehumidifying function An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays; a humidity detecting unit for detecting humidity in the tray having the dehumidifying function; and a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the tray having the dehumidifying function. A program for controlling,
The image forming unit is configured to select a tray having the dehumidifying function in which the humidity in the tray detected by the humidity detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value from the plurality of trays, and to cause the image forming unit to perform image formation. A program characterized by operating a device.

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