JP6604135B2 - Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus in which a conveyance path for conveying a sheet has a section for conveying a sheet in a direction against gravity.

  For example, in an image forming apparatus, an image is formed on a sheet by an image forming unit provided in the middle of the conveyance path while conveying a sheet fed from a sheet storage unit along the conveyance path. Further, the image forming apparatus may stop the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance unit during the operation of the conveyance unit that conveys the sheet along the conveyance path due to, for example, occurrence of a jam.

  When the conveyance of the sheet is stopped due to the jam, the user may remove the sheet that has caused the jam from the image forming apparatus. In such a case, it is preferable that the user can easily remove the sheet.

  For example, Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, Patent Literature 3, Patent Literature 4 and the like are known as conventional techniques related to sheet removal by a user. In Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3, when stopping the conveyance of a sheet on the way, the sheet to be stopped can be pulled out from the apparatus main body to the conveying path in the drawer unit and to the apparatus main body side. A method is described that prevents the vehicle from straddling a fixed conveyance path. Patent Document 4 discloses that when a sheet is stopped while straddling a sheet accommodating portion that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body and a conveyance path of the apparatus main body, the sheet accommodating portion is locked and pulled out. It is described that it is impossible.

  In the conventional technology as described above, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being torn by the user pulling out the drawer unit. Thereby, the drawer unit can be easily pulled out. In addition, it is possible to prevent the torn sheet pieces from remaining in the apparatus and adversely affecting the devices in the apparatus. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which it becomes difficult to remove the sheet pieces that are torn and remain in the apparatus.

JP 2014-069940 A JP 2011-197038 A JP-A-2005-221518 JP 2005-298209 A

  By the way, an image forming apparatus may have a vertical conveyance path for conveying a sheet upward, for example, in a vertical direction that is against gravity. In such an image forming apparatus, when the conveyance of the sheet is stopped halfway, the sheet may remain in the vertical conveyance path.

  If the sheet remaining in the vertical conveyance path falls between the time when conveyance by the conveyance unit is stopped and the time when it is resumed, it may be difficult to remove the dropped sheet. . This is because the dropped sheet does not always remain in a place where it can be easily removed in the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the problems of the prior art described above. That is, the problem is that a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus that allow a user to easily remove a dropped sheet even when the remaining sheet falls on a conveying path that conveys the sheet in a direction against gravity. Is to provide a device.

In order to solve this problem, a sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention includes a sheet accommodating portion that accommodates a plurality of sheets by stacking, a first conveying path provided in a direction intersecting the horizontal direction, and one end. Is connected to the sheet storage portion, and the other end opposite to the one end is curved and connected to the first transfer path, and the sheet is moved along the first transfer path by gravity. The first conveyance unit that conveys the sheet in the direction opposite to the sheet conveyance unit and the sheets stored in the sheet storage unit are fed one by one to the second conveyance path, and the fed sheets are fed to the second conveyance path. A sheet conveying apparatus having a second conveying unit that conveys the first conveying path along the first conveying path, and a conveyance control unit that controls the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit. When the transport by the first transport unit is stopped, the stop is the first When it is determined that the residual stop for stopping in a state where at least the trailing edge of the sheet is present in feed path, the second transport portion, the first than the residual sheets remaining in the first conveying path by the residual stop The sheet conveying apparatus is configured to perform closing control for conveying a sheet to a closing position where a lower side in the gravity direction of the conveying path is blocked.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention, the conveyance control unit causes the second conveying unit to lower the first conveying path in the gravitational direction than the remaining sheet when there is a remaining stop in the first conveying path. Blocking control is performed to convey the sheet to the blocking position where the side is blocked. As a result, even when the remaining sheet remaining on the first conveyance path that conveys the sheet in a direction against gravity is dropped, the user can easily remove the dropped remaining sheet.

In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the sheet conveying unit includes a plurality of combinations of the sheet accommodating unit, the second conveying path, and the second conveying unit, and at least one of the plurality of sheet accommodating units is configured to supply a sheet during sheet feeding. Is connected to the second conveyance path, so that a sheet can be fed to the second conveyance path, and the second conveyance path of the sheet feeding opening. This is a drawer storage unit that can be pulled out from the position in the paper feed ready state until the connection to the position is released, and the conveyance control unit is pulled out below the remaining sheet in the direction of gravity. When there is a drawer state accommodating portion that is a drawer accommodating portion taking the position, the second conveying portion corresponding to the sheet accommodating portion that is not in the pulled out state among the plurality of second conveying portions, With the first transport path The second transfer unit, which is the intermediate position below the remaining sheet and above the pulled-out state storage unit in the direction of gravity, is the intermediate transfer unit, and the closing control is performed on the intermediate transfer unit. It is preferable to carry out. This is because by causing the intermediate conveyance unit to perform the closing control, it is possible to suppress the residual sheet from falling into the space formed by the drawer of the drawer state storage unit.

In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the sheet conveying unit includes a plurality of combinations of the sheet storage unit, the second conveying path, and the second conveying unit, and at least one of the plurality of second conveying units is a second one. A drawer unit that can be pulled out in a direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction in the conveyance path of the sheet, and the drawer unit is not pulled out, and the sheet fed from the sheet storage unit is conveyed to the first conveyance path The drawer transport unit is capable of taking a transportable state where the paper can be transported and a drawer state where the drawer is pulled out from the position in the transportable state. When there is a drawer-state transport unit that is a drawer transport unit taking the position, the second transport unit is a second transport unit that is not in the pulled- out state among the plurality of second transport units , and further, the first transport path of The second transport part, which is the intermediate position below the remaining sheet and above the pulled-out state transport part in the direction of gravity in the direction of gravity, is used as the intermediate transport part. It is preferable that the intermediate conveyance unit perform the operation. This is because by causing the intermediate conveyance unit to perform the closing control, it is possible to prevent the residual sheet from falling into the space formed by the drawer of the pulled-out state conveyance unit.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, when there are a plurality of intermediate conveying units, the conveyance control unit determines whether there is a conveying unit at the time when the sheet is conveyed at the time of residual stop among the plurality of intermediate conveying units. If there is a transport unit at stop, the transport unit at stop is controlled to block the sheet that was being transported at the time of residual stop to the closing position, and there is no transport unit at stop It is preferable that one of a plurality of intermediate conveyance units feeds a sheet from the sheet storage unit and performs blockage control for conveying the fed sheet to the blockage position. Sheets that have already been fed tend to be removed by the user. In addition, when the sheet is removed, wrinkles and the like are formed, so that it may not be reused. Therefore, if there is a sheet that has already been conveyed, the sheet that is discarded because it cannot be reused by using the already conveyed sheet for closing control without newly feeding the sheet. It is because it can suppress.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, when there are a plurality of intermediate conveying units, the conveyance control unit determines whether there is a conveying unit at the time when the sheet is conveyed at the time of residual stop among the plurality of intermediate conveying units. If there is a stop-time transport unit, block control is performed so that the intermediate transport unit other than the stop-time transport unit feeds the sheet from the sheet storage unit and transports the fed sheet to the block position. It is preferable that When the stop factor of the residual stop is the conveyance unit at the time of stop, there is a possibility that the sheet cannot be conveyed properly to the closing position even if the stop-time conveyance unit performs the closing control. Therefore, the sheet can be reliably conveyed to the closing position by causing the intermediate conveyance unit other than the stop-time conveyance unit to perform the closing control.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, a sheet detection output unit that detects and outputs the presence / absence of a sheet is provided on at least one of the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, and the conveyance control unit includes: When performing the closing control for feeding a sheet from the sheet storage unit, the closing position is determined by the detectable range that is the range of the sheet position where the sheet can be detected by the sheet detection output unit, and the sheet related to the blocking control. The position with the shortest distance from the sheet storage portion within the detection blockage range that overlaps the blockage range that is the range of the position of the sheet that can block the lower side of the first conveyance path in the gravity direction of the remaining sheet. It is preferable to do. This is because the sheet related to the closing control can be detected after the remaining stop. Further, by detecting the sheet related to the closing control, the user can be notified of the presence of the sheet and removed.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the presence or absence of a sheet can be detected and output on at least one of the first conveying path and the second conveying path, and a sheet feeding operation is performed. Thereafter, during a predetermined non-detection time, a sheet detection output unit that does not detect the presence / absence of a sheet is provided, and the conveyance control unit performs blockage control when performing blockage control for feeding a sheet from the sheet storage unit. The leading or trailing edge of the sheet related to the closing control whose conveyance is resumed along with the paper feeding operation after the remaining stop does not pass through the detection position of the sheet detection output unit before the non-detection time elapses. A restart detection range that is a range of positions that pass the detection position after the elapse of time, and a range of sheet positions that can block the lower side in the gravity direction of the first conveyance path with respect to the remaining sheet by the sheet related to the closing control. Of the range of a closing ranges overlap is, it is preferable that the distance from the sheet accommodating portion is the shortest position. This is because the sheet related to the closing control can be detected even when the conveyance after the remaining stop is resumed without removing the sheet related to the closing control. Further, by detecting the sheet related to the closing control, the user can be notified of the presence of the sheet and removed.

  In the sheet conveyance device described above, the conveyance control unit may perform blockage control when there are a plurality of intermediate conveyance units, and the connection position is located on the uppermost side in the gravity direction among the plurality of intermediate conveyance units. It is preferable that the intermediate conveyance unit related to the second conveyance path is used. This is because when the residual sheet falls, the distance that the residual sheet falls can be made the shortest.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, when there are a plurality of intermediate conveying units, the conveying control unit performs blockage control on the sheet accommodating unit that accommodates the thickest sheet among the plurality of intermediate conveying units. It is preferable that the intermediate conveyance unit perform this. This is because the thicker the sheet, the stronger the tendency of the stiffness, so that the falling of the remaining sheet can be stopped appropriately.

  In addition, in the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the conveyance control unit determines that the remaining sheet is stopped, and if there is no unit that is pulled out below the remaining sheet in the gravity direction, It is preferable that control is not performed. This is because when there is no unit in the drawn-out state, the remaining sheet does not fall to a position where removal is difficult. Moreover, it is because the implementation frequency of occlusion control can be reduced.

  Further, in the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the first conveying unit conveys the sheet by rotating while pinching the sheet from the front and back during sheet conveyance, and a user performs a release operation to release the pinching. When the transport control unit determines that there is a residual stop, and there is a unit that is pulled out under the gravitational direction of the residual sheet before the release operation is performed by the user. In addition, it is preferable to perform blockage control. This is because the execution frequency of the closing control can be reduced.

  Further, in the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the first conveying unit conveys the sheet by rotating while pinching the sheet from the front and back during sheet conveyance, and a user performs a release operation to release the pinching. After the conveyance control unit determines that the sheet is in the residual stop, the release control is performed by the user in a state where there is a unit that is pulled out below the remaining sheet in the gravity direction. In this case, it is preferable to perform blockage control. This is because the execution frequency of the closing control can be reduced.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, it is preferable that the conveyance control unit sets the closing position so that the leading edge of the sheet related to the blocking control is located upstream of the trailing edge of the remaining sheet. If the trailing edge of the remaining sheet overlaps the leading edge of the sheet related to closing control, depending on the overlapping state, the sheet related to closing control may not be able to properly stop the falling of the remaining sheet. Because there is.

  The sheet conveying apparatus described above further includes a conveyance failure output unit that detects and outputs a conveyance failure of a sheet being conveyed on at least one of the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, and performs conveyance control. When the conveyance failure output unit outputs a conveyance failure, the unit stops conveyance by the first conveyance unit, and determines that the sheet is in a residual stop when a sheet exists in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop. It is good to do.

  In the sheet conveying apparatus described above, the closed state in which the inside of the path, which is at least part of the first conveying path and the second conveying path, is partitioned from the outside of the apparatus, or the inside of the path is opened to the outside of the apparatus. A door that can take a state, and a door state output unit that detects and outputs that the door has been opened when the door changes from a closed state to a closed state. When outputting that the output unit is in the open state, the conveyance by the first conveyance unit is stopped, and when the sheet exists in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop, it is determined that the remaining stop is present. It may be a thing.

  The sheet conveying apparatus described above further includes an apparatus abnormality output unit that detects and outputs an abnormal state of the apparatus, and the conveyance control unit performs the first conveyance when the apparatus abnormal output unit outputs an abnormal state. The conveyance by the unit may be stopped, and the remaining stop may be determined when a sheet exists in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop.

  According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of the above, and a sheet that is provided on the first conveying path of the sheet conveying apparatus, forms a toner image, and is conveyed along the first conveying path. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet by transferring the formed toner image.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus that allow a user to easily remove a dropped sheet even when the remaining sheet falls on a conveying path that conveys the sheet in a direction against gravity. Is provided.

1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is an enlarged schematic configuration diagram of a lower part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a control configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the drawing-out state of a 4th paper feed cassette. It is a figure which shows the drawer state of a horizontal conveyance part. It is a figure for demonstrating obstruction | occlusion control. It is a figure for demonstrating the occlusion control different from FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the obstruction | occlusion control different from FIG. 7 and FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure which determines whether obstruction | occlusion control is performed. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure in the case of performing occlusion control when there exists a unit of the extraction | drawer state. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure in the case of performing blockage | closing control when the unit of a drawing-out state generate | occur | produces before a door is made into an open state after a residual stop. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure in the case of performing closure control, when a door is made into an open state in the state with the unit of the drawing-out state after a residual stop. It is a top view of a horizontal conveyance part. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of an image forming apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an external view of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a first paper feed cassette 40, a second paper feed cassette 50, a third paper feed cassette 60, and a fourth paper feed cassette 70 at the bottom. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 has a paper discharge unit 29 on the left side surface. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on the paper stored in the first paper feed cassette 40, the second paper feed cassette 50, the third paper feed cassette 60, and the fourth paper feed cassette 70, and the image is formed. The discharged paper can be discharged to the paper discharge unit 29.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem type color printer having an intermediate transfer belt 21 therein. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt member having conductivity, and both end portions in FIG. 2 are supported by rollers 22 and 23. At the time of image formation, the roller 22 on the right side in FIG. 2 is driven to rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the roller 23 on the left side in FIG.

  A secondary transfer roller 25 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the right roller 22 in FIG. The secondary transfer roller 25 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a direction perpendicular to the axis (leftward in FIG. 2). A secondary transfer nip N1 for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the paper S is formed at a portion where the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roller 25 are in contact with each other. At the time of image formation, the secondary transfer roller 25 is driven and rotated by a frictional force generated by pressure contact with the rotating intermediate transfer belt 21.

  A belt cleaner 26 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the left roller 23 in FIG. The belt cleaner 26 according to this embodiment can collect the toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21. That is, the belt cleaner 26 can collect the transfer residual toner that has not been transferred to the paper S in the secondary transfer nip N1.

  In the lower part of the intermediate transfer belt 21 in FIG. 2, image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are sequentially arranged from left to right. 10K is arranged. Each of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K can form a toner image of the corresponding color and transfer it onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. The image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K all have the same configuration. For this reason, in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 10 </ b> Y is represented by a reference numeral.

  The image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K include a photosensitive member 11 that is a cylindrical electrostatic latent image carrier, a charging device 12, an exposure device 13, a developing device 14, and a primary transfer disposed around the photosensitive member 11. A roller 15 and a photoreceptor cleaner 16 are provided. The charging device 12 is for charging the surface of the photoreceptor 11 uniformly. The exposure device 13 is for irradiating the surface of the photoreceptor 11 with laser light based on the image data of the corresponding color to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 14 is for applying the contained toner to the surface of the photoreceptor 11.

  The primary transfer roller 15 is disposed at a position facing the photoreceptor 11 with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 15 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a direction perpendicular to the axis (downward in FIG. 2). As a result of this pressure contact, primary transfer nips for transferring the toner images on the photoreceptors 11 of the respective colors onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 are formed at the portions where the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the photoreceptor 11 are in contact with each other. .

  The photoconductor cleaner 16 is for collecting toner that has not been transferred from the photoconductor 11 to the intermediate transfer belt 21. If a cleaner-less system that collects untransferred toner on the photoconductor 11 by the developing device 14 is adopted, the photoconductor cleaner 16 may not be provided.

  Further, hoppers 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K that store toners of the respective colors are disposed above the intermediate transfer belt 21 in FIG. The toners of the respective colors accommodated therein are appropriately supplied to the developing devices 14 of the respective colors.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the image forming unit 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K, the intermediate transfer belt 21, the secondary transfer roller 25, and the like constitute the image forming unit 20 that forms a toner image.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a first paper feed cassette 40, a second paper feed cassette 50, a third paper feed cassette 60, and a fourth paper feed cassette 70 below the image forming unit 20. Sheets S are accommodated in the respective sheet accommodating portions 41, 51, 61, 71 of the first sheet cassette 40, the second sheet cassette 50, the third sheet cassette 60, and the fourth sheet cassette 70 by stacking. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75 for feeding the paper S are provided on the right side of the paper storage units 41, 51, 61, and 71 in FIG. 2.

  In the first paper feed cassette 40, the paper S stored in the paper storage unit 41 is sent to the paper feed path 45 one by one from the uppermost one in order, so that the paper feed roller 42, the pickup roller 43, A separation roller 44 is provided. In the second paper feed cassette 50, the paper S accommodated in the paper accommodating part 51 is sent out one by one from the uppermost one to the paper feed path 55 in order, so that a paper feed roller 52, a pick-up roller 53, a separation roller 54 is provided. In the third paper feeding cassette 60, the paper S accommodated in the paper accommodating portion 61 is sent out one by one from the uppermost one to the paper feeding path 65 in order, so that a paper feeding roller 62, a pickup roller 63, a separation roller 64 is provided. In the fourth paper feed cassette 70, the paper S accommodated in the paper accommodating portion 71 is sent out one by one from the top to the paper feed path 75 in order, so that a paper feed roller 72, a pickup roller 73, a separation roller 74 is provided.

  The paper feed roller 42 of the first paper feed cassette 40 performs a feed operation by being driven to rotate when the paper S is sent from the paper storage unit 41 to the paper feed path 45. The pickup roller 43 of the first paper feed cassette 40 is driven to rotate while being in contact with the uppermost paper S in the paper storage unit 41 when the paper feed roller 42 performs a feeding operation, so that the paper feed roller 42 moves to the paper feed roller 42. And the paper S are conveyed. The separation roller 44 of the first paper feed cassette 40 is a roller with a torque limiter provided to face the paper feed roller 42. Then, when a multi-feed in which a plurality of sheets S are conveyed by the pickup roller 43, only the uppermost separation roller 44 is conveyed to the sheet feeding path 45 by the feeding operation of the sheet feeding roller 42. It is for doing so.

  Regarding the respective paper feed rollers 52, 62, 72, pickup rollers 53, 63, 73, and separation rollers 54, 64, 74 of the second paper feed cassette 50, the third paper feed cassette 60, and the fourth paper feed cassette 70, This is the same as that of the first paper feed cassette 40.

  The paper feed path 65 of the third paper feed cassette 60 has a horizontal transport section 66 that transports the paper S along the paper feed path 65 extending in the horizontal direction downstream of the paper feed roller 62. The horizontal conveyance unit 66 has a plurality of conveyance roller pairs for conveying the paper S. In addition, a pair of transport rollers 76 for transporting the paper S along the paper feed path 75 is provided downstream of the paper feed roller 72 in the paper feed path 75 of the fourth paper feed cassette 70.

  Further, the downstream side of the sheet S in the sheet feeding path 45, 55, 65, 75 in the transport direction is connected to the image forming path 30. Specifically, the downstream side of the paper feed path 45 is connected to the image forming path 30 at the connection position A. The downstream side of the paper feed path 55 is connected to the image forming path 30 at the connection position B. The downstream side of the paper feed paths 65 and 75 is connected to the image forming path 30 at the connection position C. Further, the sides of the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75 connected to the image forming path 30 are curved so as to follow the sheet S conveyance direction in the image forming path 30.

  The transport unit related to the paper feed path 45 includes a paper feed roller 42 and a pickup roller 43. That is, the paper feed roller 42 and the pickup roller 43 in the paper feed path 45 feed the sheets S stored in the paper storage unit 41 one by one to the paper feed path 45 and along the paper feed path 45. To the image forming path 30. In addition, the conveyance unit related to the paper feed path 55 includes a paper feed roller 52 and a pickup roller 53. That is, the paper feed roller 52 and the pickup roller 53 in the paper feed path 55 feed the sheets S stored in the paper storage unit 51 one by one to the paper feed path 55 and along the paper feed path 55. To the image forming path 30.

  Further, the transport unit related to the paper feed path 65 includes a paper feed roller 62, a pickup roller 63, and a horizontal transport unit 66. That is, the paper feed roller 62, the pickup roller 63, and the horizontal conveyance unit 66 of the paper feed path 65 feed the paper S stored in the paper storage unit 61 one by one to the paper feed path 65 and supply the paper S. The paper is conveyed along the paper path 65 to the image forming path 30. In addition, the transport unit related to the paper feed path 75 includes a paper feed roller 72, a pickup roller 73, and a transport roller 76. That is, the paper feed roller 72, the pickup roller 73, and the transport roller 76 in the paper feed path 75 feed the paper S stored in the paper storage unit 71 one by one to the paper feed path 75 and feed the paper. It is conveyed along the path 75 to the image forming path 30.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming path 30 includes a first transport roller 35, a second transport roller 36, a third transport roller 37, a registration roller 27, a secondary transfer nip N1, and a fixing device 28 in this order. Is arranged in. Each of the first transport roller 35, the second transport roller 36, the third transport roller 37, and the registration roller 27 is a pair of rollers, and is a transport unit that transports the paper S along the image forming path 30 in a direction against gravity. . Furthermore, the registration roller 27 is for finely adjusting the timing at which the sheet S is sent to the secondary transfer nip N1. The fixing device 28 is for fixing the toner image transferred to the paper S by applying pressure while heating the paper S.

  A paper discharge path 31 and a duplex conveyance path 32 are provided further downstream of the fixing device 28 in the image forming path 30. In addition, a switching claw 39 is provided at a position where the image forming path 30, the paper discharge path 31, and the double-sided conveyance path 32 are connected. The switching claw 39 can switch the subsequent transport destination of the paper S that has been transported through the image forming path 30 between the paper discharge path 31 and the double-sided transport path 32.

  The paper discharge path 31 is for conveying the paper S on which image formation has been completed to the paper discharge unit 29. That is, the sheet S on which image formation has been completed is conveyed to the paper discharge path 31 by the switching claw 39 after passing through the image formation path 30. Then, the sheet S conveyed to the paper discharge path 31 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 29.

  On the other hand, the double-sided conveyance path 32 is for conveying the paper S that has passed through the image forming path 30 to the image forming path 30 again. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 1 can perform double-sided printing that forms images on both sides of the paper S. That is, when an image is formed on the second surface side of the sheet S on which the image is formed on the first surface side after passing through the image forming path 30, the sheet S is passed through the image forming path 30. , Are transferred to the double-sided conveyance path 32 by the switching claw 39. The sheet S conveyed to the double-sided conveyance path 32 is conveyed again to the image forming path 30 after the front and back sides are reversed.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the first paper feed cassette 40, the second paper feed cassette 50, the third paper feed cassette 60, and the fourth paper feed cassette 70 in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 3 also shows the side walls of the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65 and 75 and the image forming path 30. Note that the side wall on the connection side of each paper feed path to the image forming path 30 is actually transported without the paper S transported through each paper feed path being caught by the image forming path 30 unlike FIG. Is curved as is.

  As can be seen from FIG. 3, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a part of the side wall in the paper feed path 65 is constituted by a horizontal conveyance unit 66. A part of the side wall in the paper feed path 75 is constituted by the fourth paper feed cassette 70.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a first door 80 that constitutes a part of the side wall of the image forming path 30. The first door 80 partitions the inside of the image forming path 30 from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 in the closed state indicated by a solid line in FIG. On the other hand, the first door 80 can open the inside of the image forming path 30 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 in the open state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  Furthermore, one roller of the first conveyance roller 35, the second conveyance roller 36, and the third conveyance roller 37 that is a pair of rollers is fixed to the first door 80. For this reason, when the 1st door 80 of this form is a closed state, the 1st conveyance roller 35, the 2nd conveyance roller 36, and the 3rd conveyance roller 37 can pinch the paper S. On the other hand, when the first door 80 is in the open state, the first transport roller 35, the second transport roller 36, and the third transport roller 37 cannot sandwich the paper S. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a first door detection sensor 81. The first door detection sensor 81 can detect whether the first door 80 is in a closed state or an open state.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a second door 82 that constitutes a part of the side wall of the paper feed path 75. The second door 82 partitions the inside of the paper feed path 75 from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 in the closed state indicated by the solid line in FIG. On the other hand, the second door 82 can open the inside of the paper feed path 75 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 in the open state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  Furthermore, one roller of the conveyance roller 76 which is a roller pair is fixed to the second door 82. For this reason, when the second door 82 of the present embodiment is in a closed state, the transport roller 76 can sandwich the paper S. On the other hand, when the second door 82 is in the open state, the transport roller 76 cannot sandwich the paper S. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a second door detection sensor 83. The second door detection sensor 83 can detect whether the second door 82 is in a closed state or an open state.

  A transport roller for transporting the paper S is provided on transport paths such as the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75, the image forming path 30, the paper discharge path 31, and the double-sided transport path 32 for transporting the paper S. In addition to the first conveying roller 35 and the like described above, a plurality are provided. In addition, the arrival and passage of the paper S should be confirmed on transport paths such as the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75, the image forming path 30, the paper discharge path 31, and the double-sided transport path 32 that transport the paper S. A plurality of paper detection sensors capable of printing are arranged.

  The image forming path 30 is a first transport path provided in the vertical direction intersecting the horizontal direction. The paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75 are second transport paths, respectively. Further, the first conveyance roller 35, the second conveyance roller 36, and the third conveyance roller 37, which are conveyance units of the image forming path 30, are all the first conveyance unit. In addition, the feed rollers 42, 52, 62, 72, the horizontal transport unit 66, and the like, which are transport units of the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, 75, are second transport units.

  FIG. 4 shows an outline of the control configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an engine unit 90 and a controller unit 91 in order to control each unit. The engine unit 90 includes a CPU 92 that performs overall control processing and a nonvolatile memory 93 attached to the main body.

  In the non-volatile memory 93, for example, various values for forming an appropriate image by the image forming apparatus 1 are stored. For example, values such as the rotation speed of the roller 22, the rotation speed of each photoconductor 11, and the conveyance speed of the paper S are stored.

  The CPU 92 controls each part of the image forming apparatus 1 based on the values stored in the nonvolatile memory 93. For example, a color toner image without deviation is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 by adjusting the timing of starting the formation of the electrostatic latent image by each exposure device 13. Also, the timing for forming the electrostatic latent image by each exposure device 13 and the timing for feeding the paper S from the paper storage unit are adjusted. As a result, control is performed so that the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the sheet S enter the secondary transfer nip N1 at the same time. In addition, the CPU 92 is performing conveyance based on the detection value of a sheet detection sensor provided on a conveyance path such as the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75, the image forming path 30, the paper discharge path 31, and the duplex conveyance path 32. The position of the sheet S can be grasped.

  Further, the CPU 92 of this embodiment includes a transport control unit 96, a transport failure output unit 97, a door state output unit 98, and an apparatus abnormality output unit 99. The conveyance control unit 96 can control the rotation of a roller that conveys the paper S in the image forming apparatus 1. That is, for example, the conveyance control unit 96 controls the paper feed roller 42 to feed the paper S from the paper storage unit 41 to the paper feed path 45, and the fed paper S to the image forming path 30. Can be transported.

  Further, the conveyance control unit 96 can convey the paper S along the image forming path 30 by controlling the first conveyance roller 35, the second conveyance roller 36, and the third conveyance roller 37, for example. Further, the conveyance control unit 96 can also receive position information of the sheet S being conveyed into the image forming apparatus 1 from the CPU 92 that grasps the position of the sheet S based on the detection value of the sheet detection sensor.

  The conveyance failure output unit 97 can detect and output the conveyance failure of the paper S when it occurs. The conveyance failure output unit 97 of this embodiment detects a conveyance failure of the paper S based on the rotation state of the motor that rotationally drives each conveyance roller and the detection state of the paper S by the paper detection sensor provided on the conveyance path. can do. Specifically, for example, when it is not possible to confirm that the sheet S is being conveyed by the sheet detection sensor even though the motor is rotating, it is detected that a conveyance failure has occurred.

  The door state output unit 98 can detect and output the closed state or the open state of each of the first door 80 and the second door 82. That is, the door state output unit 98 can detect the open state of the first door 80 based on the detection value of the first door detection sensor 81, for example, when the first door 80 changes from the closed state to the open state. .

  The apparatus abnormality output unit 99 can detect and output an abnormal state in which each device in the image forming apparatus 1 is not operating normally. For example, an abnormal state can be detected when the motor that rotationally drives each transport roller is not operating despite the drive signal being output.

  Further, the engine unit 90 controls various units 94 included in the image forming apparatus 1 and performs writing and reading of the nonvolatile memory 95 attached to the various units. The various units 94 include, for example, a toner bottle and an imaging unit. The non-volatile memory 95 attached to the various units includes, for example, a memory attached to the toner bottle and a memory attached to the imaging unit. For example, the memory attached to the toner bottle stores the remaining amount of toner, and the memory attached to the imaging unit stores the number of prints.

  The controller unit 91 is connected to an external personal computer or the like and receives an instruction input. For example, an image forming job is generated in the image forming apparatus 1 by receiving an image forming command from a personal computer. Further, various information such as a dot counter value is exchanged between the engine unit 90 and the controller unit 91.

  Next, an example of a normal image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be briefly described. The following description is an example of an image forming operation in a color mode in which a color image is formed on the paper S accommodated in the first paper feed cassette 40 using four color toners.

  When a normal color image is formed, first, the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the photoreceptors 11 of the respective colors are rotated at a predetermined peripheral speed in the directions indicated by arrows in FIG. The outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 11 is charged almost uniformly by the charging device 12. Light corresponding to the image data is projected onto the outer peripheral surface of the charged photoconductor 11 by the exposure device 13 to form an electrostatic latent image.

  Subsequently, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 14 and a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 11. Each color toner image is transferred (primary transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 at a primary transfer nip formed by the photoconductor 11 and the intermediate transfer belt 21. In other words, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 in this order.

  Further, the transfer residual toner that is not transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21 and remains on the photoconductor 11 after passing the primary transfer roller 15 is scraped off by the photoconductor cleaner 16 and removed from the photoconductor 11. Is done. The superimposed four color toner images are conveyed to the secondary transfer nip N <b> 1 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  On the other hand, the sheets S accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 41 of the first sheet cassette 40 are pulled out one by one from the uppermost one to the sheet feeding path 45 by the feeding operation of the sheet feeding roller 42. The drawn paper S is conveyed along the paper feed path 45 and the image forming path 30 to the secondary transfer nip N1. The entry timing of the sheet S into the secondary transfer nip N1 is finely adjusted by the registration roller 27 so as to coincide with the entry timing of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 into the secondary transfer nip N1. As a result, the superimposed four color toner images are transferred (secondary transfer) onto the paper S in the secondary transfer nip N1.

  The sheet S on which the toner image is transferred is further conveyed downstream of the image forming path 30. That is, after the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 28, the paper S is conveyed to the paper discharge path 31 by the switching claw 39 and discharged to the paper discharge unit 29. Note that the transfer residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer nip N1 is collected by the belt cleaner 26. As a result, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is removed.

  When performing duplex printing, the sheet S on which the image is formed on the first surface by passing through the image forming path 30 is conveyed to the duplex conveying path 32 by the switching claw 39. Thereby, the front and back of the sheet S with respect to the transport direction are reversed. Further, the sheet S that has passed through the double-sided conveyance path 32 is again conveyed to the image forming path 30 from the registration roller 27. Thereby, an image can be formed on the second surface opposite to the first surface of the paper S. The paper S on which images are formed on both sides in this manner is then discharged to the paper discharge unit 29.

  Here, in this embodiment, the fourth paper feed cassette 70 can be pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, the fourth paper feed cassette 70 can be in a paper feed ready state and a drawer state. Specifically, when the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is in a paper feed ready state, the paper feed port of the paper storage unit 71 is connected to the paper feed route 75, so that the paper feed roller 72 and the like feed the paper feed route 75. Paper S can be fed. On the other hand, when the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is pulled out from the paper feed ready state, the connection of the paper feed opening of the paper storage unit 71 to the paper feed path 75 is released.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is pulled out. The fourth paper feed cassette 70 is pulled out in the forward direction in FIG. 5 to a position where the connection of the paper feed port to the paper feed path 75 is released. Further, as described above, a part of the side wall in the paper feed path 75 of this embodiment is configured by the fourth paper feed cassette 70. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 5 in which the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is pulled out, a part of the side wall of the paper feed path 75 does not exist.

  In the present embodiment, the horizontal conveyance unit 66 can also be pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1. Thereby, the horizontal conveyance part 66 can take a conveyance possible state and a drawing-out state. That is, the second transport unit including the paper feed roller 62 that transports the paper S along the paper feed path 65, the horizontal transport unit 66, and the like is a drawer transport unit. Specifically, the horizontal transport unit 66 can transport the paper S fed from the paper storage unit 61 to the paper feed path 65 to the image forming path 30 in the transportable state. On the other hand, the horizontal transport unit 66 cannot transport the paper S to the image forming path 30 because the paper feed path 65 at that position is cut off when the horizontal transport unit 66 is pulled out from the transportable state.

  FIG. 6 shows a drawing state in which the horizontal conveyance unit 66 is drawn. The horizontal conveyance unit 66 is pulled out in the front direction in FIG. Further, as described above, a part of the side wall in the paper feed path 65 of the present embodiment is configured by the horizontal transport unit 66. For this reason, in the state of FIG. 6 in which the horizontal conveyance unit 66 is pulled out, a part of the side wall of the paper feed path 65 does not exist.

  5 and 6 show the sheet S sandwiched between the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36. FIG. In the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sheet S sandwiched between the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36 is not transported and is stopped. That is, in the state of FIGS. 5 and 6, image formation is performed when a certain stop factor of the image forming apparatus 1 is generated in a state where the sheet S is being conveyed along the image forming path 30 and the conveyance is stopped. This is a residual stop state in which the sheet S exists in the path 30. 5 and 6, the sheet S sandwiched between the first conveyance roller 35 and the second conveyance roller 36 at the time of remaining stop is the remaining sheet S remaining in the image forming path 30 at the time of remaining stop.

  As a stop factor that causes the remaining stop, for example, there may be a case where there is a sheet S with poor conveyance. For example, when the paper S accommodated in the third paper feed cassette 60 has a small surface friction, it may be considered that the paper S is not properly fed due to slippage of the paper feed roller 62 or the like. In such a case, the conveyance failure output unit 97 detects and outputs a conveyance failure of the paper S, and the image forming apparatus 1 stops.

  Moreover, as a stop factor that causes the residual stop, a case where the first door 80 and the second door 82 are opened by the user can be considered. For example, when the first door 80 is in the open state, the open state is detected by the first door detection sensor 81, and the door state output unit 98 outputs that the first door 80 is in the open state. The device 1 stops.

  In addition, an abnormality of the device is considered as a cause of the stoppage that causes the residual stop. For example, when the motor that rotationally drives each transport roller is not operating despite the drive signal being output, the abnormal state of the motor is detected and output by the device abnormal output unit 99, and the image forming apparatus 1 stops.

  5 and 6, the residual paper S may fall due to some factor. For example, when the residual paper S has a small surface friction or is thin with a small basis weight, the holding power of the residual paper S due to the sandwiching of the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36 is small. There is a case where the residual paper S falls off. It is also conceivable that the image forming apparatus 1 vibrates in the state where the residual paper S is present, and the vibration causes the paper S to slide off from the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36.

  If the remaining stop is due to the presence of a sheet S with poor conveyance, the user opens the first door 80 in order to remove the sheet S with poor conveyance from the image forming apparatus 1. Can be considered. When the first door 80 is in the open state, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sandwiching of the residual paper S by the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36 is released. The residual paper S falls. Further, when the residual stop is caused by the user opening the first door 80, the remaining paper S is not caught by the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36 together with the residual stop. The residual paper S falls.

  When the residual paper S shown in FIG. 5 falls, the residual paper S falls along the image forming path 30. Further, the residual paper S that has fallen along the image forming path 30 may enter the paper feeding path 75 after passing through the connection position C. However, in the state of FIG. 5, a part of the side wall of the paper feed path 75 does not exist because the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is in the pulled-out state. For this reason, it may fall off the paper feed path 75 from a location where the side wall does not exist.

  Further, the residual paper S that has been removed from the paper feed path 75 is pulled out by the fourth paper feed cassette 70 in the image forming apparatus 1 on the back side in the pull-out direction or the lower side in the gravity direction than the fourth paper feed cassette 70. It falls into the formed space. The residual paper S that has fallen to such a position may subsequently hinder the normal operation of the image forming apparatus 1. For this reason, it is necessary to remove the residual paper S that has fallen from the image forming apparatus 1. However, depending on the drop position of the residual paper S, it is difficult for the user to reach and removal becomes difficult.

  Further, even when the residual paper S shown in FIG. 6 falls, the residual paper S falls along the image forming path 30. Further, the residual paper S that has fallen along the image forming path 30 may enter the paper feed path 65 after passing through the connection position C. However, in the state of FIG. 6, a part of the side wall of the paper feed path 65 does not exist because the horizontal conveyance unit 66 is in the pulled out state. For this reason, it may fall off the paper feed path 65 from a location where the side wall does not exist.

  Further, the residual paper S that has been removed from the paper feed path 65 is a space formed by the horizontal conveyance unit 66 being pulled out from the horizontal conveyance unit 66 in the image forming apparatus 1 in the back direction in the drawing direction and below the gravity direction. Fall into. Even for the residual paper S that has fallen to such a position, the normal operation of the image forming apparatus 1 may be hindered thereafter. Therefore, although it is necessary to remove, depending on the dropping position of the residual paper S, it is difficult for the user to reach and removal becomes difficult.

  Therefore, when the conveyance control unit 96 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment determines that the remaining sheet S is present in the image forming path 30 and is in the remaining stop, the conveyance control unit 96 is more in the direction of gravity in the image forming path 30 than the remaining sheet S. Blocking control for conveying the sheet S to the blocking position where the lower side is blocked is performed. The sheet S conveyed by the closing control is different from the remaining sheet S.

  FIG. 7 shows the time when the block control is executed. FIG. 7 shows the sheet S conveyed to the closing position by the closing control. Specifically, in FIG. 7, blockage control is performed in which the sheet S stored in the sheet storage unit 51 is transported to the blocking position by the sheet feeding roller 52 of the sheet feeding path 55 related to the second sheet feeding cassette 50. The case is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet S conveyed to the closing position blocks the lower side of the remaining sheet S in the image forming path 30 by the leading end side.

  Therefore, in the state of FIG. 7, even if the residual paper S falls, the fall of the residual paper S that has fallen can be stopped by the paper S conveyed to the closing position. Therefore, even if the residual paper S falls due to the closing control, the user can easily remove the residual paper S that has fallen. This is because the drop position of the residual paper S is on the paper S that has been transported to the closing position and is easily accessible by the user.

  Further, the closing control may be such that the sheet S accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 61 is transported to the closing position by the sheet feeding roller 62 of the sheet feeding path 65 related to the third sheet feeding cassette 60. FIG. 8 shows a case where the closing control is performed on the sheet feeding roller 62 and the like of the sheet feeding path 65. Also in FIG. 8, the sheet S transported to the closing position blocks the lower side of the remaining sheet S in the image forming path 30 by the leading end side. Therefore, also in FIG. 8, when the residual paper S falls, the user can easily remove the residual paper S that has fallen.

  Further, the closing control may be such that the sheet S accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 71 is transported to the closing position by the sheet feeding roller 72 of the sheet feeding path 75 related to the fourth sheet feeding cassette 70. FIG. 9 shows a case where the closing control is performed on the sheet feed roller 72 and the like of the sheet feed path 75. Also in FIG. 9, the sheet S conveyed to the closing position blocks the lower side of the remaining sheet S in the image forming path 30 by the leading end side. Therefore, also in FIG. 9, when the residual paper S falls, the user can easily remove the residual paper S that has fallen.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the closing control may be performed on the paper S in the paper feed cassette having the connection position of the paper feed path below the image forming path 30 with respect to the remaining paper S. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, when there are a plurality of paper feed cassettes having a connection position of the paper feed path below the image forming path 30 with respect to the remaining paper S, the conveyance control unit 96 performs block control. It is only necessary to determine a paper feed roller or the like related to blockage control before the execution of.

  Next, a procedure for determining whether or not to execute blockage control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when an image forming job is generated in the image forming apparatus 1, the transport control unit 96 starts feeding and transporting the paper S (S101).

  For example, when the image forming job is to perform image formation on the first surface of the sheet S related to the first sheet feeding cassette 40, the sheet S accommodated in the sheet accommodating unit 41 is fed by the sheet feeding roller 42 or the like. Paper is fed to the path 45, and the fed paper S is conveyed along the paper feed path 45. Further, the sheet S conveyed through the sheet feeding path 45 by the sheet feeding roller 42 or the like is conveyed along the image forming path 30 by the first conveying roller 35 or the like. The sheet S conveyed through the image forming path 30 is transferred with the toner image at the secondary transfer nip N1 and fixed with the fixing device 28. Then, the paper S on which the image is formed by fixing the toner image is discharged to the paper discharge unit 29.

  Further, after the start of feeding and transport of the paper S (S101), the transport control unit 96 determines whether or not a stop factor for stopping the transport of the paper S has occurred (S102). As described above, as a cause of the stoppage, as described above, when the conveyance failure of the paper S occurs, the first door 80 or the second door 82 is opened, or the apparatus is abnormal, etc. When these stop factors occur, the fact that the stop factor has occurred is output by the conveyance failure output unit 97, the door state output unit 98, and the apparatus abnormality output unit 99. Thus, based on the output, the conveyance control unit 96 can determine whether or not a stop factor has occurred.

  When the stop factor has not occurred (S102: NO), it is determined whether or not the conveyance is to be terminated with the completion of the image formation (S103). If the conveyance is continued instead of the end of image formation (S103: NO), it is determined again whether or not a stop factor has occurred (S102). Then, when the conveyance is finished with the completion of the image formation, the flow of FIG. 10 is finished. That is, while monitoring whether or not a stop factor has occurred (S102), the conveyance along with the image formation is performed until the image formation is completed (S103).

  When a stop factor occurs during the conveyance of the sheet S (S102: YES), the conveyance control unit 96 determines whether the stop due to the stop factor is a remaining stop where the remaining sheet S exists in the image forming path 30. Is determined (S104). Furthermore, when it is a residual stop (S104: YES), obstruction | occlusion control is performed (S105). Thereby, even if the residual paper S falls, it is possible to easily remove the dropped residual paper S from the image forming apparatus 1. Then, after executing the closing control, the flow of FIG.

  On the other hand, if it is not the remaining stop (S104: NO), the flow of FIG. 10 is terminated without performing the closing control. This is because when there is no residual paper S, there is no possibility that the residual paper S will fall to a location where removal is difficult. That is, even when there is no residual paper S, the paper S may remain in the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, 75, etc. when stopped due to a stop factor. However, for example, even if the paper S remains in the paper feed path 45, the paper S does not fall to a place that is difficult to remove.

  Further, the conveyance control unit 96 may perform the closing control when there is a unit that is pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1. The unit in the pulled-out state is the fourth paper feed cassette 70 in FIG. Further, the unit in the pulled-out state is a horizontal conveyance unit 66 in FIG. This is because when there is no unit that is pulled out, the residual paper S does not drop so much that it is difficult for the user to remove.

  When there is a unit in the drawn state, the connection position of the paper feed path to the image forming path 30 is an intermediate position below the remaining sheet S and above the unit in the drawn state in the gravity direction. The closing control may be performed on the paper feed roller or the like. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 5, the connection position serving as the intermediate position is the connection position B or the connection position C. Therefore, in the remaining stop shown in FIG. 5, in the closing control, the sheet S stored in the sheet storage portion 51 may be transported to the closing position by the sheet feeding roller 52 of the second sheet feeding cassette 50. Alternatively, in the remaining stop illustrated in FIG. 5, in the closing control, the paper S accommodated in the paper storage unit 61 may be transported to the closing position by the paper feeding roller 62 of the third paper feeding cassette 60. In the remaining stop shown in FIG. 5, the closing control cannot be performed on the sheet feeding roller 72 of the fourth sheet feeding cassette 70 or the like. This is because the fourth paper feed cassette 70 is pulled out.

  In the state shown in FIG. 6, the connection position serving as the intermediate position is the connection position B or the connection position C. For this reason, in the remaining stop shown in FIG. 6, in the closing control, the sheet S accommodated in the sheet storage unit 51 may be transported to the closing position by the sheet feeding roller 52 of the second sheet feeding cassette 50 or the like. Alternatively, in the remaining stop shown in FIG. 6, in the closing control, the sheet S stored in the sheet storage portion 71 may be transported to the closing position by the sheet feeding roller 72 of the fourth sheet feeding cassette 70. In the remaining stop shown in FIG. 6, the closing control cannot be performed on the sheet feeding roller 62 of the third sheet feeding cassette 60. This is because the horizontal conveyance unit 66 is pulled out.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in the case where the conveyance control unit 96 executes the closing control when there is a unit in the pulled-out state. In FIG. 11, the steps up to step S204 are the same as those in FIG. That is, when an image forming job is generated, the transport control unit 96 starts feeding and transporting the paper S (S201), and then monitors whether or not a stop factor has occurred (S202) while performing image forming. Until the process is completed, the conveyance along with the image formation is performed (S203). If a stop factor occurs during the transport of the paper S (S202: YES), the transport control unit 96 determines whether or not the stop due to the stop factor is a residual stop (S204).

  If it is a residual stop (S204: YES), it is determined whether or not there is a unit in the drawn state (S205). When there is a unit in the drawn state (S205: YES), an intermediate transport unit that is a transport unit that transports the paper S is determined by the closing control (S206). Specifically, in the remaining stop shown in FIG. 5, as described above, the paper feed roller 52 or the like of the paper feed path 55 or the paper feed roller 62 or the like of the paper feed path 65 is determined as the intermediate transport unit. In the remaining stop shown in FIG. 6, as described above, the paper feed roller 52 or the like of the paper feed path 55 or the paper feed roller 72 or the like of the paper feed path 75 is determined as the intermediate transport unit.

  Further, blockage control is performed by the determined intermediate transport unit (S207). Thereby, even if the residual paper S falls, it is possible to easily remove the dropped residual paper S from the image forming apparatus 1. Then, after executing the closing control, the flow of FIG. 11 is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is not a residual stop (S204: NO), the flow of FIG. 11 is terminated without performing the closing control. Further, even if the remaining stop (S204: YES), if there is no unit being pulled out (S205: NO), the block of FIG. 11 is terminated without performing the closing control. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 11, it is possible to dispense with blockage control when there is no unit being pulled out.

  And it is preferable that the frequency of the occlusion control is low. The sheet S conveyed to the closing position by the closing control may be removed from the image forming apparatus 1 by the user, judging that it is a source of the stop factor. Further, the removed paper S may be wrinkled at the time of removal and cannot be reused. Therefore, the number of sheets S that are discarded can be reduced by reducing the frequency of the closing control.

  Further, the conveyance control unit 96 may perform the closing control when a unit in the pulled-out state is generated after the remaining stop and before the first door 80 of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened. . FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in the case where the closing control is executed when a unit in the pulled-out state occurs after the remaining stop and before the first door 80 of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened.

  Also in FIG. 12, the processes up to step S304 are the same as those in FIG. That is, when an image forming job is generated, the transport control unit 96 starts feeding and transporting the paper S (S301), and then monitors whether or not a stop factor has occurred (S302), and the image forming is performed. Until the process is completed, the conveyance along with the image formation is performed (S303). If a stop factor occurs during the transport of the paper S (S302: YES), the transport controller 96 determines whether or not the stop due to the stop factor is a residual stop (S304).

  If it is a residual stop (S304: YES), it is determined whether or not the first door 80 is maintained in the closed state (S305). After the residual stop, if the first door 80 has not been opened yet and the first door 80 is maintained in the closed state (S305: YES), whether or not there is a drawer unit Is determined (S306). If there is no unit in the drawn state (S306: NO), it is determined whether or not the remaining sheet S has been removed from the image forming path 30 (S307). If the removal of the residual paper S has not been completed (S307: NO), the process returns to step S305 again.

  Note that the conveyance control unit 96 maintains the first door 80 in the closed state after the remaining stop (S305: YES), and when the remaining sheet S is removed without any unit being pulled out (S306: NO) ( S307: YES), the flow of FIG. 12 is terminated without executing the closing control. This is because when the residual paper S is removed, it is not necessary to perform blockage control thereafter.

  Even when the first door 80 is opened even once after the remaining stop (S305: NO), the flow of FIG. 12 is terminated without executing the closing control. In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the first door 80 is opened by the user, the sandwiching of the residual paper S by the first transport roller 35 and the second transport roller 36 is released. For this reason, when the first door 80 is opened by the user, the residual paper S falls. Then, the residual paper S is removed from the image forming path 30 by dropping when the first door 80 is opened. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform blockage control thereafter.

  On the other hand, if the first door 80 remains closed after the remaining stop (S305: YES) and there is a unit that is pulled out (S306: YES), the conveyance control unit 96 performs the sheet S by closing control. An intermediate conveyance unit which is a conveyance unit that performs the conveyance of the above is determined (S308). Further, blockage control is performed by the determined intermediate transport unit (S309).

  Thereby, even if the residual paper S subsequently falls, it is possible to suppress the fallen residual paper S from entering the back side or the lower side of the drawn-out unit. In addition, even if the residual paper S falls, it is possible to easily remove the dropped residual paper S from the image forming apparatus 1. Then, after executing the closing control, the flow of FIG. Also in the flow of FIG. 12, the number of sheets S that are discarded can be reduced by reducing the frequency of the closing control.

  Further, the conveyance control unit 96 may perform the closing control when the first door 80 is opened after the remaining stop and in a state where there is a unit that is pulled out. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure in the case where the closing control is executed when the first door 80 is opened with the unit in the withdrawn state after the remaining stop.

  In FIG. 13, the steps up to step S404 are the same as those in FIG. That is, when an image forming job is generated, the transport control unit 96 starts feeding and transporting the paper S (S401), and then monitors whether or not a stop factor has occurred (S402), and the image forming is performed. Until the process is completed, the conveyance along with the image formation is performed (S403). If a stop factor occurs during the transport of the paper S (S402: YES), the transport control unit 96 determines whether or not the stop due to the stop factor is a residual stop (S404).

  If it is a residual stop (S404: YES), it is determined whether or not there is a unit in the drawn state (S405). If there is no pulled-out unit (S405: NO), it is determined whether or not the remaining sheet S has been removed from the image forming path 30 (S407). Further, even when there is a unit in the drawn state (S405: YES), the remaining sheet S is removed from the image forming path 30 even when the first door 80 is closed (S406: NO). It is determined whether or not (S407). If the removal of the residual paper S has not been completed (S407: NO), the process returns to step S405 again.

  If the remaining sheet S is removed (S407: NO) in a state where there is no unit in the drawn-out state after the remaining stop (S405: NO), the transport control unit 96 does not execute the closing control and performs FIG. End the flow. Further, even when there is a unit in the drawn state (S405: YES), even when the remaining paper S is removed without opening the first door 80 in the closed state (S406: NO) (S407: YES), the flow of FIG. 13 is terminated without executing the closing control. This is because when the residual paper S is removed, it is not necessary to perform blockage control thereafter.

  On the other hand, when the first door 80 is opened (S406: YES) in a state where there is a unit that is pulled out after the remaining stop (S405: YES), the transport control unit 96 performs the closing control of the sheet S. An intermediate transport unit that is a transport unit that performs transport is determined (S408). Further, blockage control is performed by the determined intermediate transport unit (S409). Thereby, it is possible to suppress the residual paper S that falls when the first door 80 is in the open state from entering the back side or the bottom side of the unit in the drawn-out state. Further, it is possible to easily remove the dropped residual paper S from the image forming apparatus 1. Then, after executing the closing control, the flow of FIG. 13 is terminated. Also in the flow of FIG. 13, the number of sheets S that are discarded can be reduced by reducing the frequency of blockage control.

  Further, the transport control unit 96 has a plurality of intermediate transport units, and when there is a plurality of intermediate transport units that are transporting the paper S at the time of the residual stop, the transport control unit 96 is transporting the paper S at the time of the residual stop. In addition, the intermediate conveyance unit may be configured to perform blockage control. Specifically, for example, in the residual stop state shown in FIG. 5, the intermediate transport unit includes a paper feed roller 52 in the paper feed path 55, a paper feed roller 62 in the paper feed path 65, a horizontal transport unit 66, and the like. It is. In the state of remaining stop shown in FIG. 5, if the paper feed roller 62 and the horizontal transport unit 66 in the paper feed path 65 are transporting the paper S, the paper feed roller 62 and the horizontal What is necessary is just to make the conveyance part 66 etc. perform obstruction | occlusion control. Alternatively, in the state of remaining stop shown in FIG. 5, if the paper feeding roller 52 or the like of the paper feeding path 55 is currently transporting the paper S, the closing control is performed on the paper feeding roller 52 or the like of the paper feeding path 55. You can do it.

  After the remaining stop, if there is a sheet S already fed to the sheet feeding paths 45, 55, 65, 75, the sheet S tends to be removed from the image forming apparatus 1 by the user. For this reason, when there is a paper S already fed in any of the paper feed paths 45, 55, 65, and 75 at the time of the remaining stop, the new paper S is fed in the closing control. Both sheets may be removed from the image forming apparatus 1 by the user. In this case, the two sheets may be wrinkled during removal and cannot be reused.

  If there is an intermediate transport unit that is already transporting paper S when it is stopped, the intermediate transport unit performs blockage control so that the number of paper S to be discarded is reduced to 1. It is because it can reduce to a sheet. If there is no intermediate transport unit that is transporting the paper S at the time of remaining stop, any one of the plurality of intermediate transport units may be controlled to close.

  Further, the transport control unit 96 has a plurality of intermediate transport units, and when there is a plurality of intermediate transport units that are transporting the paper S at the time of the residual stop, the transport control unit 96 is transporting the paper S at the time of the residual stop. The intermediate conveyance unit other than the intermediate conveyance unit may be configured to perform blockage control. A conveyance failure in the intermediate conveyance unit that is conveying the sheet S at the time of the remaining stop may be a stop factor related to the remaining stop. In this case, for example, a slip of the fed paper S can be considered. For this reason, there is a possibility that the paper S cannot be properly conveyed to the closed position even if the intermediate conveyance unit that has been a cause of the stoppage of the remaining stop is controlled to close. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to perform blockage control on a plurality of intermediate transport units other than the intermediate transport unit that is transporting the paper S at the time of remaining stop. This is because in the closing control, the sheet S can be reliably conveyed to the closing position.

  Further, when the closing control is performed by feeding the paper S from the paper storage unit, the closing position is set within a detectable range in which the paper S can be detected by a paper detection sensor such as the image forming path 30. Is preferred. In this case as well, the closing position is naturally a position within the closing range where the sheet S related to the closing control can block the lower side of the image forming path 30 in the gravity direction than the remaining sheet S. That is, the closing position is preferably within a range where the detectable range and the closing range overlap. This is because the sheet S stopped at the closing position can be detected. This is because the presence of the sheet S related to the closing control can be notified and removed to the user who has tried to resume the image formation while the sheet related to the closing control remains. Furthermore, the closing position is preferably the position where the distance from the paper storage unit to be fed is the shortest in the range where the detectable range and the closing range overlap. This is because the close control can be performed in a short time due to the short distance from the paper storage unit to be fed.

  Further, the CPU 92 may not detect the presence or absence of the paper S by the paper detection sensor during a predetermined non-detection time after the paper feeding operation is performed. In this case, in the closing control in which the paper S is fed from the paper storage unit, the paper S related to the closing control in which the feeding is resumed together with the paper feeding operation after the remaining stop is appropriately detected by the paper detection sensor. It is preferable to do so. In other words, the blocking position is such that the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet S related to the blocking control whose conveyance is resumed together with the sheet feeding operation after the remaining stop passes the detection position of the sheet detection sensor before the non-detection time elapses. However, it is preferably within the restart detection range that passes after the passage. In this case as well, the closing position is naturally a position within the closing range where the sheet S related to the closing control can block the lower side of the image forming path 30 in the gravity direction than the remaining sheet S. That is, the closing position is preferably within a range where the restart detection range and the closing range overlap. This is because the paper S related to the closing control can be detected even when the paper S related to the closing control is not removed and the conveyance is resumed after the remaining stop. This is because the presence of the sheet S related to the closing control can be notified and removed to the user who has tried to resume the image formation while the sheet related to the closing control remains. Furthermore, it is preferable that the closing position is a position where the distance from the paper storage unit to be fed is the shortest in the range where the restart detection range and the closing range overlap. This is because the close control can be performed in a short time due to the short distance from the paper storage unit to be fed.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of intermediate conveyance units, the conveyance control unit 96 performs blockage control, and among the plurality of intermediate conveyance units, the connection position of the paper feed path to the image forming path is located on the uppermost side in the gravity direction. It is preferable that the intermediate conveyance unit related to the sheet feeding path is performed. This is because when the residual paper S falls, the distance that the residual paper S falls can be made the shortest.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of intermediate transport units, the transport control unit 96 causes the intermediate transport unit related to the paper storage unit storing the thickest paper S among the plurality of intermediate transport units. It is preferable. This is because the thicker the sheet S, the stronger the tendency of the stiffness, and the fall of the remaining sheet S can be stopped appropriately. In this case, a thickness output unit that outputs a thickness index value that indicates the thickness of the sheet S accommodated in each of the sheet accommodating units may be provided. Further, the thickness output unit may automatically detect and output the thickness of the sheet S accommodated in each sheet accommodating unit. Alternatively, an input unit for inputting a thickness index value of the paper S stored in each of the paper storage units by a user may be provided, and an input value input by the input unit may be output. Further, the basis weight of the paper S can be used as the thickness index portion.

  Further, it is preferable that the conveyance control unit 96 has the closing position such that the leading edge of the paper S related to the closing control is positioned upstream of the trailing edge of the residual paper S. When the leading end side of the sheet S conveyed to the closing position by the closing control overlaps the rear end side of the remaining sheet S, depending on the overlapping state, the falling of the remaining sheet S may be caused by the sheet S related to the closing control. This is because it may not be able to stop properly. Specifically, when the residual paper S overlaps the surface of the paper S that is curved at the closing position, the residual paper is located below the paper S at the closed position. This is because S may fall.

  Further, when the closing control is performed on the paper feed path 65 provided with the horizontal conveyance unit 66, it is preferable to make it difficult to pull out the horizontal conveyance unit 66 by the paper S stopped at the closing position. This is because it is possible to prevent the sheet S related to the closing control from being pulled out together with the horizontal conveying unit 66 from the closing position by pulling out the horizontal conveying unit 66 by the user. In other words, when the horizontal conveyance unit 66 is pulled out by the user, the falling of the remaining paper S cannot be stopped by the paper S related to the closing control, but this situation can be prevented. it can. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 14 which is a plan view of the horizontal conveyance unit 66, a stopper 67 may be provided in the drawer downstream region KH. The drawing downstream area KH includes a drawing area H positioned in the drawing direction of the horizontal conveyance unit 66 with respect to the sheet passing area SL of the paper S in the paper feeding path 65 and a downstream position positioned downstream in the conveyance direction with respect to the horizontal conveyance unit 66. This is an area overlapping with the area K. The stopper 67 may be fixed to other than the horizontal transport unit 66 so as not to move with the horizontal transport unit 66. The transport control unit 96 may set the closing position so that at least a part of the sheet S related to the closing control is located in the horizontal transport unit 66. In this way, when the horizontal transport unit 66 is pulled out, the paper S, a part of which is located in the horizontal transport unit 66, can be hooked on the stopper 67, making it difficult to pull out the horizontal transport unit 66. can do.

  Further, when the closing control is performed for the paper feed path 65 provided with the horizontal conveyance unit 66, the closing position may be set such that the rear end of the sheet S related to the blocking control is located downstream of the horizontal conveyance unit 66. Good. As shown in FIG. 14, in order to make it difficult to pull out the horizontal conveyance unit 66, when the paper S stopped at the closing position is hooked on the stopper 67, the user may accidentally tear the paper S. . For this reason, a part of the torn paper S may remain in the image forming apparatus 1. On the other hand, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the paper S is torn by transporting the paper S downstream of the horizontal transport unit 66 in the closing control. In this case, for example, a configuration of the image forming apparatus 2 as shown in FIG. 15 can be considered.

  In the image forming apparatus 2, as shown in FIG. 15, a paper holding unit 68 is provided downstream of the horizontal conveyance unit 66. The sheet holding unit 68 constitutes a side wall downstream of the horizontal conveyance unit 66 in the sheet feeding path 65. In FIG. 15, the remaining sheet S sandwiched between the first conveying roller 35 and the second conveying roller 36, and the sheet S below the remaining sheet S, the rear end side of which is located in the sheet holding unit 68. Is shown. Then, the sheet S whose rear end side is located in the sheet holding unit 68 shown in FIG. 15 is the sheet S conveyed to the closing position by the closing control.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the sheet S in the closed position is held without dropping because the rear end side is located in the sheet holding unit 68. Further, even if the residual paper S is dropped due to the opening of the first door 80 in the state of FIG. 15, the residual paper S that has been dropped can be received by the paper S in the closed position.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the trailing edge of the sheet S in the closed position is located downstream of the horizontal transport unit 66. For this reason, even if the horizontal transport unit 66 is pulled out in the state of FIG. 15, the sheet S in the closed position is not pulled out together with the horizontal transport unit 66. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where the paper S is torn.

  As described above in detail, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a sheet storage unit, an image forming path, and a sheet feeding path. The image forming path is provided in a direction crossing the horizontal direction. One end of the sheet feeding path is connected to the sheet storage unit, and the other end is curved and connected to the image forming path. In addition, the first transport unit including the first transport roller, the second transport roller, and the third transport roller transports the paper in the direction against gravity along the image forming path. In addition, the second transport unit configured by a paper feed roller or the like feeds the paper stored in the paper storage unit to the paper feed path one by one, and feeds the fed paper to the paper feed path. Along the image forming path. The conveyance control unit causes the second conveyance unit to convey the sheet to the closing position where the lower side in the gravity direction of the image formation path is blocked from the remaining sheet when the remaining sheet remains in the image formation path. Perform blocking control. This realizes a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus that allow a user to easily remove a dropped sheet even if the remaining sheet on the conveying path that conveys the sheet against gravity is dropped. Yes.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an image forming apparatus having four combinations of a paper storage unit, a paper feed path, and a second transport unit has been described. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus having only one combination of two transport units. This is because it is possible to prevent the remaining paper from dropping below the paper at the closed position due to the paper conveyed to the closed position by the closed control. Further, if the residual paper is dropped above the closed position, the user can easily remove the residual paper that has dropped.

  Further, for example, the determination timing of the intermediate conveyance unit may not be immediately before the closing control. This is because the intermediate transport unit can be determined after the position of the remaining sheet and the position of the unit in the pulled-out state are grasped after the remaining stop.

  Further, for example, in addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus or the like further including a combination of a sheet storage unit, a sheet feeding path, and a second transport unit such as a manual feed tray. The present invention is not limited to a color printer, and can be applied to, for example, a monochrome printer or an image forming apparatus that transmits and receives a print job via a public line.

30 Image forming path 40 Paper feed cassette 41 Paper storage section 42 Paper feed roller 43 Pickup roller 45 Paper feed path 50 Paper feed cassette 51 Paper storage section 52 Paper feed roller 53 Pickup roller 55 Paper feed path 60 Paper feed cassette 61 Paper storage section 62 Paper feed roller 63 Pickup roller 65 Paper feed path 66 Horizontal transport section 70 Paper feed cassette 71 Paper storage section 72 Paper feed roller 73 Pickup roller 75 Paper feed path S Paper, residual paper

Claims (17)

A sheet storage section for storing a plurality of sheets by stacking;
A first transport path provided in a direction intersecting the horizontal direction;
A second transport path connected to the first transport path with one end connected to the sheet storage portion and the other end opposite to the one end being curved;
A first transport unit that transports a sheet in a direction against gravity along the first transport path;
The sheets stored in the sheet storage unit are fed one by one to the second transport path, and the fed sheets are fed to the first transport path along the second transport path. A second transport section for transporting;
In a sheet conveying apparatus having a conveyance control unit that controls the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit,
The transfer control unit
When it is determined that when the conveyance by the first conveyance unit is stopped, the stop is a residual stop that stops in a state where at least the trailing edge of the sheet exists in the first conveyance path,
Blocking control for conveying the sheet to the closing position where the lower side in the gravitational direction of the first conveying path is blocked from the remaining sheet remaining in the first conveying path due to the remaining stop to the second conveying unit. A sheet conveying device characterized in that the sheet conveying device is used. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A plurality of combinations of the sheet storage unit, the second transport path, and the second transport unit;
At least one of the plurality of sheet storage portions is
A paper feed enabling state in which a sheet can be fed to the second transport path by connecting a paper feed port to which the sheet is sent out during paper feeding to the second transport path;
A drawer accommodating portion capable of taking a drawn state drawn from a position in the paper feed enabled state until a position where the connection of the paper feed port to the second transport path is released;
The transfer control unit
When there is a drawer state accommodating part that is the drawer accommodating part that is in the drawer state below the remaining sheet in the direction of gravity,
Among the plurality of second conveyance units, the second conveyance unit corresponding to the sheet storage unit that is not in the pulled-out state, and further, the second conveyance path and the first conveyance path The second transport unit, whose connection position is an intermediate position below the remaining sheet and above the pulled-out state storage unit in the direction of gravity, is an intermediate transport unit,
A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the closing control is performed by the intermediate conveying unit. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A plurality of combinations of the sheet storage unit, the second transport path, and the second transport unit;
At least one of the plurality of second transport units is
Having a pull-out portion that can be pulled out in a direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction in the second conveyance path;
A transportable state in which the drawer unit is not pulled out and a sheet fed from the sheet storage unit can be transported to the first transport path;
A drawer transport section in which the drawer section can take a pulled-out state drawn from a position in the transportable state;
The transfer control unit
When there is a drawer state transport unit that is the drawer transport unit in the pull out state below the remaining sheet in the direction of gravity,
Among the plurality of second transport units, the second transport unit that is not in the pulled-out state, and the connection position of the second transport route with the first transport route is in the direction of gravity. The second transport unit, which is an intermediate position below the remaining sheet and above the pulled-out state transport unit, is an intermediate transport unit,
A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the closing control is performed by the intermediate conveying unit. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The transfer control unit
When there are a plurality of intermediate transport sections,
A determination is made as to whether or not there is a stop-time transport unit that was transporting a sheet during the remaining stop among the plurality of intermediate transport units;
When there is the stop-time transport unit, the stop-time transport unit performs the closing control to transport the sheet that was being transported to the closing position to the closing position.
When there is no conveyance unit at the time of stop, the closing unit causes one of the plurality of intermediate conveyance units to feed a sheet from the sheet storage unit and convey the fed sheet to the closing position. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized by being controlled. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The transfer control unit
When there are a plurality of intermediate transport sections,
A determination is made as to whether or not there is a stop-time transport unit that was transporting a sheet during the remaining stop among the plurality of intermediate transport units;
When there is the stop-time transport unit, the closing control for causing the intermediate transport unit other than the stop-time transport unit to feed a sheet from the sheet storage unit and transport the fed sheet to the closing position. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the sheet conveying apparatus is provided. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
A sheet detection output unit that detects and outputs the presence or absence of a sheet on at least one of the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path;
The transfer control unit
When performing the closing control for feeding a sheet from the sheet storage unit, the closing position is
A detectable range, which is a range of sheet positions where the sheet can be detected by the sheet detection output unit;
The sheet in the detected blockage range where the sheet related to the blockage control overlaps the blockage range that is the range of the position of the sheet that can block the lower side of the first conveyance path in the gravity direction than the remaining sheet. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the distance from the accommodating portion is the shortest. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
On at least one of the first transport path and the second transport path,
It can detect and output the presence of a sheet,
A sheet detection output unit that does not detect the presence / absence of a sheet during a predetermined non-detection time after the sheet feeding operation is performed;
The transfer control unit
When performing the closing control for feeding a sheet from the sheet storage unit, the closing position is
After the remaining stop, the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet related to the closing control whose conveyance is resumed together with the paper feeding operation does not pass the detection position of the sheet detection output unit before the non-detection time elapses, A restart detection range which is a range of positions passing through the detection position after the non-detection time has elapsed;
The sheet storage unit in a range where a sheet that is closed by the sheet related to the block control overlaps a block range that is a range of the position of the sheet that can block the lower side of the first conveyance path in the gravity direction than the remaining sheet. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the distance from the sheet is the shortest position. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The transfer control unit
When there are a plurality of the intermediate transport units, the blockage control is performed on the intermediate transport unit related to the second transport path in which the connection position is located on the uppermost side in the gravity direction among the plurality of intermediate transport units. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized in that the sheet conveying apparatus is provided. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The transfer control unit
When there are a plurality of intermediate conveyance sections, the closing control is performed by the intermediate conveyance section related to the sheet accommodating section that accommodates the thickest sheet among the plurality of intermediate conveyance sections. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized by the above. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9,
The transfer control unit
Even when it is determined that the remaining stop is present, the closing control is not performed when the pulled-out unit does not exist below the gravity direction of the remaining sheet. Conveying device. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 10,
The first conveying unit conveys the sheet by rotating while nipping the sheet from the front and back during conveyance of the sheet, and the user can perform a release operation to release the nipping.
The transfer control unit
The blockage control is performed when the pulled-out unit exists below the remaining sheet in the gravity direction before the release operation is performed by the user after it is determined that the remaining stop is performed. A sheet conveying apparatus. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 10,
The first conveying unit conveys the sheet by rotating while nipping the sheet from the front and back during conveyance of the sheet, and the user can perform a release operation to release the nipping.
The transfer control unit
The blockage control is performed when the release operation is performed by the user in a state in which the unit in the pulled-out state exists below the remaining sheet in the gravity direction after it is determined that the remaining stop is performed. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized by the above. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the conveyance control unit is configured such that the closing position is such that the leading edge of the sheet related to the blocking control is located upstream of the trailing edge of the remaining sheet. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A conveyance failure output unit for detecting and outputting a conveyance failure of a sheet being conveyed on at least one of the first conveyance route and the second conveyance route;
The transfer control unit
When the conveyance failure output unit outputs the conveyance failure, the conveyance by the first conveyance unit is stopped, and when the sheet exists in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop, the remaining stop is performed. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized by the above. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A door capable of taking a closed state in which the inside of the path that is at least part of the first transport path and the second transport path is partitioned from the outside of the apparatus, or an open state in which the inside of the path is opened to the outside of the apparatus; ,
A door state output unit for detecting and outputting the opening state when the door is changed from the closed state to the open state;
The transfer control unit
When the door state output unit outputs that it is in the open state, the conveyance by the first conveyance unit is stopped, and when there is a sheet in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop, A sheet conveying apparatus, characterized in that it is determined to be a residual stop. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
It has a device abnormality output unit that detects and outputs the abnormal state of the device,
The transfer control unit
When the apparatus abnormal output unit outputs the abnormal state, the conveyance by the first conveyance unit is stopped, and the remaining stop is performed when a sheet is present in the first conveyance path at the time of the stop. A sheet conveying apparatus characterized by the above. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 ,
Provided on the first conveying path of the sheet conveying apparatus to form a toner image;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet by transferring a toner image formed on the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path.

Images