JP6657628B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printing machine, a facsimile, a plotter, or the like, a technique for controlling the operation of a member constituting a paper discharge unit from which a recording medium is discharged is known. As an example of such a technique, there is a technique in which the inside space of the body is sealed by a shielding cover that covers the paper discharge space, the inside space of the body is cooled by an exhaust fan, and the shielding cover is automatically opened and closed at the end of a job (for example, see Patent Reference 1)).

  In an image forming apparatus that automatically opens and closes the cover that covers the paper discharge unit according to the printing situation, the operation space of the paper discharge unit is narrow due to the large size of the paper discharge type inside the cylinder, and the cover is opened and closed. There is a problem that it is difficult to take out the discharged paper sheet only by performing the operation. Further, there is a problem that the opening and closing operation of the cover is considered only after the image forming operation is completed and when the image forming operation is started. For this reason, the use of an apparatus in which the cover is opened without taking out the discharged sheet until the next image formation is performed, and the cover is closed when the next time image formation is performed even if the user wants to take out the discharged sheet. There was a problem that efficiency was poor.

Therefore, in addition to a cover that shields sound and odor from the paper discharge unit, a technique has been proposed in which a paper discharge tray can be drawn out to improve the discharge of paper from the inside of the apparatus. However, in this technique, the moving amount of the paper discharge tray is fixed, and the moving amount cannot be changed depending on the paper discharge size or the size or preference of the hand which differs for each user, and there is a problem that the usability is poor. . In addition, the operating condition for pulling out the paper discharge tray depends on the paper discharge size and the manual switch, and it is not easy to use because the usage method does not depend on the paper discharge size and cannot be used in accordance with the preference and environment different for each user. There was a problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that solves the above-mentioned problems, can set the moving amount and operating conditions of a paper discharge tray, can improve the paper discharge take-out property, and has good soundproofing and deodorization. And

The present invention is disposed inside an opening provided in the apparatus main body, and is located inside the opening and discharged from the sheet after image formation and positioned outside the opening and placed. A movable discharge tray that selectively occupies a forward position where the sheet is taken out, an openable discharge cover that selectively occupies a closed position that covers the opening, and an open position that opens the opening. A first state in which the discharge cover occupies the closed position and the discharge tray occupies the discharge position, and a first state in which the discharge cover occupies the closed position. A second state in which the discharge tray occupies the discharge position and the discharge tray occupies the discharge position, and a third state in which the discharge cover occupies the open position and the discharge tray occupies the forward position. Take one of the states , When said to shift to the second from the state the third state, the a discharge tray can arbitrarily set the amount of movement to the advanced position from said sheet ejection position, said object detection means When detecting foreign matter, stopping the opening / closing operation of the discharge cover, the measuring means measuring the elapsed time after the foreign matter detecting means detects foreign matter and stops the opening / closing operation of the discharge cover , When the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, an operation before detecting the foreign matter is performed .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus which can enhance the sheet takeout property in the third state, and which has low noise, low odor, good sheet takeout property, and excellent usability.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. (A) Appearance perspective view of an image forming apparatus showing a state in which a discharge front cover and a discharge left cover are open to which the embodiment of the present invention can be applied, and (b) a discharge tray pulled out from an in-body discharge portion. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus having only a pre-discharge cover to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. (A) Appearance perspective view of an image forming apparatus showing a state in which a cover before discharge is open to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied, and (b) Image formation showing a state in which a discharge tray is pulled out from an in-body discharge unit. It is an external appearance perspective view of an apparatus. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional relationship in a control system of an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an in-body paper discharge unit used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an in-body paper discharge unit used in one embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side of the apparatus. FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of a paper discharge tray viewed from a sheet mounting surface side used in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a paper discharge frame used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of a pre-discharge cover and a discharge tray during an opening / closing operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. 12A is a schematic view showing the positions of the pre-discharge cover and the discharge tray in the state 1 in FIG. 12 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12B is a schematic view showing the pre-discharge cover and the discharge tray in the state 2 in FIG. (C) is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the pre-discharge cover and the discharge tray in state 3 of FIG. 12. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an opening / closing mechanism of a left discharge sheet cover used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of a left discharge cover and a discharge tray during an opening / closing operation according to the embodiment of the present invention. 12A is a schematic view showing the positions of a left discharge cover and a discharge tray in a state 1 of FIG. 12 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12B shows a state in which the discharge tray is moved from the home position to the rear side of the apparatus. FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the paper discharge tray has moved from the rear side of the apparatus to the front side of the apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an open / close switch used in an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at the time of continuous printing for continuously forming an image on a plurality of sheets according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a paper discharge unit process at the start of printing according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in print output processing for each page according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a paper ejection unit process at the time of printing completion according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a process when the open / close switch is pressed according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation in a discharge cover opening process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation in a discharge cover closing process according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operations in a paper discharge unit process at the end of printing and a process at the time of pressing an open / close switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a transition processing operation to a third state according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a moving amount of a discharge tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the movement amount determination processing in the second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of selecting a moving amount of a discharge tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a limit value of a discharge tray moving amount according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a paper discharge tray according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the content of (a) determination of the presence or absence of the movement operation of the paper discharge tray in the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) whether or not the movement operation is performed. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the (a) determination of the presence or absence of the movement operation of the discharge tray in the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and (b) the presence or absence of the movement operation. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the (a) determination of the presence or absence of the movement operation of the paper discharge tray in the eighth embodiment of the present invention, and the (b) determination of the presence or absence of the movement operation. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which another embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional relationship in a control system of an image forming apparatus to which another embodiment of the present invention can be applied. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a paper discharge unit process at the start of printing according to another embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a paper ejection unit process at the time of printing completion according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows operation at the time of foreign object detection in a 9th embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows operation at the time of foreign object detection in a 10th embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows operation at the time of foreign substance detection in an 11th embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows operation at the time of foreign substance detection in a 12th embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. The image forming apparatus 100 has an image forming unit 20 inside the apparatus main body 10. An automatic document feeder 40 and a scanner 30 are provided above the apparatus main body 10. The automatic document feeder 40 separates documents one by one from the document bundle placed on the document tray 40 a and transports the documents to the scanner 30. The scanner 30 reads an image of the conveyed document. The image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and the present invention is also applicable to an ink jet type image forming apparatus.

  The image forming unit 20 includes a photoconductor 21, a charging device 22 having a charging roller, a writing device 23, a developing device 24, a toner replenishing device 25, a transfer roller 26, a cleaning device 27, a static eliminator, a fixing device 28, and the like. I have. The fixing device 28 has a heating roller 28a and a pressure roller 28b pressed against each other. The heating roller 28a includes a fixing lamp 28c including a halogen lamp or the like as a heat source.

  A paper feed tray 13 having a paper feed roller 14 and containing small-sized paper P and a paper feed tray 16 having a paper feed roller 14 and containing large-sized paper P1 are provided at a lower portion of the apparatus main body 10. Have been. In the apparatus body 10, a paper transport path R1 for transporting the paper P or the paper P1 from the paper feed tray 13 to a paper output tray 67 provided above is formed. A registration roller pair 18 is provided in the paper transport path R1 on the way from the paper feed tray 13 to the photoconductor 21, and a discharge roller pair 19 is provided near the exit of the paper transport path R1.

  In the image forming unit 20, the photoconductor 21 rotates, and the surface of the photoconductor 21 is uniformly charged by the charging device 22. Then, based on the image data input from the outside and the image data of the document read by the scanner 30, the writing device 23 irradiates a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 21. Then, toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 24 to form a visible image, and a toner image is formed on the photoconductor 21.

  On the other hand, the paper P or the paper P1 is separated and fed one by one from the paper feed tray 13 or the paper feed tray 16 by the paper feed roller 14, and the fed paper P or the paper P1 is temporarily stopped at the registration roller pair 18. You. Then, the registration roller pair 18 is driven to rotate in accordance with the toner image forming timing of the image forming unit 20, and the sheet P or the sheet P1 is fed toward the transfer unit where the photoconductor 21 and the transfer roller 26 face each other. In the transfer section, the toner image on the photoconductor 21 is transferred to the paper P or the paper P1 by a transfer electric field formed between the photoconductor 21 and the transfer roller 26. The paper P or the paper P1 to which the toner image has been transferred is fixed on the toner image by heat and pressure in the fixing device 28, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 67 via the discharge roller pair 19. The image forming apparatus 100 employs a center reference system that discharges the sheet P or the sheet P1 onto the sheet discharge tray 67 based on the center in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction regardless of the size of the sheet P or the sheet P1 to be used. Has adopted. After the transfer of the toner image, the cleaning device 27 removes residual toner from the surface of the photoreceptor 21, and then the charge is removed by the charge removing device to prepare for the next image formation.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the image forming apparatus 100, FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which a front discharge cover 61 and a left discharge cover 62 are opened, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which a paper tray 67 is pulled out from an in-body paper discharge unit 60 to the outside. An in-body paper discharge unit 60 is provided between the scanner 30 and the image forming unit 20 of the apparatus main body 10. The in-body paper discharge unit 60 is surrounded by upper and lower walls, and a left side wall portion of the apparatus that is downstream in the paper discharge direction when the paper P or the paper P1 is discharged from the inside of the apparatus main body 10 to the paper discharge tray 67; The device front side wall in a direction perpendicular to the direction is open. Further, the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is provided with a paper discharge front cover 61 and a paper discharge left cover 62 that open and close the opening so as to maintain high internal confidentiality. Each of the covers 61 and 62 has a base end rotatably attached to the apparatus main body 10.

  An operation panel 64 and an open / close switch 63 operated by the user to open and close the covers 61 and 62 arbitrarily are provided on a side surface of the scanner 30 located above the pre-discharge cover 61. Further, a control section 500 provided in the apparatus main body 10 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100, including controlling the opening and closing operations of the covers 61, 62 and the like. In the present embodiment, the discharge tray 67 is provided in the in-body discharge unit 60, but the discharge tray 67 may be provided in a discharge unit other than the in-body discharge unit.

  4 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 provided with only the pre-discharge cover 61, FIG. 5A is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 with the pre-discharge cover 61 opened, and FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 in which a paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from an internal paper discharge unit 60 to the outside. In the image forming apparatus 100, only the apparatus front side wall of the internal paper discharge unit 60 is open, and only the pre-discharge cover 61 is provided.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. In the figure, the control unit 500 includes an engine main board 300, an engine sub board 200, and a PSU 250. The engine main board 300 and the engine sub board 200 are communicably connected to each other. The controller 400 performs interface control with the outside and image processing of data input from the outside. The controller 400 is communicably connected to the engine main board 300 via a PCI path. In order to realize operations such as image formation and adjustment in the image forming apparatus 100, control of each unit provided in the image forming apparatus 100 is performed by a control program stored in a memory of the engine main board 300.

  The engine main board 300 includes a CPU 301, a FROM 302, an NVRAM 303, a timer 304, and the like. The engine sub-board 200 controls loads on the drive motor 70, the polygon motor 220, the paper ejection detection sensor 79, the clutch 260, and the like. The PSU 250 controls power and power.

  The engine sub board 200 is connected with a memory chip 210, a polygon motor 220, a synchronization detector 230, a thermistor 240, an operation panel 64, a clutch 260, an open / close switch 63, an exhaust fan 69, and the like. The polygon motor 220 is for driving the polygon mirror device 23a. The synchronization detector 230 synchronizes the rotation timing of the photoconductor 21 with the light irradiation timing of the writing device (LSU) 23. The engine sub-board 200 is connected to a PSU 250 that is a power supply source, and the PSU 250 supplies power to a fixing lamp 28 c that is a heat source of the fixing device 28. The engine main board 300 is connected to the LD boards 310, a cooling fan 320 for cooling the engine main board 300, and a high-pressure supply unit 330 for supplying high pressure to the image forming unit 20.

  The controller 400 is connected to an HDD (hard disk drive) 410, an NVRAM 4240, an SD card 430, and a DIMM (dual in-line memory module) 450. The controller 400 is further connected to an IEEE1284 interface 460, an IEEE1394 interface 470, an IEEE802.11b interface 480, and a Bluetooth (registered trademark) 490.

  The control of the covers 61 and 62 and the discharge tray 67 in the image forming apparatus 100 causes the CPU 301 to execute a control program stored in the FROM 302 arranged on the engine main board 300. The control is realized by controlling the drive motor 70 and the like connected to the engine sub board 200 from the engine main board 300 via the engine sub board 200. In order to detect the paper P or the paper P1 in the internal paper discharge unit 60, a paper discharge detection sensor 79 connected to the engine sub board 200 is controlled. Various settings and the like by the user are stored in the NVRAM 303 disposed on the engine main board 300, and the settings are stored even when the power is turned off.

  The functional relationship of the control system in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In response to a print request from a user received from the operation panel 46 serving as the print receiving unit 1, an image is formed on the sheet P or the sheet P 1 by the image forming unit 20 serving as the print output unit 2, and is discharged to the in-body discharge unit 60. . Each cover 61, 62 is controlled by a discharge tray drive unit 65, which is a discharge tray loading / unloading unit 5 and a discharge cover opening / closing unit 6, according to the exhaust state of the internal discharge unit 60 and the operation state of the image forming unit 20. Open / close control and movement control of the paper discharge tray 67 are performed. The exhaust state in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is detected by the in-machine exhaust state detection unit 3.

  When printing is completed, the covers 61 and 62 are opened, and the paper output tray 67 is pulled out, that is, in a state of waiting for the paper P or the paper P1 to be taken out, the detection result of the paper output tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7 and the like indicate The following control can be performed. Note that the paper ejection detection sensor 79 functions as the paper ejection tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7. That is, reference is made to the storage information stored in the removal waiting control storage means 8, such as “removal waiting control combination information 8A”, “removal waiting control priority information 8B”, and “tray extraction constant time information 8C” set by the user. Then, in accordance with the contents of the referred storage information, the opening and closing control of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement control of the sheet discharge tray 67 are executed. Further, there is a case where the printing operation by the print output unit 2 is suspended by the print suspension unit 4 without performing the opening / closing control of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement control of the paper discharge tray 67. At this time, the print holding unit 4 holds the reception of a print instruction from the operation panel 64 as the print receiving unit 1 or holds the image forming operation by the image forming unit 20 as the print output unit 2.

  The paper ejection tray loading / unloading means 5 further includes a size calculation movement amount 9A automatically calculated according to the output paper size, a fixed size movement amount 9B previously selected from predetermined options based on the size classification threshold, and a user adjustable for each user. The adjustment movement amount 9C is determined. Further, the paper ejection tray loading / unloading means 5 determines a limited maximum movement amount 9D and a size classification threshold value 9E which are the movement direction limit values. These 9A to 9E are respectively determined by the moving-in / out moving amount determining means 9, and the moving-in / out moving amount of the paper discharge tray 67 is determined based on the values of 9A to 9E.

Further, in the paper ejection tray loading / unloading means 5, the paper ejection tray 67 is moved in and out based on the paper feeding tray dependent condition 11A, the operating time zone dependent condition 11B, and the application dependent condition 11C which are the dependent conditions of the paper tray 13 to be used. The presence or absence has been determined. These 11A to 11C are determined by the loading / unloading operation condition determination means 11, respectively, and the presence or absence of the loading / unloading operation of the discharge tray 67 is determined based on the results of 11A to 11C. The determination of the moving distance and the determination of the presence / absence of the moving operation will be described later.

  Further, an operation command from an opening / closing switch 63 which will be described later, which functions as the opening / closing instruction means 12, is input to the paper ejection tray loading / unloading means 5 and the paper ejection cover opening / closing means 6, and each of the covers 61, 62 is operated based on the operation command. It is opened and closed. An output paper size storage means 15 for storing the size of the paper P on which an image is output is connected to the paper output tray loading / unloading means 5 and the paper output cover opening / closing means 6, so that information can be exchanged between them. Have been.

  In order to advance the miniaturization and high-speed output of the image forming apparatus 100, the height of the internal discharge unit 60 is reduced, and the paper P or the paper P1 is transported in a posture in which the short side is parallel to the paper transport direction. It is desirable to use so-called LEF (long edge feed) feed. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100, the paper P or the paper P <b> 1 is transported from the paper feed tray 13 to the internal discharge unit 60 via the image forming unit 20 by LEF feed. However, in this case, the image forming apparatus 100 becomes large in the front-rear direction of the apparatus. For this reason, so-called SEF (short edge feed) feeding is performed in which the paper P is transported in a posture in which the distance from the front of the apparatus to the paper discharge center in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is such that the long side is parallel to the paper transport direction. Will be farther than you would. Accordingly, the length of the scanner 30 located above the in-body discharge unit 60 covering the sheet P or the sheet P1 becomes long, and the paper in the in-body discharge unit 60 when the small-size sheet P is discharged. The visibility and take-out of P deteriorate.

  The size of the mounting surface on which the paper P or the paper P1 is placed, which is the front surface of the paper output tray 67, is A4 when the paper P or the paper P1 is discharged to the paper output tray 67 by LEF feed. Paper P up to the size fits in, and A3 size paper P1 is too large to fit. Specifically, the width of the mounting surface of the discharge tray 67 in the discharge direction from the discharge roller pair 19 to the discharge tray 67 is equal to or longer than the length of the short side of the A4 size sheet P, and the A3 size sheet P1 Is shorter than the length of the short side. On the other hand, the width of the mounting surface of the paper discharge tray 67 in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction is equal to or longer than the length of the long side of the A3 size paper P1.

  8 is a perspective view of the internal discharge unit 60, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the internal discharge unit 60 viewed from the front side of the apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mounting surface viewed from the side of the mounting surface. A paper discharge frame 66 constituting the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is fixed to a housing of the apparatus main body 10. Below the sheet discharge frame 66, a sheet discharge tray driving unit 65 including a drive motor and a reduction gear train, a sheet discharge detection sensor 79 for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet P or the sheet P1 on the sheet discharge tray 67, and the like are provided. I have.

  The paper discharge tray 67 is movable in the conveyance orthogonal direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction and along the paper mounting surface, and abuts one end of the paper P placed on the mounting surface in the conveyance orthogonal direction. Thus, an end fence 68 that regulates one end position of the sheet P or the sheet P1 is provided. The end fence 68 is provided with a vent 68 a for exhausting the air in the paper discharge unit 60 inside the apparatus main body 10, and an exhaust fan 69 is provided at a position corresponding to the vent 68 a of the apparatus main body 10. Are arranged. By operating the exhaust fan 69, the air in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is exhausted to the outside of the apparatus main body 10 through the vent 68a.

  The lower end side of the paper discharge cover 61 is rotatably supported by the paper discharge frame 66, and is constantly urged by a torsion coil spring in a direction in which the cover 61 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10. Similarly, the lower left side of the paper discharge left cover 62 is rotatably supported by the paper discharge frame 66, and is constantly urged in a direction to be closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10 by a link mechanism described later. When the covers 61 and 62 are closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10, the covers 61 and 62 are positioned by abutting against a main body cover constituting the apparatus main body 10, and seal the space in the in-body paper discharge unit 60.

  A slide guide 80 that regulates play in the left and right direction of the apparatus and guides the movement of the discharge tray 67 in the front and rear direction of the apparatus is provided on the back surface of the sheet discharge tray 67. Further, a plurality of slide rails 81 are provided to regulate the position of the paper discharge tray 67 in the vertical direction of the apparatus and to guide the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus. The slide guide 80 and the slide rail 81 are fitted with guide rails 91 provided on the paper discharge frame 66, respectively, and are held by the paper discharge frame 66 so as to be movable only in the front-rear direction of the apparatus.

  A rack gear 82 is provided on the back surface of the paper discharge tray 67, and meshes with a tray drive gear 72 included in a reduction gear train of the paper discharge tray drive unit 65. Then, the driving force from the driving motor 70 is reduced by the idle gear 71 and the tray driving gear 72 included in the reduction gear train, and is transmitted to the rack gear 82 to move the discharge tray 67 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus. By using an internal gear as the gear portion of the idle gear 71 connected to the drive motor 70, it is possible to transmit the drive with lower noise and more reliably. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the drive transmission between the drive motor 70 and the idle gear 71 is performed by friction transmission using a V-belt, a flat belt, a rubber roller, or the like.

  FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the discharge tray 67 as viewed from the back side. As shown in the figure, a guide shaft 76 is integrally fixed near the end of the end fence 68. The guide shaft 76 penetrates through a fitting hole provided in the paper discharge tray 67 with the compression spring 75 interposed therebetween, and is prevented from falling off by an E-ring. The other end of the end fence 68 is provided with a rail-shaped restricting portion 84 for holding and holding the end of the paper discharge tray 67 and restricting the movement of the end fence 68 around the axis of the guide shaft 76. ing. When the discharge tray 67 is located at the home position, the distance between the end fence 68 and the discharge tray 67 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus is A (see FIG. 12). By sliding the end fence 68 along the regulating portion 84, as shown in FIG. 10A, the end fence 68 is moved to a position where the distance between the end fence 68 and the discharge tray 67 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus becomes B. Can be moved.

  Next, the position control of the discharge tray 67 will be described. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the paper discharge frame 66, and FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the paper discharge tray 67 in the opening / closing operation. As shown in FIG. 11, a first position detection sensor 73 and a second position detection sensor 74 for detecting the position of the discharge tray 67 are arranged near the discharge tray drive unit 65 of the discharge frame 66. Has been established. Each of the sensors 73 and 74 is an optical sensor including a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. Light emitted from the light-emitting unit toward the light-receiving unit is blocked by a position detection filler 83 provided on the back surface of the paper discharge tray 67. Or whether the light is received by the light receiving unit without being blocked. Then, as shown in Table 1, the position of the discharge tray 67 is determined based on a combination of the sensors 73 and 74, a change in the state of the discharge tray 67, advance movement information, and the like, and the position of the discharge tray 67 is controlled. . Note that the state change here indicates a change among the states 1, 2, and 3 shown in FIG. Further, the position of the discharge tray 67 may be controlled based only on the combination of the detection results of the sensors 73 and 74.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, the cost is reduced by using two sensors 73 and 74 in order to determine the position of the discharge tray 67, but the number of sensors is not limited to this. For example, in order to determine the position of the discharge tray 67 more accurately, a home position sensor that detects the home position of the discharge tray 67 is added, and the position of the discharge tray 67 is determined using the detection results of the three sensors. It may be configured to determine.

  Next, the opening / closing operation of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the movement of the discharge tray 67 will be described with reference to FIG. In the image forming apparatus 100, when the paper P or the paper P1 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 by the LEF feed, when the length of the paper P in the paper discharge direction is shorter than the width of the paper discharge tray 67 in the paper discharge direction. The pre-discharge cover 61 is opened. FIG. 13A shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 1 in FIG. In state 1 in which the discharge tray 67 is in the home position, that is, the first state in which the discharge position is occupied, the discharge tray 67 is not in contact with the pre-discharge cover 61 and the pre-discharge cover 61 is closed. , Ie occupy the closed position. Further, the end fence 68 abuts on the inner rear surface of the paper discharge unit 60 inside the apparatus, and the distance between the paper discharge tray 67 and the end fence 68 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus is A <B.

  FIG. 13B shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 2 in FIG. When the paper output tray 67 is moved from the home position to the front side of the apparatus by the driving force from the paper output tray drive unit 65, the leading end of the paper output tray 67 abuts above the rotation shaft 92 of the paper output front cover 61, The pre-discharge cover 61 is opened. When the discharge tray 67 moves forward from the home position by a distance D or more, the contact surface 86 provided in the discharge tray 67 and parallel to the sliding direction and the cam-shaped portion 85 of the pre-discharge cover 61 come into contact with each other. Touch As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, the pre-discharge cover 61 occupies the open position where the open angle is the maximum angle α, and is in the second state shown in FIG.

  Here, when the distance A, the distance B, and the distance D satisfy the relationship of D ≧ BA, in the state 2, the pre-discharge cover 61 has the maximum angle α, and the end fence 68 is the internal discharge portion. 60 is maintained at the innermost position. Thus, in the state 2, the pre-discharge cover 61 is open, the paper P can be taken out from the inside discharge unit 60, and the paper P or the paper P1 is continuously placed on the discharge tray 67. , Ie, the paper discharge tray 67 occupies the paper discharge position. Therefore, for example, after the completion of the frequently used A4 size or B5 size job, the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 are set to the state 2, and the opening formed on the front wall of the apparatus as compared with the home position in the state 1. Is brought closer to the paper discharge tray 67.

As a result, the paper P or the paper discharged onto the paper output tray 67 is smaller than in the state 1 where the paper output tray 67 is located at the home position on the inner side of the internal paper output unit 60 than in the state 2. The visibility and take-out property of P1 can be improved. Further, by closing the pre-discharge cover 61 during printing, noise reduction and odor reduction can be achieved. When the paper is taken out, the pre-discharge cover 61 is opened, and the paper discharge tray 67 is located at the position of the state 2, so that the visibility of the paper P and the take-out property are improved, and the next job is continued without stopping. Then, the paper P can be discharged onto the discharge tray 67. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 100 having high appliance properties.

  FIG. 13C shows the positions of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 in state 3 in FIG. When the discharge tray 67 is further moved forward from the state 2, the discharge tray 67 reaches a preset advance position where the tray is fully opened as shown in FIG. Above the distance D from the home position, the opening angle of the pre-discharge cover 61 is constant at the maximum angle α regardless of the movement amount of the discharge tray 67, Only the exposure amount changes, and the discharge tray 67 stops at the forward position. Thus, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the pre-discharge cover 61 occupies the open position, and the discharge tray 67 occupies the forward position where the sheet P can be easily taken out, and the third state shown in FIG. State 3 is reached.

  For example, after the print job of small-size paper such as a postcard is completed, the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 are displaced from the state 1 to the state 3. Thereby, the visibility and removal property of the paper P on the paper output tray 67 are higher than when the paper output tray 67 is located at the home position on the back side of the internal paper output unit 60 with respect to the state 3. Can be improved. Further, by closing the pre-discharge cover 61 during printing, noise reduction and odor reduction can be achieved. By opening the pre-discharge cover 61 and setting the discharge tray 67 to state 3 at the time of taking out the paper, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 100 in which the visibility and the take-out property of the small-sized paper P are improved. Further, when the small-sized paper P is taken out from the paper output tray 67, even if the paper P is pushed into the inner side of the inner paper discharge unit 60, the paper P is stopped at a fixed position by the end fence 68. There is no getting stuck.

  On the other hand, when the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge tray 67 are displaced from the state 3 to the state 1 in FIG. 12, the discharge tray driving unit 65 moves the discharge tray 67 from the tray fully open position toward the home position. Further, with the movement of the discharge tray 67, the pre-discharge cover 61 is rotated with respect to the apparatus main body 10 by the urging force from the torsion coil spring, and the pre-discharge cover 61 is closed. .

  FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an opening / closing mechanism of the discharge left cover 62, and FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the discharge left cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 in the opening / closing operation. As shown in Table 1, the position of the discharge tray 67 is determined based on a combination of the detection results of the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74, a change in the state of the discharge tray 67, advance movement information, and the like. Then, the position of the discharge tray 67 is controlled.

  FIG. 16A shows the positions of the discharge left cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 in the state 1 in FIG. First, in the state 1 in which the paper discharge tray 67 is at the home position, the paper discharge left cover 62 is driven by the paper discharge left cover pressing spring 78 via the left cover urging member 77 and the hook portion 88 below the rotation shaft 93. Has been energized. Therefore, the discharge left cover 62 maintains the closed state.

  When the discharge tray 67 is moved rearward from the home position by the discharge tray drive unit 65, the left cover urging member is provided by the left cam-shaped portion 87 provided on the discharge tray 67 as shown in FIG. 77 moves toward the right side of the apparatus. Then, the paper discharge left cover 62 is rotated in the opening direction about the rotation shaft 93 with respect to the apparatus main body 10 until the hook portion 88 comes off the left cover urging member 77. As a result, the initial speed in the opening direction is given to the discharge left cover 62, and the center of gravity of the discharge left cover 62 is positioned outside the apparatus with respect to the rotation shaft 93. Reference numeral 62 opens to the maximum opening angle β, and is held by its own weight, and becomes the state 4 in FIG.

  When the paper output tray 67 is moved to the front side from the state 4 in FIG. 15 in which the paper output tray 67 is retracted by the paper output tray driving section 65, the left cover urging member 77 is moved to the hook 88 as shown in FIG. The sheet discharge left cover 62 comes into contact with a position for urging in the opening direction. As a result, the open state of the discharge left cover 62 is maintained. The opening operation of the discharge left cover 62 is performed by the discharge tray drive unit 65 when it detects that a job using a long sheet P1 such as A3 size that cannot be accommodated in the discharge tray 67 is entered. The left cover 62 is automatically opened and displaced from state 1 to state 4 in FIG. This is because the A3 size paper P1 is discharged to the paper output tray 67 by SEF feed, so that the length of the paper P1 in the paper output direction is smaller than the width of the paper output tray 67 in the paper output direction to the paper output tray 67. become longer. For this reason, the sheet P1 of A3 size cannot be discharged onto the discharge tray 67 when the discharge left cover 62 is closed. Further, when the discharge left cover 62 is opened, the discharge left cover 62 functions as an extension tray, so that the A3 size paper P1 can be stacked and stored on the discharge tray 67 and the discharge left cover 62. it can. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 100 capable of stacking the long size paper P1 such as the A3 size while being small, while closing the discharge left cover 62 during printing to reduce noise and odor.

  On the other hand, when the discharge left cover 62 and the discharge tray 67 are displaced from the state 4 to the state 1 in FIG. 15, the discharge tray 67 is moved toward the home position by the discharge tray driving unit 65. Further, with the movement of the paper discharge tray 67, the hook portion 88 is urged by the left cover urging member 77 by the urging force of the paper discharge left cover pressing spring 78, and the paper discharge left cover 62 rotates by its own weight in the closing direction, and the discharge left cover 62 is closed. Further, in the present embodiment, each of the covers 61 and 62 is opened and closed by a driving force from a driving motor 70 which is a single driving source provided in the discharge tray driving unit 65. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which the covers 61 and 62 are opened and closed by individual drive motors.

  Next, the open / close switch 63 will be described with reference to FIG. In the image forming apparatus 100, the opening / closing operation of the discharge tray 67 and the pre-discharge cover 61 is not only set to be performed in conjunction with the print job, but also can be performed by pressing the open / close switch 63. It is composed. Thus, the user can take out the paper P discharged to the internal discharge unit 60 at any time regardless of the print job, and the convenience is improved.

  The open / close switch 63 formed of a transparent resin is provided on the outer wall surface 101 adjacent to the paper ejection front cover 61 located on the front side of the apparatus main body 10, and an LED 63a is provided therein. By blinking the open / close switch 63 by the LED 63a, it is possible to notify the user of the apparatus state and to urge the user to press the open / close switch 63. The open / close switch 63 is provided so as to straddle a ridgeline between the front side of the apparatus and the left side of the apparatus. Therefore, the user can visually observe the blinking of the open / close switch 63 from the 270 ° azimuth except for the rear left side of the apparatus, and can greatly improve the degree of freedom in the installation direction of the image forming apparatus 100.

  FIG. 18 shows a flowchart of print processing control at the time of continuous printing in which images are continuously formed on a plurality of sheets of paper P. When the printing process is started, first, a paper discharge unit process at the start of printing is executed (S1). FIG. 19 shows an operation performed in the paper discharge unit process at the start of printing. This paper discharge unit process at the start of printing is performed so that printing is performed in a low noise and low odor state.

  As shown in FIG. 19, when the paper discharge unit process at the start of printing is started, first, it is determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the inside paper discharge unit 60 to the outside (S11). If the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out, the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically drawn into the in-body paper discharge unit 60 (S12). Next, it is determined whether the discharge cover is open (S13). If the paper discharge cover is open, the paper discharge cover is automatically closed (S14), and the paper discharge unit process at the start of printing ends. By the paper discharge unit process at the start of printing, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 pulls the paper discharge tray 67 into the in-body paper discharge unit 60 and closes the covers 61 and 62. .

In FIG. 18, after the end of the paper discharge process at the start of printing, a print output process is executed for each page (S2). FIG. 20 shows an operation executed in the print output process for each page. As shown in FIG. 20, when the print output process for each page is started, an image data generating process (S21), a paper feeding process (S22), an image forming process (S23) , a transfer process (S24), and a fixing process ( S25), the print output process for each page is completed through the paper discharging process (S26).

  In FIG. 18, after the print output process for each page is completed, it is determined whether or not print output of all pages is completed (S3). If the print output of all pages is not completed, the print output process for each page is repeated until the print output of all pages is completed. On the other hand, when the printout of all pages is completed, the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is executed (S4). FIG. 21 shows an operation executed in the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing, which is performed so that the user can easily take out the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 in the internal paper discharge unit 60. It is something to be done.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the paper discharge cover is automatically opened (S31) to expose the in-body paper discharge unit 60. Thereafter, the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the inside paper discharge unit 60 to the outside (S32), and when the printing is completed, the paper discharge unit process ends and a series of printing processes ends. As shown in FIG. 3B, the image forming apparatus 100 is in a state where the covers 61 and 62 are opened and the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the inside paper discharge unit 60 by the paper discharge unit processing at the end of printing. Becomes In a configuration in which the paper output cover and the paper output tray 67 are linked, the opening / closing operation of the paper output cover and the movement of the paper output tray 67 are performed in the paper output unit process at the start of printing and the paper output unit process at the end of printing. It is performed with two controls.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed in the processing when the open / close switch is pressed. In the image forming apparatus 100, when the user presses the open / close switch 63, it is possible to open / close the covers 61 and 62 serving as the paper discharge covers and move the paper discharge tray 67. In the open / close switch pressing process shown in FIG. 22, when the open / close switch 63 is pressed by the user (S41), it is determined whether or not the discharge cover is closed (S42). If the paper discharge cover is closed, a paper discharge cover opening process is executed (S43).

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed in the discharge cover opening process. In this paper ejection cover opening process, the paper ejection cover is automatically opened (S51) to expose the in-body paper ejection unit 60. Thereafter, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled out from the inside of the in-body discharge unit 60 to the outside (S52), and the discharge cover opening process ends. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3B, the image forming apparatus 100 is in a state where the respective covers 61 and 62 are opened and the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the inside paper discharge unit 60.

  On the other hand, if the user presses the open / close switch 63 (YES in S41) and the sheet ejection cover is open (NO in S42), the sheet ejection cover closing process is executed (S44). FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed in the discharge cover closing process. In the discharge cover closing process, the discharge tray 67 is automatically pulled into the in-body discharge unit 60 (S61), the discharge cover is automatically closed (S62), and the discharge cover closing process ends. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 is in a state where the discharge tray 67 is drawn into the in-body discharge unit 60 and the covers 61 and 62 are closed. When the discharge cover open processing or the discharge cover close processing ends, the open / close switch pressing processing ends.

  As described above, in the configuration in which the covers 61 and 62 and the paper output tray 67 are linked, the opening and closing operations of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement of the paper output tray 67 in the paper output cover opening process and the paper output cover closing process. Is performed by one control. As described above, in the image forming apparatus 100, the opening and closing operation of each of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement of the discharge tray 67 can be performed according to the user's request. This makes it possible to provide an image forming apparatus with low noise and low odor and excellent usability.

  FIG. 25 illustrates a first embodiment of the operation of determining the movement amount of the discharge tray 67 from the discharge position to the forward position when transitioning from the state 1 to the state 3 described above. In FIG. 25 (a), the transition process to the state 3 is performed after the printing-end paper output unit process shown in FIG. 21 is started (S71), and in FIG. 25 (b), the open / close switch shown in FIG. 22 is pressed. After the time process is started, a transition process to state 3 is performed (S72). FIG. 26 shows the contents of the transition processing to state 3. In this case, after a transition from the home position 1 to the state 2 in which the discharge cover occupies the open position (S81), the moving amount of the discharge tray 67 is determined (S82). Then, the discharge tray 67 is moved to the forward position based on the determined movement amount (S83), and the transition processing to the state 3 is completed. In the first embodiment, the movement amount of the discharge tray 67 is determined when the state changes from the state 2 to the state 3, but the movement amount is determined at any time before the movement of the discharge tray 67. May be performed.

  In the first embodiment, the moving amount of the discharge tray 67 is determined by the user pressing a ten-key, a direction key, an enter key, etc. (not shown) provided on the operation panel 64, and the determined moving amount is determined. Is stored in the control unit 500. When the discharge tray 67 moves from the discharge position to the forward position, an operation command is sent from the control unit 500 to the discharge tray driving unit 65, and the discharge tray 67 moves by the set movement amount. I do. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the ease of taking out the sheet P or the sheet P1 in the state 3, and it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is excellent in usability, has low noise, low odor, good sheet taking out property.

  FIG. 27 shows a process for determining the movement amount of the paper discharge tray 67 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the moving amount according to the sheet P used, that is, the output sheet size is automatically calculated (S91). The extent to which the paper discharge tray 67 should be moved when the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67 is taken out varies depending on the size of the output paper. As the output paper is smaller, the user's hand needs to be inserted deeper into the inner paper discharge unit 60. Therefore, if the displacement of the paper discharge tray 67 is insufficient, it becomes difficult to take out the output paper. Therefore, it is preferable that the smaller the output paper size is, the larger the movement amount of the discharge tray 67 is.

  As described above, it is effective to automatically determine the moving amount of the discharge tray 67 based on the output paper size in order to solve the problem that it is difficult to take out the output paper depending on the size of the output paper. The automatic calculation of the moving amount according to the specific output paper size can be represented by a relational expression of moving amount M = required spatial distance U after moving−output paper size X, as shown in FIG. 28 (S92). . However, this expression is merely an example, and the required space distance is a distance of a space required for inserting a user's hand for taking out output paper. The main scanning and sub-scanning sizes of the output paper, the required spatial distance, and the like also vary depending on the paper discharge method to the paper discharge tray 67, the moving direction of the paper discharge tray 67, and the paper loading position in the paper discharge tray 67. According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having good take-out properties, regardless of the size of paper used as output paper.

  FIG. 29 shows a process for determining the movement amount of the paper discharge tray 67 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the moving amount is set according to the output paper size. However, the moving amount is not as detailed as in the second embodiment in which the moving amount is automatically calculated. It differs from the second embodiment in that it is selected from a plurality of preset values. In the third embodiment, the moving amount of the discharge tray 67 is set to four stages of M1, M2, M3, and M4 from the smaller one. However, the moving amount can be set to any number as long as it is two or more stages. According to this configuration, although the required spatial distance varies as compared with the second embodiment, the amount of movement of the discharge tray 67 can be limited by the value of the option. Thereby, in addition to the same operation and effect as the second embodiment, the stop position of the paper discharge tray 67 is reduced, so that the configuration and the control can be simplified, and the stop position of the paper discharge tray 67 can be set in advance. If known, the moving speed can be varied.

  In the second and third embodiments described above, the required spatial distance is affected not only by the device configuration but also by the user's preference, the size of the hand, and the like. Therefore, it is useful to add an adjustment amount having a further variable width to the moving distance of the paper ejection tray 67 automatically calculated or automatically selected as described above. The addition of the adjustment amount is performed by various keys provided on the operation panel 64, similarly to the determination of the movement amount of the discharge tray 67 in the first embodiment. Is stored in the control unit 500. Then, the paper discharge tray 67 is moved by the movement amount to which the adjustment amount is added. With this configuration, it is possible to perform customization by the user, and it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with good sheet takeout properties.

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart for explaining the limit value of the movement amount of the discharge tray 67 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described first to third embodiments, a certain work space is required in the state 3 in which the discharge tray 67 is moved to the forward position. For this reason, depending on the installation environment of the apparatus, there arises a problem that the space of the user standing in front of the apparatus becomes narrow, or the paper discharge tray 67 occupying the forward position comes into contact with the user or the outer wall. There is a fear.

  In order to prevent the above-described problem from occurring, a limit value is provided for the movement amount of the discharge tray 67, and the limit value is arbitrarily variable. Specifically, the process is performed in the same manner as the transition process to the state 3 shown in FIG. 26. After the transition from the home position 1 to the state 2 in which the discharge cover occupies the open position (S81), the discharge is performed. The moving amount of the paper tray 67 is determined (S82). Then, the control unit 500 determines whether the determined movement amount is equal to or less than the limit amount (S84). If the movement amount is equal to or less than the limit amount, the control unit 500 moves the discharge tray 67 to the forward position based on the determined movement amount. Then, the transition process to the state 3 is completed (S83). If the determined movement amount exceeds the limit amount, the control unit 500 automatically changes the movement amount to the limit amount, and proceeds to step S83. With this configuration, the amount of movement of the paper discharge tray 67 can be limited by the user, and the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 can reliably prevent the space from being narrowed or the paper discharge tray 67 from contacting the outer wall. It is possible to further improve the sheet takeout property.

  FIG. 31 shows the operation of the paper discharge tray 67 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, in the state transition of the paper discharge tray 67 after the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67, the operation that normally transitions to the state 1, the state 2, and the state 3 is performed by the state 1, the state 2, and the state 3. The process ends in state 2 and the transition to state 3 can be omitted. In the state 3 in which the discharge tray 67 occupies the forward position, it is easy to take out the paper from the discharge tray 67, but a user who prefers low noise or low odor or a user who does not print on small-size paper It can be said that this is an unnecessary state. Therefore, it is useful if the transition to the state 3 can be invalidated according to the user's request.

  In the fifth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the transition process to the state 3 is performed after the paper ejection unit process at the end of printing is started or the process at the time of pressing the open / close switch is started. In the transition process to state 3, after transition from state 1 which is the home position to state 2 where the discharge cover occupies the open position (S101), it is determined whether or not the discharge tray 67 has moved (S102). ). The control unit 500 determines whether or not the discharge tray 67 has been moved (S103). If there is no movement, the transition process to the state 3 is completed with the state 2 and if there is movement, the discharge is performed. The paper tray 67 moves to the forward position (S104), and the transition process to the state 3 is completed. In the fifth embodiment, the presence or absence of the movement of the discharge tray 67 is determined when transitioning from the state 2 to the state 3. It may be performed at a time.

  The determination as to whether or not the discharge tray 67 has moved in the fifth embodiment is made by the user pressing various keys provided on the operation panel 64. It is memorized. Then, when the discharge tray 67 moves from the discharge position to the forward position, an operation command is sent from the control unit 500 to the discharge tray driving unit 65 to determine whether the discharge tray 67 has moved. . With this configuration, it is possible to select whether or not to make the transition to the state 3 according to the user's request, and it is excellent in both the takeout property of the paper P or the paper P1 and the quietness and low odor. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

  FIG. 32 shows a process of determining whether or not the discharge tray 67 has moved according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the sixth embodiment, whether or not the discharge tray 67 moves is determined according to the paper feed tray to be used (S105), and the movement of the discharge tray 67 is omitted when using large-sized paper that is easy to take out. are doing. In the sixth embodiment, an image forming apparatus having four paper feed trays, each containing a different paper size, is described as an example. However, the number of paper feed trays may be any number as long as it is two or more. According to this configuration, the transition processing to the state 3 can be automatically performed in accordance with the size of the sheets stored in the sheet feed tray to be used. In addition to the same operation and effect as the fifth embodiment, unnecessary processing can be performed. Movement of the paper discharge tray 67 can be prevented, and usability can be improved.

FIG. 33 shows a process for determining whether or not the discharge tray 67 has moved according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the seventh embodiment, the presence or absence of the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is determined according to the operation time period of the apparatus (S106). This is because the user wants to reduce noise and odor during a time when there are many people around him and wants to reduce downtime during a time when printing is performed frequently. Is omitted. In the seventh embodiment, an example in which the operation time of the apparatus in one day is divided into four time zones is described. However, the operation time of the apparatus may be divided into any number as long as it is two or more time zones. According to this configuration, the transition processing to the state 3 can be automatically performed according to the operation time period of the apparatus, and in addition to the same operation and effect as the fifth embodiment, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is suppressed. And the usability can be improved. In the present embodiment, the transition process to the state 3 is automatically performed. However, the transition process to the state 2 may be performed from the viewpoint of noise and odor.

  FIG. 34 shows a process for determining whether or not the discharge tray 67 has moved according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. In the eighth embodiment, the presence or absence of movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is determined according to the type of application used in the apparatus (S107). This is because, in printing in which a user is in front of the apparatus, such as a copying machine, the user recognizes that the output paper has been discharged onto the paper discharge tray 67, and thus transitions to state 3 from the viewpoint of noise and odor. It is desired to disable the operation. However, in printing without a user in front of the apparatus, such as a facsimile or a printer, the user does not recognize that output paper has been discharged onto the paper output tray 67. The user needs to be recognized. In the eighth embodiment, the number of types of applications to be used is described as four, but the number of types of applications to be used may be any number as long as it is two or more. According to this configuration, the transition processing to the state 3 can be automatically performed according to the type of application used by the apparatus, and in addition to the same operation and effect as the fifth embodiment, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 And the usability can be improved. Although the transition process to the state 3 is automatically performed in the present embodiment, the transition process to the state 2 may be performed from the viewpoint of noise and odor.

  As described above, according to the first to eighth embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to enhance the sheet take-out property by setting the sheet discharge tray 67 to the state 3, and to achieve a quiet and low-odor paper take-out property. And an image forming apparatus with excellent usability can be provided. Further, by controlling the amount of movement of the paper discharge tray 67 that moves from state 2 to state 3, an image forming apparatus with improved usability can be provided. Further, by controlling the presence or absence of the transition processing to the state 3, noise and odor can be suppressed, and usability can be further improved.

  In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the control relating to the movement amount of the paper discharge tray 67 has been described, and in the fifth to eighth embodiments, the configuration for controlling whether the paper discharge tray 67 has moved has been described. May be performed in combination with each other. At this time, the setting of the movement amount and the determination of the presence or absence of the operation may be performed in any order regardless of the order.

  In the apparatus including the above-described image forming apparatus 100 that can automatically open and close the paper discharge covers 61 and 62 even when a paper jam occurs, there are the following problems. That is, when the user approaches the paper output unit by trying to take out the paper or watch the appearance, the hand touches the paper cover that opens or closes, causing a failure of the device or the user. Is that your hands are caught. Therefore, an image forming apparatus that can solve such a problem, improve the processing at the time of paper jam, and reduce the occurrence of trouble and the user's hand will be described below.

  FIG. 35 shows an image forming apparatus to which another embodiment of the present invention can be applied. This image forming apparatus 99 is different from image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 only in that control section 499 is provided instead of control section 500, and the other configuration is the same. The control unit 499 has the same configuration as the control unit 500 shown in FIG.

  The functional relationship of the control system in the image forming apparatus 99 will be described with reference to FIG. In response to a print request from a user received from the operation panel 46 serving as the print receiving unit 1, an image is formed on the sheet P or the sheet P 1 by the image forming unit 20 serving as the print output unit 2, and is discharged to the in-body discharge unit 60. . Each cover 61, 62 is controlled by a discharge tray drive unit 65, which is a discharge tray loading / unloading unit 5 and a discharge cover opening / closing unit 6, according to the exhaust state of the internal discharge unit 60 and the operation state of the image forming unit 20. Open / close control and movement control of the paper discharge tray 67 are performed. The exhaust state in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 is detected by the in-machine exhaust state detection unit 3.

  When printing is completed, the covers 61 and 62 are opened, and the paper output tray 67 is pulled out, that is, in a state of waiting for the paper P or the paper P1 to be taken out, the detection result of the paper output tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7 and the like indicate The following control can be performed. Note that the paper ejection detection sensor 79 functions as the paper ejection tray paper presence / absence detecting means 7. That is, reference is made to the storage information stored in the removal waiting control storage means 8, such as “removal waiting control combination information 8A”, “removal waiting control priority information 8B”, and “tray extraction constant time information 8C” set by the user. Then, in accordance with the contents of the referred storage information, the opening and closing control of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement control of the sheet discharge tray 67 are executed. Further, there is a case where the printing operation by the print output unit 2 is suspended by the print suspension unit 4 without performing the opening / closing control of the covers 61 and 62 and the movement control of the paper discharge tray 67. At this time, the print holding unit 4 holds the reception of a print instruction from the operation panel 64 as the print receiving unit 1 or holds the image forming operation by the image forming unit 20 as the print output unit 2.

  The foreign matter detecting means 17 detects whether or not there is any foreign matter near the discharge tray 67 during opening and closing operations of the pre-discharge cover 61 and the discharge left cover 62 which are the discharge covers. The opening / closing operation of the discharge cover is controlled. The first position detection sensor 73, the second position detection sensor 74, and the sheet discharge detection sensor 79 function as foreign matter detection means.

  FIG. 37 shows the contents of a basic printing start discharge unit process of the printing process control in the continuous printing shown in FIG. 18 in the image forming apparatus 99. As shown in FIG. 37, when the paper discharge unit process at the start of printing is started, first, it is determined whether or not the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out from the inside paper discharge unit 60 to the outside (S111). When the paper discharge tray 67 is pulled out, the paper discharge tray 67 is automatically drawn into the in-body paper discharge unit 60 (S112). At this time, when a foreign object is detected by the foreign object detecting means 17 (S113), it is determined whether or not the discharge tray 67 has been pulled in to the discharge position (S114). If the paper discharge tray 67 has not been drawn in to the paper discharge position in step S114, the flow returns to step S112, and the paper discharge tray 67 is drawn in again.

  If the paper discharge tray 67 has not been pulled out of the paper discharge position in step S111 and if the paper discharge tray 67 has been pulled in in step S114, it is determined whether the paper discharge cover 61 (and 62) is open. Is performed (S115). When the paper ejection cover 61 is open, the paper ejection cover 61 is closed (S116). At this time, when foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detecting means 17 (S117), it is determined whether or not the paper ejection cover 61 is closed. It is determined (S118). If the paper output cover 61 is not closed, the process returns to step S116. If the paper output cover 61 is closed, and if it is determined in step S115 that the paper output cover is closed, the paper is discharged at the start of printing. The paper processing is completed.

  FIG. 38 shows the contents of a basic paper ejection unit process at the end of printing in the printing process control in the continuous printing shown in FIG. 18 in the image forming apparatus 99. As shown in FIG. 38, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the paper discharge cover 61 is opened (S121). At this time, when a foreign object is detected by the foreign object detecting means 17 (S122), it is determined whether or not the sheet ejection cover 61 is open (S123). If the discharge cover 61 has not been opened, the process returns to step S121 and the discharge cover 61 is opened again.

  If the paper discharge cover 61 is open in step S123, the paper discharge tray 67 is moved to the forward position (S124). At this time, when a foreign object is detected by the foreign object detecting means 17 (S125), it is determined whether or not the sheet discharge tray 67 has moved to the forward position (S126). If the movement of the discharge tray 67 has not been completed, the process returns to step S124. If it is determined that the movement of the discharge tray 67 has been completed, the discharge unit process at the end of printing is completed.

  In each process shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, if the user approaches his / her hand near the paper output tray 67 during the processing operation, as described above, a failure of the apparatus may be caused or the user may be caught in the hand. Therefore, a means for preventing this is foreign matter detection processing. The foreign object detection processing is specifically performed by the following two methods.

First Method The movement of the discharge tray 67 and the opening and closing of the discharge covers 61 and 62 are performed by tray position control shown in FIG. That is, the position of the position detection filler 83 provided on the paper discharge tray 67 is detected by the first position detection sensor 73 and the second position detection sensor 74 provided on the paper discharge frame 66. Thus, the position of the paper discharge tray 67 is grasped from the combination of the sensors 73 and 74, the state change, and the previous movement information.

  The advance movement information indicates the order and timing at which the detection results of the sensors 73 and 74 change when the discharge tray 67 is moved at a constant speed. In the foreign object detection processing, the order and timing of changes of the sensors 73 and 74 are detected during the operation control of the sheet discharge tray 67, and it is determined whether or not the result is the same as the previous movement information. If they are not the same, it is possible to determine that the operation control of the discharge tray 67 has been hindered by the foreign matter, that is, that there is a foreign matter. For example, the discharge tray 67 starts moving from a state where the sensors 73 and 74 are in a light-shielded state when the discharge tray 67 occupies the discharge position. In a normal state, the first position detection sensor 73 is turned on after a lapse of a predetermined time t1. The light and the second position detection sensor 74 are shielded from light. In this case, if the light-shielding state of each of the sensors 73 and 74 continues even after the time of t1 + α has actually elapsed, it can be determined that the operation control of the discharge tray 67 is hindered by the presence of the foreign matter. Here, α is a detection margin, and an arbitrary value can be set.

Second Method The discharge detection sensor 79 shown in FIG. 8 can detect the presence or absence of a sheet on the discharge tray 67. Therefore, the presence of foreign matter can be determined by detecting whether the output of the paper discharge detection sensor 79 is present → not present or not present → present. For example, if the output of the paper ejection detection sensor 79 changes from presence to absence during the operation control of the paper ejection tray 67, it is determined that the user is trying to remove the paper stacked on the paper ejection tray 67, and foreign matter is determined. It can be determined that the user's hand exists. In addition, when the user puts his hand on the paper output tray 67 on which no paper is loaded, the output of the paper output detection sensor 79 changes from absent to present. it can.

  In addition, a foreign object detection sensor may be provided in a place where the user is likely to come into contact with the sheet non-stacking portion on the sheet discharge tray 67, and a foreign object may be detected from a change in the output of this sensor during operation control of the sheet discharge tray 67. Further, a circuit for detecting the torque of the drive motor 70 for driving the paper discharge tray 67 may be provided, and a foreign substance may be detected from a change in the torque during the operation control of the paper discharge tray 67. At this time, even if the current value supplied to the drive motor 70 is acquired and it is determined whether or not the value has exceeded the threshold, the amount of torque change within a certain time is calculated to determine whether or not the value has exceeded the threshold. It may be determined by Further, a human sensor for detecting whether or not the user is approaching the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 99 may be provided, and a foreign object may be detected from a change in the output of this sensor during the operation control of the discharge tray 67.

FIG. 39 shows the content of the paper discharge unit process at the time of printing end in the image forming apparatus 99 according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 39, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is started (S131). At this time, foreign matter detection is performed by the foreign matter detecting means 17 (S132), and it is determined whether there is a foreign matter (S133). If it is determined that there is a foreign substance, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is stopped (S134), and the paper discharge unit process at the time of printing end is completed. If it is determined in step S133 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether the opening operation of the discharge cover 61 has been completed ( S135 ). If it is determined that the discharge cover 61 has not been opened, the process proceeds to step S133. Returning to S131, the discharge cover 61 is opened again.

If it is determined in step S135 that the discharge cover 61 is open, the discharge tray 67 is moved to the forward position (S136). At this time, foreign object detection is performed by the foreign object detecting means 17 (S137), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign object (S138). If it is determined that there is a foreign substance, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is stopped (S139), and the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing ends. If it is determined in step S138 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether the movement of the discharge tray 67 has been completed (S140). When it is determined that the movement of the discharge tray 67 has not been completed, the process returns to step S136, and the movement of the discharge tray 67 is performed again. When it is determined that the movement of the discharge tray 67 has been completed. At the end of printing, the paper discharge unit process ends.

  According to the ninth embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the paper output cover 61 is stopped when the foreign object detection means 17 detects a foreign object. The operation of the paper cover 61 can be immediately stopped. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a failure of the apparatus that occurs when the paper ejection cover 61 tries to move forcibly, and to prevent the user from being caught with his / her hand. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the failure of the device and the contact of the user with the device, and it is possible to extend the life of the device, suppress maintenance, and improve the usability.

  FIG. 40 shows the content of the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing in the image forming apparatus 99 according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 40, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is started (S141). At this time, foreign matter detection is performed by the foreign matter detecting means 17 (S142), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign matter (S143). If it is determined that there is a foreign object, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is stopped and the closing operation is performed (S144), and it is determined whether the closing operation is completed (S145). If it is determined that the sheet is not closed, the process returns to step S144, and the sheet discharge cover 61 is closed again. If it is determined that the sheet is closed, the sheet discharge unit process at the end of printing ends.

  If it is determined in step S143 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether the opening of the discharge cover 61 has been completed (S146). If it is determined that the release has not been completed, the process returns to step S141 to open the discharge cover 61. If it is determined that the release has been completed, the discharge tray 67 moves from the discharge position to the forward position. It moves (S147). At this time, foreign matter detection is performed by the foreign matter detection means 17 (S148), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign matter (S149). If it is determined that there is a foreign object, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is stopped and the paper is moved from the forward position to the paper discharge position (S150), and it is determined whether the movement is completed (S151). . If it is determined that the movement has not been completed, the process returns to step S150, and the paper discharge tray 67 is moved to the paper discharge position again. Ends. If it is determined in step S149 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether the movement of the discharge tray 67 has been completed (S152). If it is determined that the movement of the discharge tray 67 has not been completed, the process returns to step S147, and the movement of the discharge tray 67 is performed again. If it is determined that the movement of the discharge tray 67 has been completed. At the end of printing, the paper discharge unit process ends.

  According to the tenth embodiment, when the foreign object detection unit 17 detects a foreign object, the paper discharge cover 61 performs an operation reverse to the operation before the detection, so that if there is a foreign object, the operation is hindered by the foreign object. It can be returned to the original state so that it cannot be done. As a result, even if the user's hand comes into contact with the opened or closed paper discharge cover 61 and the user gets caught in the hand, the user moves the paper discharge cover 61 so as to open his / her hand. As a result, the failure of the device can be prevented, and even if the user gets caught in the hand, the device can be immediately released, thereby prolonging the life of the device, suppressing maintenance, and further improving usability. Can be.

  FIG. 41 shows the contents of the paper discharge unit processing at the time of printing termination in the image forming apparatus 99 according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 41, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is started (S161). At this time, foreign object detection is performed by the foreign object detection means 17 (S162), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign object (S163). If it is determined that there is a foreign object, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is stopped (S164), and the elapsed time is measured, and it is determined whether the elapsed time has exceeded a predetermined time, which is a predetermined time (S164). S165). The measurement of the elapsed time is performed by a timer 304 in the control unit 500, and the timer 304 functions as a measuring unit. As the predetermined time, a value previously stored in the FROM 302 or a value input by the user from the operation panel 64 and stored in the NVRAM 303 is used.

  If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined whether or not the opening operation of the discharge cover 61 has been completed (S166). If it is determined that the release operation has not been opened, the process returns to step S161 to return to the discharge cover 61 again. Is performed. If it is determined in step S166 that the opening operation of the discharge cover 61 has been completed, the discharge tray 67 moves from the discharge position to the forward position (S167). At this time, foreign matter detection is performed by the foreign matter detection means 17 (S168), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign matter (S169).

  If it is determined that there is a foreign object, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is stopped (S170), and the elapsed time is measured, and it is determined whether the elapsed time has passed a predetermined time (S171). If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined whether the movement of the discharge tray 67 to the forward position is completed (S172). If it is determined that the movement has not been completed, the process returns to step S167 to move the paper discharge tray 67 to the forward position again. If it is determined that the movement has been completed, the paper discharge processing at the end of printing ends. .

  According to the eleventh embodiment, the operation before detection is performed when a predetermined time has elapsed since the foreign matter detecting means 17 has detected the foreign matter and the discharge cover 61 has stopped. If the load is temporary, the opening / closing operation can be completed without bothering the user. Therefore, when the user notices the foreign substance and evacuates or removes the foreign substance, the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is temporarily stopped, and then the opening / closing operation can be automatically completed. Thereby, the failure of the apparatus can be prevented, and the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 61 can be automatically completed, so that the life of the apparatus can be extended, the maintenance can be suppressed, and the usability can be further improved.

  FIG. 42 shows the content of the paper ejection unit process at the time of printing completion in the image forming apparatus 99 according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 42, when the paper discharge unit process at the end of printing is started, first, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is started (S181). At this time, foreign object detection is performed by the foreign object detection means 17 (S182), and it is determined whether or not there is a foreign object (S183). If it is determined that there is a foreign substance, the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is stopped (S184), and further foreign substance detection is performed by the foreign substance detecting means 17 (S165). Then, it is detected whether or not there is a foreign substance (S186), and this detection is continuously performed until the foreign substance is removed.

  If it is determined in step S183 and step S186 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether or not the opening operation of the discharge cover 61 has been completed (S187). If it is determined that the discharge cover 61 has not been opened, the process returns to step S181 and again. The opening operation of the discharge cover 61 is performed. If it is determined in step S187 that the opening operation of the discharge cover 61 has been completed, the discharge tray 67 moves from the discharge position to the forward position (S188). At this time, foreign matter detection is performed by the foreign matter detection means 17 (S189), and it is determined whether there is a foreign matter (S190). When it is determined that there is a foreign substance, the movement of the paper discharge tray 67 is stopped (S191), and further foreign substance detection is performed by the foreign substance detecting means 17 (S192). Then, it is detected whether or not there is a foreign substance (S193), and this detection is continuously performed until the foreign substance is removed.

  If it is determined in step S190 and step S193 that there is no foreign matter, it is determined whether the movement of the discharge tray 67 to the forward position is completed (S194). If it is determined that the movement has not been completed, the process returns to step S188 to move the paper discharge tray 67 to the forward position again, and if it is determined that the movement has been completed, the paper discharge processing at the end of printing ends. .

According to the twelfth embodiment, the foreign object is detected by the foreign object detection unit 17 after the foreign object detection unit 17 detects the foreign object and the discharge cover 61 stops. The opening and closing operation can be completed without bothering. Therefore, when the user notices the foreign matter and retreats or removes the foreign matter, the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 61 is temporarily stopped, and then the opening / closing operation can be automatically completed. Thereby, the failure of the apparatus can be prevented, and the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 61 can be automatically completed, so that the life of the apparatus can be extended, the maintenance can be suppressed, and the usability can be further improved.
In the ninth to twelfth embodiments described above, examples in which the present invention is applied to the paper discharge unit processing at the end of printing have been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to the paper discharge unit processing at the start of printing.

  Further, in the foreign object detection processing in the ninth to twelfth embodiments, when it is determined that a foreign object is present, the foreign object may be notified to the user. The specific configuration of the notification means for performing the notification includes the following.

  The first is a method of notifying the user by displaying words such as "obstruction detection and stopping the movement of the discharge cover / discharge tray" on a display (not shown) provided on the operation panel 64. is there. The user can notice the presence of the foreign matter by looking at this display, but may also display the position information of the foreign matter or the information prompting the removal.

  A second method is to notify the user by turning on an unillustrated LED lamp provided on the operation panel 64 or the apparatus main body 10. The user can notice the presence of the foreign matter by visually checking the lighting of the LED lamp. In addition, for example, the lighting method may be changed between the normal state and the foreign object detection state, such as "normally lit green / red when a foreign object is detected" or "normally lit / blinking when a foreign object is detected". It is also effective to notify the user by using.

  Third, a method is provided in which a speaker (not shown) is provided in the apparatus main body 10 and a warning sound is emitted from the speaker to notify the user. By hearing the warning sound, the user can recognize the presence of a foreign substance even if the user is at a position distant from the image forming apparatus 99.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specified in the above description, the present invention described in the claims is not limited thereto. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention merely exemplify the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects according to the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Apparatus main body 13, 16 Paper feed tray 61 Cover before paper discharge 62 Left cover for paper discharge 67 Paper discharge tray 73 Foreign object detection means (first position detection sensor)
74 Foreign object detection means (second position detection sensor)
79 Foreign object detection means (paper ejection detection sensor)
99,100 Image forming apparatus 304 Measuring means (timer)

Japanese Patent No. 50022256

Claims (4)

A paper discharge position which is disposed inside an opening provided in the apparatus main body and is located inside the opening and from which a sheet after image formation is discharged, and taking out a sheet placed and located outside the opening and outside the opening A movable output tray that selectively occupies a forward position where
An openable and closable discharge cover that selectively occupies a closed position that covers the opening and an open position that opens the opening ;
Foreign matter detecting means for detecting foreign matter near the discharge tray ,
A first state in which the discharge cover occupies the closed position and the discharge tray occupies the discharge position, and a state in which the discharge cover occupies the open position and the discharge tray occupies the discharge position. A second state, or a third state in which the discharge cover occupies the open position and the discharge tray occupies the forward position,
When shifting from the second state to the third state, the amount of movement of the discharge tray from the discharge position to the advance position can be arbitrarily set;
When the foreign matter detecting means detects foreign matter, the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover is stopped,
Measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from when the foreign matter detecting means detects foreign matter and the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover is stopped ,
An image forming apparatus that performs an operation before detecting the foreign matter when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the foreign matter is detected, the discharge cover performs an operation reverse to an operation before the foreign matter is detected . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
An image forming apparatus , further comprising detecting foreign matter by a foreign matter detecting means after stopping the opening / closing operation of the discharge cover at the time of foreign matter detection . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
An image forming apparatus comprising: a notifying unit that notifies a user when the foreign object is detected .

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