JP6984285B2 - Image forming device and jam processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a jam processing method.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper using toner has been known. In such an image forming apparatus, in order to invert the front and back of the paper so that an image can be formed on both sides, a transport path is configured in which the front and back of the paper in the transport direction are switched back and reversed (that is, reversed) to invert the front and back of the paper. Some are provided with an inverted transport path (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the conventional image forming apparatus, the paper having a size that can be stored in the paper feed tray unit can be switched back and inverted through the inversion transport path.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-124100

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for sheet paper called long paper, which exceeds the size that can be stored in the paper feed tray unit, so that images can be formed on both sides. On the other hand, in order to realize double-sided printing on long paper, it is necessary to make the path length of the reverse transfer path longer than before. When the path length of the reversing transport path is made longer than before, it is an important issue to take measures against jams that are more likely to occur than standard paper or the like.

As a configuration for facilitating jam processing when paper is jammed during double-sided printing, for example, a double-sided printing member such as the above-mentioned reversing transfer path and transfer roller is configured as one unit, and such a unit is the main body of the apparatus. There is something that is configured so that it can be taken in and out of. This unit is called, for example, an automatic double-sided inverted transfer unit (ADU: Auto Duplex Unit).

On the other hand, when the reverse transfer path can be taken in and out of the main body of the apparatus, the so-called guillotine may be torn when the ADU is pulled out from the apparatus depending on the position of the jammed paper. Such tearing of the paper may cause deterioration of the printed image or failure of the device later when fragments or powder of the paper remain in the machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a jam processing method capable of improving jam processing property.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is
An image forming part that forms an image on paper,
A control unit that controls the transfer of the paper so that the paper is discharged to the outside of the device via the image forming unit.
A cutting portion, which is arranged in the paper transport path and cuts the paper along a direction intersecting the transport direction, is provided.
The transport path has a first path that can be taken in and out of the device main body and a second path that is fixed to the device main body side.
When the jam of the paper occurs and the jammed portion of the paper is on the downstream side of the cutting portion in the transport direction , the control unit uses the paper on the first path side and the second path side. so that to cut one or more times according to divided to separate the portions not part and jam that jam the paper, not the jam portion in the transport direction length of the portion that is not the jam In addition, the unjammed portion is controlled so as to control the operation of the cut portion, move the cut unjammed portion to the downstream side of the cut portion in the transport direction, and stack the cut portion on the jammed portion. Control the transport of parts .

The jam treatment method according to the present invention is
In an image forming apparatus that transports paper along a transport path having a first path that can be taken in and out of the device body and a second path that is fixed to the device body side, and forms an image on the paper.
When the jam of the paper occurs and the jammed portion of the paper is on the downstream side of the cutting portion in the transport direction , the paper is divided into the first path side and the second path side, and the paper is divided. a part that jams in so that separate the portions not jam, the by the cutting unit cutting the paper conveying direction of the portion which is not the jam portion not the jam by the cutting portion The jam is made by cutting one or more times according to the length, moving the cut unjammed portion to the downstream side of the cut portion in the transport direction, and stacking the cut portion on the jammed portion. Transport the missing parts .

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the jam processability.

It is a block diagram which shows the example of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment in summary. It is a figure which shows the main part of the control system in the image forming apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining the work of pulling out ADU and taking out jam paper when jam occurs in an image forming apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure and operation of the paper cutting part in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the jam processing in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, and shows typically the mode that the paper cut by the paper cutting part is stacked. It is a figure explaining another configuration example in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, and shows the configuration which provided the purge path on the downstream side of the cut part. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the processing at the time of the occurrence of a jam in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the main part of the control system of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 3 shows an extraction of a transport path for double-sided printing in the image forming apparatus 1.

The image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that uses a long paper LS or a paper S (non-long paper) as a recording medium and forms an image on the long paper LS or the paper S.

In the present embodiment, the long paper LS is a sheet of paper having a longer length in the transport direction than commonly used A4 size, A3 size, etc. paper, and is housed in the in-machine paper feed tray units 51a to 51c. It has a length that cannot be achieved. The size of the long paper LS, that is, the dimension such as the length in the transport direction is stored as definition data in the memory or the like of the image forming apparatus 1. Hereinafter, the term "paper" may include both long paper LS and paper S.

The image forming apparatus 1 is an intermediate transfer type color image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process technique. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 primary transfers the Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) color toner images formed on the photoconductor drum 413 to the intermediate transfer belt 421. After superimposing the toner images of four colors on the intermediate transfer belt 421, the toner image is formed by secondary transfer to paper.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1, the photoconductor drums 413 corresponding to the four colors of YMCK are arranged in series in the traveling direction of the intermediate transfer belt 421, and the toner images of each color are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 421 in one procedure. The tandem method is adopted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit 10, an operation display unit 20, an image processing unit 30, an image forming unit 40, a paper transport unit 50, a fixing unit 60, a control unit 100, and the like.

The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and the like. The CPU 101 reads a program according to the processing content from the ROM 102, develops it in the RAM 103, and centrally controls the operation of each block of the image forming apparatus 1 in cooperation with the expanded program. At this time, various data stored in the storage unit 72 are referred to. The storage unit 72 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or a hard disk drive.

The control unit 100 transmits / receives various data to / from an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) via the communication unit 71. conduct. The control unit 100 receives, for example, image data transmitted from an external device, and forms a toner image on paper based on the image data (input image data). The communication unit 71 is composed of a communication control card such as a LAN card.

The image reading unit 10 includes an automatic document feeding device 11 called an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), a document image scanning device 12 (scanner), and the like.

The automatic document feeding device 11 conveys the document D placed on the document tray by the conveying mechanism and sends it out to the document image scanning device 12. The automatic document feeding device 11 can continuously read a large number of images (including both sides) of documents D placed on the document tray at once.

The document image scanning device 12 optically scans the document conveyed on the contact glass from the automatic document feeding device 11 or the document placed on the contact glass, and the reflected light from the document is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). ) An image is formed on the light receiving surface of the sensor 12a, and the original image is read. The image reading unit 10 generates input image data based on the reading result of the original image scanning device 12. Predetermined image processing is performed on the input image data by the image processing unit 30.

The operation display unit 20 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) with a touch panel, and functions as a display unit 21 and an operation unit 22. The display unit 21 displays various operation screens, an image status display, an operation status of each function, and the like according to a display control signal input from the control unit 100. The operation unit 22 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, receives various input operations by the user, and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 100.

The image processing unit 30 includes a circuit or the like that performs digital image processing according to initial settings or user settings for input image data. For example, the image processing unit 30 performs gradation correction based on the gradation correction data (gradation correction table LUT) in the storage unit 72 under the control of the control unit 100. Further, the image processing unit 30 performs various correction processes such as color correction and shading correction, compression processing, and the like, in addition to gradation correction, on the input image data. The image forming unit 40 is controlled based on the image data subjected to these processes.

The image forming unit 40 is an image forming unit 41Y, 41M, 41C, 41K, and an intermediate transfer unit 42 for forming an image with each colored toner of Y component, M component, C component, and K component based on the input image data. Etc. are provided.

The image forming units 41Y, 41M, 41C, 41K for the Y component, the M component, the C component, and the K component have the same configuration. For convenience of illustration and description, common components are indicated by the same reference numerals, and when distinguishing between them, the reference numerals are given with Y, M, C, or K. In FIG. 1, reference numerals are given only to the components of the image forming unit 41Y for the Y component, and the reference numerals are omitted for the other components of the image forming units 41M, 41C, and 41K.

The image forming unit 41 includes an exposure device 411, a developing device 412, a photoconductor drum 413, a charging device 414, a drum cleaning device 415, and the like.

The photoconductor drum 413 has, for example, an undercoat layer (UCL: Under Coat Layer), a charge generation layer (CGL: Charge Generation Layer), and a charge transport layer (CGL) on the peripheral surface of a conductive cylindrical body (aluminum raw tube) made of aluminum. It is a negatively charged organic photo-conductor (OPC) in which CTL: Charge Transport Layer) is sequentially laminated. The charge generation layer is made of an organic semiconductor in which a charge generation material (for example, a phthalocyanine pigment) is dispersed in a resin binder (for example, polycarbonate), and a pair of positive charges and negative charges are generated by exposure by an exposure apparatus 411. The charge transport layer is composed of a hole transporting material (electron donating nitrogen-containing compound) dispersed in a resin binder (for example, a polycarbonate resin), and transports positive charges generated in the charge generation layer to the surface of the charge transport layer. do.

The control unit 100 rotates the photoconductor drum 413 at a constant peripheral speed (linear speed) by controlling the drive current supplied to the drive motor (not shown) that rotates the photoconductor drum 413.

The charging device 414 uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 413 having photoconductivity to a negative electrode property. The exposure apparatus 411 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor laser, and irradiates the photoconductor drum 413 with a laser beam corresponding to an image of each color component. Positive charges are generated in the charge generation layer of the photoconductor drum 413 and transported to the surface of the charge transport layer, so that the surface charge (negative charge) of the photoconductor drum 413 is neutralized. An electrostatic latent image of each color component is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 413 due to the potential difference from the surroundings.

The developing device 412 is, for example, a developing device of a two-component developing method, and forms a toner image by visualizing an electrostatic latent image by adhering toner of each color component to the surface of the photoconductor drum 413.

The drum cleaning device 415 has a drum cleaning blade (hereinafter, simply referred to as a cleaning blade) 416 or the like as a cleaning member that is slidably contacted with the surface of the photoconductor drum 413. The drum cleaning device 415 removes the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 413 after the primary transfer by the cleaning blade 416.

The intermediate transfer unit 42 includes an intermediate transfer belt 421 as an image carrier, a primary transfer roller 422, a plurality of support rollers 423, a secondary transfer roller 424, a belt cleaning device 426, and the like.

The intermediate transfer belt 421 is composed of an endless belt and is stretched in a loop on a plurality of support rollers 423. At least one of the plurality of support rollers 423 is composed of a driving roller, and the other is composed of a driven roller. For example, it is preferable that the roller 423A arranged on the downstream side in the belt traveling direction with respect to the primary transfer roller 422 for the K component is the drive roller. This makes it easier to keep the running speed of the belt in the primary transfer unit constant. As the drive roller 423A rotates, the intermediate transfer belt 421 travels at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A.

The primary transfer roller 422 is arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 421 so as to face the photoconductor drum 413 of each color component. The primary transfer roller 422 is pressed against the photoconductor drum 413 with the intermediate transfer belt 421 interposed therebetween, thereby forming a primary transfer nip for transferring the toner image from the photoconductor drum 413 to the intermediate transfer belt 421.

The secondary transfer roller 424 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 421 so as to face the backup roller 423B arranged on the downstream side of the drive roller 423A in the belt traveling direction. The secondary transfer roller 424 is pressed against the backup roller 423B with the intermediate transfer belt 421 interposed therebetween, thereby forming a secondary transfer nip for transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 421 to the paper S.

When the intermediate transfer belt 421 passes through the primary transfer nip, the toner image on the photoconductor drum 413 is sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 421 and the primary transfer is performed. Specifically, a primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 422, and a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the back surface side (the side that abuts the primary transfer roller 422) of the intermediate transfer belt 421 to obtain a toner image. It is electrostatically transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 421.

After that, when the paper passes through the secondary transfer nip, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 421 is secondarily transferred to the paper. Specifically, a secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 424, and a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the back surface side of the paper (the side that abuts on the secondary transfer roller 424) to obtain a toner image. It is electrostatically transferred to the paper. The paper on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed toward the fixing unit 60.

The belt cleaning device 426 has a belt cleaning blade or the like that is in sliding contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 421, and removes the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 421 after the secondary transfer. Instead of the secondary transfer roller 424, a configuration in which a secondary transfer belt is stretched in a loop on a plurality of support rollers including the secondary transfer roller (so-called belt-type secondary transfer unit) is adopted. May be good.

The fixing portion 60 is arranged on the upper fixing portion 60A having a fixing surface side member arranged on the fixing surface (the surface on which the toner image is formed) side of the paper and the back surface (opposite surface of the fixing surface) side of the paper. It is provided with a lower fixing portion 60B having a back surface side support member, a heating source 60C, and the like. By pressing the back surface side support member against the fixing surface side member, a fixing nip that narrowly holds and conveys the paper is formed.

The fixing unit 60 secondarily transfers the toner image, and heats and pressurizes the conveyed paper with the fixing nip to fix the toner image on the paper. The fixing portion 60 is arranged as a unit in the fixing device F. Further, the fuser F is provided with an air separation unit (not shown) that separates the paper S from the fixing surface side member by blowing air.

The paper transport unit 50 includes a paper feed unit 51, a paper discharge unit 52, a transport path unit 53, and the like. Paper S (standard paper, special paper) identified based on the basis weight (rigidity), size, etc. is set in the three paper feed tray units 51a to 51c constituting the paper feed unit 51 for each preset type. Be housed. The transport path unit 53 has a plurality of transport rollers such as a resist roller pair 53a, a double-sided transport path for forming an image on both sides of the paper, and the like.

The paper S housed in the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c is sent out one by one from the uppermost portion, and is conveyed to the image forming unit 40 by the transfer path unit 53. At this time, the resist roller portion in which the resist roller pair 53a is arranged corrects the inclination of the fed paper S and adjusts the transfer timing. Then, in the image forming unit 40, the toner image of the intermediate transfer belt 421 is collectively secondarily transferred to one surface of the paper S, and the fixing step is performed in the fixing unit 60. The image-formed paper S is discharged to the outside of the machine by the paper ejection unit 52 provided with the paper ejection roller 52a.

Next, the transport path portion 53 will be described in detail.

The transport path portion 53 is a path for transporting the paper when the image is formed on one side, and includes a main transport path 530 for transporting the paper on which the image is formed by the image forming section 40. The main transport path 530 is a path for transporting the paper via the resist roller pair 53a, the secondary transfer nip of the image forming portion 40, and the fixing portion 60. Further, the transport path portion 53 includes a reverse transport path 533 that reverses the front and back of the paper.

The transport path unit 53 is fed from the external paper feed transport path 531 that transports the long paper LS or other paper fed from the external paper feed port 2a to the main transport path 530, and the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c. It is provided with a paper feed transport path 532 for transporting the paper S to the main transport path 530.

The main transport path 530 is provided inside the apparatus main body 2 above the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c, and extends from one side portion of the apparatus main body 2 to the other side portion. One end of the main transport path 530 is connected to the external paper feed transport path 531 and the paper feed transport path 532. Further, the other end of the main transport path 530 is connected to the discharge port of the discharge unit 52 provided on the other side of the apparatus main body 2.

One end of the external paper feed transport path 531 is connected to the external paper feed port 2a, and the other end is connected to the main transport path 530. The paper feed transport path 532 is provided in the vicinity of one side portion in the apparatus main body 2, and extends vertically from the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c to the main transport path 530. In the paper feed transfer path 532, a part of the path of the paper feed transfer path 532 is exposed to the outside by opening an opening / closing door (not shown) provided on one side of the apparatus main body 2, and jam processing is performed. Etc. become possible. The upper end of the paper feed transport path 532 is connected to the main transport path 530, and the lower end is connected to the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c.

The reverse transfer path 533 is provided inside the apparatus main body 2 between the paper feed tray units 51a to 51c and the main transfer path 530, and extends from the other side portion of the apparatus main body 2 to one side portion. The inverted transport path 533 includes a first reflux transport path 533a that branches downward from the main transport path 530 on the downstream side of the fixing portion 60 in the transport direction of the paper transported through the main transport path 530, and the image forming section 40. A second reflux transfer path 533b that joins the main transfer path 530 on the upstream side of the secondary transfer nip is provided.

One end of the inverted transport path 533 is connected to the first reflux transport path 533a and the second reflux transport path 533b. Here, one end of the reverse transfer path 533 connected to the first return transfer path 533a and the second return transfer path 533b is a switchback in which the forward and reverse of the paper traveling direction (transport direction) is switched during double-sided printing. It becomes a point SBP. Hereinafter, in the reverse transfer transfer path 533, the transfer direction indicated by the arrow a in which the paper is conveyed from the first return transfer transfer path 533a is referred to as a positive direction, and is indicated by the arrow b in which the paper is conveyed to the second return transfer transfer path 533b. The transport direction is referred to as the reverse direction.

Further, the reverse transfer path 533 includes a transfer roller 53b as a switchback roller on the downstream side in the forward transfer direction with respect to the switchback point SBP. The transport roller 53b transmits the driving force of a motor (not shown) to transport the paper in both the forward direction and the reverse direction.

Further, the downstream side of the transport roller 53b in the forward transport direction of the reverse transport path 533 has a curved transport path 533c that is curved so as to be folded upward. The curved transport path 533c is a double-sided path that joins the main transport path 530 and connects (bypasses) the reverse transport path 533 and the main transport path 530.

The curved transport path 533c is a double-sided path used for double-sided printing of paper (mainly long paper LS), and is a main transport path 530 on the upstream side of the resist roller 53a in the transport direction of the paper transported in the positive direction. Meet with. In this example, the curved transport path 533c merges on the upstream side of the confluence of the main transport path 530 and the second reflux transport path 533b. Further, the curved transport path 533c joins the main transport path 530 in the direction in which the paper is conveyed in the left direction in the drawing of the main transport path 530. The curved transport path 533c is provided with a transport roller 53c mainly for transporting the long paper LS. The transfer roller 53c is driven by a drive source (motor) separate from the transfer roller 53b, and plays a role of supplementing the transfer force of the transfer roller 53b when double-sided printing of long paper LS is performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 (device main body 2 and the like) is increased in size by providing the downstream side of the transport path in the transport direction before being switched back so as to be folded back into the device main body 2. The path length of the reversing transfer path 533 can be made longer than before while preventing the above. Further, by connecting the curved transport path 533c of the reverse transport path 533 to the upstream side of the image forming unit 40 in the main transport path 530, it becomes possible to print long paper LS having a longer size in the transport direction on both sides. ..

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, the fixing portion 60, the cutting portion 80, most of the main transport path 530, the reverse transport path 533, and the rollers arranged in these transport paths are the automatic double-sided reverse transport unit (Auto). As a component of the Duplex Unit (ADU), it can be pulled out toward the front side of the device main body 2.

In one example, a plate-shaped frame (not shown) is provided on the back side of the device, and the above-mentioned components are attached to the frame. Then, for example, by pulling out the operation lever (not shown) of the ADU at the time of jam processing, the above-mentioned frame and components are pulled out.

Further, in the present embodiment, the guide 534 of a part of the pair of paper guide members constituting the reverse transfer path 533 is the main body side lower guide 534 fixed to the device main body 2 side. By configuring (leaving) a part of the guide member to the device main body 2 side in this way, the jammed paper is pulled out when a jam occurs in the reverse transfer path 533 during double-sided printing. However, it becomes visible from the lower side of the ADU. Therefore, the jam processability at the time of double-sided printing can be improved.

Thus, in the image forming apparatus 1, by passing the long paper LS through the curved transport path 533c before and after the switchback operation, double-sided printing of the long paper LS having a longer size in the transport direction can be performed. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the double-sided transport path is substantially annular, the long paper LS is held so as to be wrapped around the inner guide member when the ADU is pulled out during the jam processing. .. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, there is an advantage that it is easy to take out the paper while preventing the paper from being damaged (guillotine or the like) at the time of removing the jam paper.

Next, a case where double-sided printing of long paper LS is performed using the curved transport path 533c will be described. The following is an example of transporting a long paper LS having a length of being transported to the main transport path 530 through the curved transport path 533c in the forward transport in the reverse transport path 533.

The long paper LS is conveyed from the external paper feed port 2a of the apparatus main body 2 to the main transport path 530 in the forward direction (left direction in FIG. 1) via the external paper feed transfer path 531. After that, the long paper LS passes through the image forming section 40 and the fixing section 60, so that the toner image is transferred and fixed on the upper first surface, and the main transport path 530 to the first reflux transport path 533a are transferred. It is transported to the reverse transport path 533 via the reverse transport path 533. When the long paper LS is conveyed in the positive direction indicated by the arrow a in the inverted transfer path 533, the transfer roller 53b is driven and controlled by the control unit 100 so that the tip in the transfer direction enters the curved transfer path 533c. After that, the tip of the long paper LS comes into contact with the paper guide forming the curved transport path 533c, moves (rises) along the curved shape of the paper guide, and plunges into the transport roller 53c.

The control unit 100 outputs a drive signal to the drive source so as to start the rotation of the transport roller 53c when the tip of the long paper LS rushes into the transport roller 53c, and the long paper by both the transport rollers 53b and 53c. Transport the LS in the positive direction. Here, the control unit 100 outputs a drive signal to each drive source so that the peripheral speeds of the transfer roller 53b and the transfer roller 53c are the same. After that, the long paper LS enters the main transport path 530 through the curved transport path 533c while being transported by both the transport rollers 53b and 53c.

When the rear end of the long paper LS in the transport direction passes through the switchback point SBP, the control unit 100 separates (retracts) the transport roller 53c from the long paper LS and switches the rotation direction of the transport roller 53b for transport. Performs a switchback operation that reverses the direction.

By such transfer control, the long paper LS is conveyed in the opposite direction by reversing the traveling direction, and the rear end in the conveying direction moves in the opposite direction (right direction in FIG. 1) on the main conveying path 530, and is conveyed in the conveying direction. The tip is transported from the reverse transport path 533 to the main transport path 530 via the second reflux transport path 533b.

After that, the long paper LS is conveyed to the main transport path 530 with the first surface, which is the image forming surface, facing downward via the second reflux transport path 533b, and the toner is conveyed to the second surface facing upward. The image is transferred and fixed. The long paper LS having the toner images formed on both sides is controlled by the control unit 100 so that the paper is discharged from the main transport path 530 to the paper discharge unit 52.

By the way, even with the configuration in which the jam processability for jams generated inside the ADU is improved as described above, there is naturally a limit in improving the processability for all jams that may occur when the print job is executed. be. Typically, when the jam of the long paper LS occurs outside the ADU, or when the jam occurs while the paper straddles the ADU and the apparatus main body side, the following problems occur.

FIG. 3 illustrates a case where a jam occurs near the discharge port (not shown) on the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper ejection roller 52a, and the print job is immediately cut off due to the jam occurrence, and the paper (long paper LS). Shows an example in which the transfer is stopped while straddling the ADU and the device main body side. In FIG. 3, the fixing device F, the cutting portion 80, and the like are not shown.

Here, when the ADU is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the front side of the apparatus, the portion near the discharge port of the long paper LS is jammed, so that the jammed paper (long paper LS) is on the wall surface of the ADU. There is a possibility that the paper may be torn due to tearing (so-called guillotine). As described above, the tearing of the paper may cause deterioration of the printed image or failure of the device afterwards when the paper fragments or powder remain in the machine.

Therefore, in order to remove the paper from the device while preventing the generation of guillotine, it is necessary for the operator to pull the long paper LS to the left side in the drawing and take it out without pulling out the ADU. There is a problem that the work labor etc. becomes large.

In other words, if paper jam occurs while straddling the ADU and the device main body side, the ADU cannot be pulled out during the jam treatment from the viewpoint of preventing guillotine. In this case, there is a problem not only in terms of work efficiency during jam processing, but also in that the advantages (original role, etc.) of ADU are not fully exhibited. In addition, as compared with the non-long paper S, the long paper LS has a longer length in the transport direction, so that when a jam occurs, the long paper LS straddles the ADU and the device main body side. There is an easy problem.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a cutting portion 80 is provided in the paper transport path. The cutting portion 80 is a drive source such as a cutter that cuts the paper along a direction intersecting the paper transport direction (orthogonal direction in this example), a solenoid that reciprocates the cutter in the double-headed arrow direction in the figure, that is, in the vertical direction. , Etc. Then, when a paper jam occurs, the control unit 100 outputs a control signal to a drive source (solenoid or the like) so as to cut the paper with a cutter according to the position of the paper, and the cutting unit 80 Controls the operation of.

In the present embodiment, the cutter of the cutting portion 80 has a role of cutting the paper so as to separate the jammed portion of the paper and the unjammed remaining portion. In this example, the cutter of the cutting portion 80 is provided in the ADU and is arranged so as to be able to reciprocate in the vertical direction on the transport path near the side wall of the ADU. Specifically, in the normal state (initial position) of the cutter, the cutter is positioned above the transport path so that the paper can pass through the transport path. On the other hand, when the predetermined condition described later is satisfied when the jam occurs, the cutter moves downward so as to block the transport path based on the control of the control unit 100. By this operation, the paper on the transport path is cut by the cutter. After that, based on the control of the control unit 100, the cutter returns to the initial position again, so that the paper can pass through the transport path.

Thus, when a paper jam occurs, the control unit 100 has a portion on the ADU side (first path side that can be taken in and out of the device main body 2) and a path side (second path side) that is fixed to the device main body 2. The operation of the cutting portion 80 is controlled so as to divide the portion on the path side). By such control, the cutter of the cutting portion 80 cuts the paper so as to separate the jammed portion and the non-jammed portion (hereinafter referred to as the paper remaining portion). By cutting the paper in this way, it is possible to prevent the paper from being torn (guillotine or the like) when the ADU is pulled out from the apparatus main body 2, and the jam processability is improved.

Further, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 4, when jam occurs on the downstream side in the transport direction from the cutting portion 80 (cutter), the remaining portion of the jam paper on the upstream side after cutting is cut by cutting the jam paper with a cutter. (Remaining paper in ADU) can be transported. Further, by cutting the jammed paper with a cutter while transporting the remaining paper portion, the jammed paper can be cut a plurality of times and discharged so as to be stacked on the paper ejection portion 52 side (see FIG. 5). By performing such processing, the work labor to be performed by the worker when a jam occurs is greatly reduced.

Next, another configuration example of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

As described above in FIG. 5, when the paper remaining portion is cut a plurality of times by the cutting portion 80 and laminated on the paper ejection portion 52 side, the number of stackable sheets is limited depending on the configuration of the paper ejection portion 52 side. In some cases, the longer the length of the long paper LS, the more likely it is to be subject to such restrictions. In addition, depending on the position where the jam occurred and the state of the paper jam, it is difficult to load the paper because the remaining paper that was cut by the cutter and discharged in the direction outside the device interferes with the jam part of the paper. Can also occur.

Therefore, in another configuration example shown in FIG. 6, a purge path PP is provided in the paper ejection unit 52. This purge path PP is a path different from the paper ejection route in which the paper ejection roller 52a of the paper ejection portion 52 is arranged, and branches from the downstream side of the cutting portion 80 (cutter) to the upper side of the paper ejection path. It is provided. At such a branch point, a switching gate (not shown) for switching the paper transport direction to either the paper ejection path or the purge path PP is provided. Further, the paper guide constituting the purge path PP is provided with a paper ejection roller 52b for ejecting the remaining amount of paper to the outside of the apparatus. The operation of the switching gate and the paper ejection roller 52b is controlled by the control unit 100.

In such a configuration, the control unit 100 controls the cutting unit 80 so as to cut the jammed paper only once with a cutter, and then purges the remaining amount of the paper without performing the second and subsequent cutting. The switching gate and the paper ejection roller 52b are controlled so as to eject the paper through the PP.

According to such a configuration and the jam treatment, as shown in FIG. 6, the cut long paper LS other than the cut long paper LS is used for a part of the LS-a including the jam portion of the long paper LS cut by the cutter. A part of LS-b (remaining paper) can be discharged to the outside of the device without being loaded.

Hereinafter, an example of jam processing executed by the control unit 100 when jam of long paper LS occurs will be described with reference to the flowchart at the time of jam processing shown in FIG. 7. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is premised on a configuration example in which the above-mentioned purge path PP or the like is not provided.

In step S110 after inputting the jam detection signal, the control unit 100 sets each operating unit (image forming unit 40, paper transport unit 50, fixing unit 60, etc.) so as to stop (immediately cut) the print job. Control.

In the following step S120, the control unit 100 acquires the position information of the jammed paper. Here, the position information of the paper includes information indicating the current position of the paper stopped due to jam. In this example, the information indicating the current position of the paper includes information indicating the position of the edge portion (front end and rear end in the transport direction) of the paper. Such position information can be acquired by a known method such as acquisition from a position sensor (not shown) in the apparatus or calculation from the paper transfer timing.

Further, the information indicating the current position of the paper includes the jammed position of the paper, that is, the information indicating the position where the paper is jammed in the machine (hereinafter referred to as jam position information). Such jam position information can be obtained by a known method, for example, among various drive sources for paper transport (motor for driving the transport roller, solenoid for switching the paper transport path, etc.), torque value, current value, etc. The jam position can be identified from the one that has soared.

In the following step S130, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the jammed paper is a long paper LS.

Here, when the control unit 100 determines that the jammed paper is not the long paper LS (step S130, NO), the control unit 100 ends the process without performing the process of step S140 or less described later. In this case, the control unit 100 considers that the jammed paper is non-long paper (paper S) and can be removed while avoiding the generation of guillotine, and executes a normal jam processing operation. By such a normal jam processing operation, for example, a warning screen indicating that a jam has occurred is displayed on the display unit 21, the jam position based on the above-mentioned jam position information is displayed on the screen, and the operation unit 21 operates. The work procedure or the like that the operator should perform in order to remove the paper is displayed on the display unit 21.

On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the jammed paper is the long paper LS (step S130, YES), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S140.

In step S140, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the jammed position of the long paper LS is downstream of the cutter of the cutting unit 80 with reference to the jam position information described above.

Here, when the control unit 100 determines that the jammed position of the long paper LS is not downstream of the cutter of the cutting unit 80 (step S140, NO), the control unit 100 processes without performing the process of step S150 or less described later. To finish. In this case, the control unit 100 assumes that there is no paper portion to be cut by the cutter of the cutting unit 80, and executes the normal jam processing operation as described above.

On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the jammed position of the long paper LS is downstream of the cutter of the cutting unit 80 (step S140, YES), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S150.

In step S150, the control unit 100 controls the cutting unit 80 so as to perform the first cutting operation by the cutter. By such a cutting operation, the portion of the long paper LS including the jam position (tip side in the transport direction) and the remaining portion not including the jam position are separated, and the latter, that is, the long paper LS not including the jam position. The part (remaining part of the paper) can be transported.

In the following step S160, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the remaining paper portion has a predetermined length or more. In this example, the predetermined length is the length of the transport path from the transport roller arranged immediately on the upstream side of the cutting portion 80 in the paper transport direction to the transport roller arranged immediately on the downstream side of the cutting portion 80. It is set. The length information of the paper balance can be obtained by a known method as described above.

Here, when the control unit 100 determines that the remaining paper portion does not meet the predetermined length (step S160, NO), the control unit 100 ends the process without performing the process of step S170 described later. In this case, the control unit 100 considers that there is no paper remaining in the ADU or that the paper remaining in the ADU cannot be conveyed any more (that is, the paper remaining does not come to the position of the cutter), and ends the process. At this time, when there is no paper remaining in the ADU, the control unit 100 displays a message such as "the jammed paper has been cut and all ejected" on the display unit 21. On the other hand, when there is a paper balance in the ADU, the control unit 100 displays a message on the display unit 21 urging the work such as "Please pull out the ADU and take out the paper balance near the ejection unit". ..

On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the remaining paper portion has a predetermined length or more (YES in step S160), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S170.

In step S170, the control unit 100 controls the cutting unit 80 and the transport roller at the position of the paper balance so as to cut the paper balance with a cutter while transporting the paper balance. By such a process, the second and subsequent cutting of the long paper LS in which the jam is generated is executed while the operation of moving the remaining paper portion to the downstream side of the cutting portion 80 in the transport direction is performed.

The amount of paper remaining to be conveyed (conveyed distance) until cutting in step S170, in other words, the amount of protrusion of the remaining paper from the cutter to the downstream can be set to an arbitrary distance (length), for example, a length that is easy to jam. It is good to set it as (a standard length such as A4).

After the cutting process in step S170, the control unit 100 returns to step S160 and repeats the process of step S170 described above until it is determined that the remaining paper portion does not reach the predetermined length (step S160, NO). By this process, the remaining amount of jammed long paper LS is sequentially discharged to the outside of the machine (see FIG. 5).

According to the present embodiment in which such a series of processes is executed, it is possible to jam the long paper LS while preventing the generation of guillotine when the ADU is pulled out. Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to minimize the remaining amount of paper existing in the ADU and significantly reduce the labor of jam processing. Further, according to the present embodiment, by eliminating the paper remaining portion in the ADU, the jammed long paper LS can be automatically discharged to the outside of the machine without requiring the drawing work of the ADU.

In the case of the configuration in which the purge path PP illustrated in FIG. 6 is added, the above-mentioned steps S160 and S170 may be changed to the following processing.

That is, in step S160 after performing the first cutting operation, the control unit 100 switches the direction of the switching gate described above and directs the discharge direction of the remaining paper portion to the purge path PP. In the subsequent step S170, the control unit 100 drives and controls the transport roller in the ADU and the paper ejection roller 52b in the purge path PP so that the remaining paper is passed through the purge path PP (see FIG. 6).

By performing such processing, the remaining amount of paper in the ADU can be discharged to the outside of the machine through the purge path PP, and the long paper LS can be jammed without pulling out the ADU.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the cutter of the cutting portion 80 is arranged inside the ADU (near the wall surface of the ADU) has been described, but as another example, the cutter may be arranged outside the ADU. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of avoiding the above-mentioned guillotine generation, it is desirable that the cutter is provided at a boundary position between the ADU and the device main body side.

In the above-described embodiment, a configuration example in which the cutting portion 80 is provided on the paper ejection portion 52 side has been described. As another example, the cutting portion 80 may be provided on the paper feed path side. As an example of the jam processing operation in this case, when a jam occurs in the paper feed device, the cutting operation as described above is performed. By such a cutting operation, the jammed portion of the long paper LS remains in the paper feeding device, and the unjammed paper remaining portion remains in the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, the remaining paper can be discharged to the outside of the device from the job stopped state after the jam occurs.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 1, by cutting (dividing) the jammed paper when a jam occurs, it is possible to pull out the ADU while avoiding the paper tearing (guillotine generation), and further, the ADU can be obtained. It is also possible to eject the rest of the jammed paper without pulling it out. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the work labor at the time of jam processing is remarkably reduced, and the jam processing property is improved.

The above embodiments and modifications are merely examples of embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by these. .. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or its main features.

1 Image forming device 2 Device main body 2a External paper feed port 10 Image reading unit 20 Operation display unit 30 Image processing unit 40 Image forming unit 50 Paper transport unit 51 Paper feeding unit 51a to 51c Paper feeding tray unit 52 Paper ejection unit 52a Paper ejection Roller 52b Paper ejection roller arranged in the purge path 53 Transport path 53a Resist roller vs. 53b Transport roller (switchback roller)
53c Transport roller 530 Main transport path 531 External feed transport path 532 Feed feed transport path 533 Inverted transport path 533a First recirculation transport path 533b Second recirculation transport path 533c Curved transport path 534 Main body side lower guide 60 Fixing part 80 Cutting Part 100 Control unit ADU Automatic double-sided reversing transfer unit PP Purge path SBP Switchback point LS Long paper LS-a Part of cut long paper LS including jammed part LS-b Other than cut long paper LS Part of (the part that is not jammed)

Claims (6)

An image forming part that forms an image on paper,
A control unit that controls the transfer of the paper so that the paper is discharged to the outside of the device via the image forming unit.
A cutting portion, which is arranged in the paper transport path and cuts the paper along a direction intersecting the transport direction, is provided.
The transport path has a first path that can be taken in and out of the device main body and a second path that is fixed to the device main body side.
When the jam of the paper occurs and the jammed portion of the paper is on the downstream side of the cutting portion in the transport direction , the control unit uses the paper on the first path side and the second path side. so that to cut one or more times according to divided to separate the portions not part and jam that jam the paper, not the jam portion in the transport direction length of the portion that is not the jam In addition, the unjammed portion is controlled so as to control the operation of the cut portion, move the cut unjammed portion to the downstream side of the cut portion in the transport direction, and stack the cut portion on the jammed portion. Control the transport of parts ,
Image forming device. Wherein the control unit is configured to di catcher arm to no part can not come to the position of the cutting unit is controlled to repeat the movement and cutting by the cutting part of the part not the jam,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. It is arranged on the downstream side of the cutting portion in the transport direction, and has a purge path that branches from the path for discharging to the outside of the device.
The control unit controls the transport of the unjamed portion of the paper so that the unjammed portion of the paper is passed through the purge path.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The paper is long paper,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first path forms a transport path extending from the upstream side to the downstream side of the image forming portion, and is a part of a unit that can be pulled out from the main body of the apparatus together with the image forming portion.
The cut portion is arranged inside the unit.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. In an image forming apparatus that transports paper along a transport path having a first path that can be taken in and out of the device body and a second path that is fixed to the device body side, and forms an image on the paper.
When the jam of the paper occurs and the jammed portion of the paper is on the downstream side of the cutting portion in the transport direction , the paper is divided into the first path side and the second path side, and the paper is divided. a part that jams in so that separate the portions not jam, the by the cutting unit cutting the paper conveying direction of the portion which is not the jam portion not the jam by the cutting portion The jam is made by cutting one or more times according to the length, moving the cut unjammed portion to the downstream side of the cut portion in the transport direction, and stacking the cut portion on the jammed portion. Transport the missing part ,
Jam handling method.

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