JP7305388B2 - sheet ejection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet ejection device that ejects sheets.

Conventionally, there has been proposed an image forming apparatus that discharges a sheet on which an image has been formed and stacks the sheet on a stack tray (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-100001). In this image forming apparatus, the stack tray is supported so as to be vertically movable by a tray lifting motor. The image forming apparatus also includes a sheet surface sensor that detects the top surface of the sheets stacked on the stack tray, and a lower limit sensor that detects that the stack tray has descended and reached the lower limit. When stacking sheets on a stack tray, the image forming apparatus first raises the stack tray until the paper surface sensor detects the sheets, and then lowers the stack tray to a position where the paper surface sensor does not detect the sheets, thereby stacking the sheets. Keep the height of the top surface of the seat constant.

By the way, in the case of an overloaded state in which the stack tray is loaded with sheets having a weight larger than that which can be lifted by the tray lifting motor, or in a failure state in which the tray lifting motor fails, the image forming apparatus cannot lift the stack tray. When the image forming apparatus cannot raise the stack tray, it performs a process of lowering the stack tray in order to determine whether it is in an overloaded state or a malfunction state. The image forming apparatus executes the process of lowering the stack tray, but if the lower limit sensor does not detect the stack tray within a certain period of time, it determines that the image forming apparatus is in a failure state. Further, when the lower limit sensor detects the stack tray within a certain period of time, it is determined that the image forming apparatus is in an overloaded state.

JP 2013-91556 A

However, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-100002, if the stack tray is already at the lowest position before executing the process of lowering the stack tray, the stack tray is lowered even if the stack tray is overloaded. I can't. Therefore, depending on the position of the stack tray, this image forming apparatus may not be able to notify the failure state, and may not be able to perform appropriate notification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet discharging apparatus that can more appropriately notify the state of a sheet stacking unit and solve the above-described problems.

The present invention provides a sheet ejection device comprising: a sheet ejection portion for ejecting sheets; a sheet stacking portion supported so as to be able to move up and down and for stacking sheets ejected by the sheet ejection portion; A sheet stacking unit having a sheet detecting section for detecting a sheet, a driving section for raising the sheet stacking section, a reporting section for reporting the state of the sheet stacking unit, and driving the driving section to load the sheet. a control unit capable of executing sheet raising processing for raising the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit to a detection height position detectable by the sheet detecting unit, wherein the sheet raising processing includes a first to the drive unit to drive the drive unit to raise the sheet stacking unit to the detection height position; a second sheet raising process of inputting to a driving section to drive the driving section to raise the sheet stacking section to the detection height position, wherein the control section controls the sheet in the first sheet raising process . executing the second sheet raising process when no sheet is detected by the detecting section; and removing the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking section when the sheet is not detected by the sheet detecting section in the second sheet raising process. performing sheet removal notification processing in which the notification unit notifies information prompting the removal of the sheet; When the sheet detecting section does not detect the sheet in the re-lifting process, the reporting section reports information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately notify the state of the sheet stacking unit.

1 is an overall schematic diagram showing a printer according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing a finisher, in which (a) shows a state in which sheets are not stacked on a stacking tray, and (b) shows a state in which sheets are stacked on a stacking tray; 4 is a block diagram showing a control unit; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining information transmission between an image forming apparatus control section and a post-processing apparatus control section; 4 is a flowchart relating to tray elevation control; A flowchart relating to tray elevation control in the second embodiment. The block diagram which shows the control part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining information transmission between an image forming apparatus control section and a post-processing device control section according to the third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of tray elevation control according to the third embodiment; FIG.

<First embodiment>
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing means such as a stapler, such as a copier printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine. In the following embodiments, the image forming apparatus corresponds to the sheet discharging apparatus of this embodiment, and is a laser beam printer (hereinafter referred to as "printer") 1 which is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms a monochrome toner image. will be used to explain.

[overall structure]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as "printer main body") 10 for forming an image on a sheet, and a post-processing device (hereinafter referred to as "printer main body") for post-processing the sheet discharged from the printer main body 10. 100 (hereinafter referred to as a “finisher”). The printer body 10 includes a sheet feeding device 20 that feeds sheets, an image forming section 30 that forms images on the sheets fed by the sheet feeding device 20, and sheets on which images are formed by the image forming section 30. to the finisher 100. Further, on the exterior of the printer main body 10, an operation panel 61, which is a display unit for operating the printer 1 and notifying the status of the printer 1, and a notification unit 60 having a display lamp 62 are arranged.

When an image forming command is input to the printer body 10 , the image forming process by the image forming section 30 is started based on image information input from an external computer or the like connected to the printer body 10 . The image forming section 30 has a photoreceptor drum 31 , a laser scanner 32 , and a charging roller 33 , a developing roller 34 and a transfer roller 35 arranged along the photoreceptor drum 31 . The laser scanner 32 irradiates the photosensitive drum 31 with laser light based on the input image information. At this time, the photoreceptor drum 31 is charged in advance by the charging roller 33, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor drum 31 by being irradiated with laser light. After that, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 34 to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 31 .

The sheet feeding device 20 has a feeding cassette 21 that stores sheets. Sheets stored in the feed cassette 21 are sent out in the sheet conveying direction by the feed roller 22 in parallel with the image forming process described above. The sheet fed by the feeding roller 22 is conveyed to the feed roller 23 and the retard roller 24 arranged downstream of the feeding roller 22 in the sheet conveying direction. The feed roller 23 conveys the sheet to a registration roller pair (hereinafter referred to as "registration roller pair") 40 arranged downstream of the feed roller 23 and the retard roller 24 in the sheet conveying direction. Further, the retard roller 24 is arranged in pressure contact with the feed roller 23 with a predetermined pressure contact force, and separates the fed sheets one by one together with the feed roller 23 .

The sheet conveyed to the registration roller pair 40 is skew-corrected by the registration roller pair 40 and conveyed toward the transfer roller 35 as the image forming process in the image forming section 30 progresses. The transfer roller 35 is applied with a transfer bias and transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 31 onto a sheet. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred by the transfer roller 35 is heated and pressurized by a fixing section 45 having a heating roller and a pressure roller to fix the toner image. Then, the sheet is discharged to the finisher 100 by the discharge roller pair 50 arranged downstream of the fixing section 45 in the sheet conveying direction.

[Detailed Configuration of Finisher]
As shown in FIG. 2, the finisher 100 has a stock section 105 which is a sheet processing means for storing sheets on which images are formed by the printer main body 10, and a sheet stacking section for stacking the sheet bundle discharged from the stock section 105. and a unit 115 . 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams for explaining the finisher 100. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state in which no sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet stacking unit 115, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the state currently carried out. A sheet conveyed from the printer main body 10 is carried into the finisher main body 101 through the carry-in port 102, and is conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers 103 and 104 to the stock section 105 arranged downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 104 in the sheet conveying direction. be done.

The stock unit 105 has a processing tray 106 arranged below the conveying roller pair 104 and an ejector 107 arranged upstream of the processing tray 106 in the sheet conveying direction and movable along the sheet conveying direction. The ejector 107 is formed in a substantially U-shape so that the sheet can enter, and when the sheet comes into contact with the ejector 107, the position in the sheet conveying direction is aligned. The stock unit 105 is arranged above the processing tray 106 and has a swing arm 108 swingably supported by the finisher body 101 and an alignment paddle 109 rotatably supported by the swing arm 108 . . The aligning paddle 109 is arranged so as to contact the uppermost surface of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 106 when the swing arm 108 is lowered, and conveys the sheet toward the ejector 107 by rotating.

A scraping roller 110 is arranged between the alignment paddle 109 and the ejector 107 in the sheet conveying direction. The raking roller 110 is an assist roller for reliably conveying a curled sheet, a skewed sheet, and a heavy sheet with a large basis weight to the ejector 107 . A sheet stacked on the processing tray 106 is abutted against an ejector 107 by an alignment paddle 109 and a scraping roller 110 to align its position in the sheet conveying direction.

The stock unit 105 is arranged at the downstream end of the processing tray 106 in the sheet conveying direction and has a jogger unit 112 movable in the sheet width direction. The sheets stacked on the processing tray 106 are pushed in the sheet width direction by the jogger unit 112 so that the positions of the sheets in the sheet width direction are aligned and the sheets can be shifted in the sheet width direction.

The finisher 100 has a discharge claw 111 which is a sheet discharge portion for discharging the sheet bundle stored in the stock portion 105 . The ejection claw 111 moves in synchronism with the ejector 107 by rotating a driving roller 111 a provided on the finisher 100 . The ejection claw 111 and the ejector 107 move from the home position shown in FIG. 2A and push the sheet bundle onto the sheet stacking unit 115 by pushing the upstream end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction. Then, the ejection claw 111 and the ejector 107 return to their home positions.

The sheet stacking unit 115 has a stacking tray 116 as a sheet stacking portion that is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and on which a sheet bundle discharged from the stock portion 105 by the discharge claw 111 is stacked. Further, the sheet stacking unit 115 has a sheet surface detection sensor 117 as a sheet detection section capable of detecting the sheet surface of the sheets stacked on the stacking tray 116 . The sheet surface detection sensor 117 has a sheet surface detection position located below the downstream end of the processing tray 106 in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet stacking unit 115 lowers the stacking tray 116 as shown in FIG. The sheet stacking unit 115 also has a tray lower limit sensor 118 that detects the stacking tray 116 positioned at the lowermost lower limit position. For example, the tray lower limit sensor 118 can detect a full load of sheets when a large number of sheets with a low basis weight are stacked on the stacking tray 116 .

[Control part]
Next, the controller 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. The control unit 200 has an image forming apparatus control unit 201 that controls the printer body 10 and the operation panel 61 , and a post-processing device control unit 204 that controls the finisher 100 . The image forming apparatus control unit 201 has a CPU 202 and a memory 203 which is a storage means for storing data. The memory 203 has a ROM 203a that stores programs for controlling each unit, and a RAM 203b that temporarily stores data.

The image forming apparatus control unit 201 communicates with an external device such as a host computer to receive image forming data, and forms an image based on the image information included in the image forming data. Further, the image forming apparatus control unit 201 designates the post-processing conditions created from the image forming data to the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 . The post-processing conditions include sheet type and basis weight such as plain paper or glossy paper, sheet size, number of sheets, print information whether single-sided printing or double-sided printing, and specification of post-processing methods such as shift processing and stapling processing. , contains delimiter information such as the first sheet and the last sheet of the print job.

The image forming apparatus control unit 201 transmits a carry-in notice signal to the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 via the serial communication unit 230 at the timing when the sheet is conveyed. The post-processing device control unit 204 controls each mechanism according to the post-processing conditions received from the image forming device control unit 201 when receiving the signal of advance notice of carry-in.

The post-processing device control unit 204 has a CPU 205 and a memory 206 composed of a ROM 206a and a RAM 206b. A motor driver, which is control means for controlling various motors, is connected to the post-processing device control unit 204 . As various motor drivers, a transport roller control means 211 for controlling a transport motor 221 for driving the transport roller pairs 103 and 104 and a paddle control means 212 for controlling a paddle motor 222 for driving the alignment paddle 109 are connected. . Further, the post-processing device control unit 204 includes a scraping roller control means 213 that controls a scraping motor 223 that drives the scraping roller 110, and a jogger control means 214 that controls a jogger motor 224 that drives the jogger unit 112. is connected. Further, the post-processing device control unit 204 includes a bundle discharge mechanism control unit 215 that controls a bundle discharge motor 225 that drives the drive roller 111a, and a stack tray motor 226 that controls a tray motor 226 as a drive unit that raises and lowers the stack tray 116. A control means 216 is connected.

A sheet surface detection sensor 117 and a tray lower limit sensor 118 are connected to the post-processing device control unit 204 via sensor interface circuits (interfaces are hereinafter referred to as "I/F") 117a and 118a. When the tray lower limit sensor 118 detects the stacking tray 116 , the tray lower limit sensor 118 is turned ON, and transmits information about the ON state to the post-processing device control unit 204 . When the tray lower limit sensor 118 is ON, the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 cannot lower the stacking tray 116 any further. It is determined that the vehicle is fully loaded. The post-processing apparatus control unit 204 can transmit to the image forming apparatus control unit 201 information regarding the fully loaded state, the fully loaded canceled state in which the fully loaded state is canceled, and the failure state in which the sheet stacking unit 115 fails. The image forming apparatus control unit 201 notifies the user of the received status of the sheet stacking unit 115 through the operation panel 61 . Note that the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 is a state in which the sheet stacking unit 115 cannot respond to instructions from the post-processing device control unit 204 . Further, the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 includes failure of the tray motor 226, the sheet surface detection sensor 117, or a gear such as a rack driven by the tray motor 226 to raise the stacking tray 116, for example.

Further, when the sheet surface detection sensor 117 detects the sheet surface, the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned on and transmits information regarding the ON state to the post-processing device control unit 204 . The control unit 200 executes tray elevation control for raising and lowering the stacking tray 116 according to a signal from the sheet surface detection sensor 117 . In the tray elevation control, the control unit 200 prevents the stack of sheets stacked on the stacking tray 116 from blocking the discharge port of the stock unit 105, and determines whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or malfunctions. .

[Tray up/down control]
Next, tray elevation control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing steps related to tray elevation control started when post-processing device control unit 204 receives post-processing conditions. Note that the control unit 200 positions the stacking tray 116 as an initial position at a height position at which the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned off before the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 receives the notice of loading.

The control unit 200 first determines whether or not the sheet bundle has been discharged by the discharge claw 111 (step S101). If it is determined in step S101 that the sheet bundle has not been discharged (No), the control unit 200 executes step S101 again and waits for the next process. If it is determined in step S101 that the sheet bundle has been discharged (Yes), the control unit 200 drives the tray motor 226 to start sheet lowering processing for lowering the stacking tray 116 (step S102).

After executing step S102, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state (step S103). In step S103, when it is determined that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is ON (No), the control section 200 executes step S103 again and waits for the transition to the next process. Therefore, in the sheet lowering process, the control unit 200 lowers the stacking tray 116 to a height at which the sheet surface detection sensor 117 does not detect the sheet surface.

When it is determined in step S103 that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state (Yes), the control section 200 executes a sheet raising process consisting of steps S104 to S110. In the sheet lifting process, the control unit 200 inputs the first current to the tray motor 226 to drive the tray motor 226 and starts the first sheet lifting process for lifting the stacking tray 116 (step S104). After executing step S104, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the ON state (step S105).

When it is determined in step S105 that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state (No), the controller 200 determines that the first lift time after starting the first sheet lift process reaches the predetermined tray lift timeout time. It is determined whether or not it has reached (step S106). In this embodiment, the tray rise timeout time is set to a time sufficient for the stacking tray 116 to move from the lowest position to the detection height position with the first current. When it is determined in step S106 that the first rise time has not reached the tray rise timeout time (No), the control section 200 executes step S105 again. That is, in steps S105 and S106, the control unit 200 waits before proceeding to the next process until the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned ON or the first lift time reaches the tray lift timeout time.

If it is determined in step S106 that the first lift time has reached the tray lift timeout time (Yes), the controller 200 stops the tray motor 226 (step S107) and waits for 100 msec (step S108). In the present embodiment, 100 msec is set as a sufficient time to stop the tray motor 226, but the time is not limited to this and may be set to a different time.

After executing step S108, the control unit 200 inputs a second current larger than the first current to the tray motor 226 to drive the tray motor 226, and starts a second sheet raising process for raising the stacking tray 116. (step S109). That is, the control unit 200 causes the tray motor 226 to generate torque larger than that in the first sheet lifting process to lift the stacking tray 116 . After executing step S109, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the ON state (step S110).

If it is determined in steps S105 and S110 that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is ON (Yes), the controller 200 stops the tray motor 226 (step S111). Therefore, the control unit 200 in the present embodiment executes the first sheet raising process for raising the stacking tray 116 to the detection height position where the sheet surface detection sensor 117 detects the sheet surface in the tray raising process. Then, if the stacking tray 116 does not rise to the detection height position in the first sheet lifting process, the control unit 200 executes the second sheet lifting process for lifting the stacking tray 116 to the detection height position. After executing step S111, the control unit 200 executes step S101 again and waits until the sheet bundle is discharged.

In step S110, when it is determined that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state (No), the control unit 200 determines that the second lifting time after starting the second sheet lifting process reaches the tray lifting timeout time. It is determined whether or not (step S112). When it is determined in step S112 that the second lifting time has not reached the tray lifting timeout time (No), the control section 200 executes step S110 again. In other words, the control unit 200 waits to proceed to the next process until the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned on or the second lift time reaches the tray lift timeout time.

If it is determined in step S112 that the second lift time has reached the tray lift timeout time (Yes), the controller 200 stops the tray motor 226 (step S113). After executing step S113, the control unit 200 executes a sheet removal notification process in which the operation panel 61 notifies information urging removal of the sheet stack stacked on the stacking tray 116 (tray full notification) (step S114). . In the sheet removal notification process, in the control unit 200 , the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 transmits full load information about the full load state to the image forming apparatus control unit 201 . Based on the full load information, the control unit 200 informs the operation panel 61 of the information that the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded, and prompts removal of the sheet stack from the stack tray 116 . Also, the control unit 200 suspends the print job based on the full load information.

After executing step S114, the control unit 200 waits until the print job is interrupted (S115). After executing step S115, the process waits until the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned off (step S116).

Here, the interruption of the print job based on the full load information in step S114 is performed after the uninterruptible print job is executed. That is, the sheet bundle may be discharged to the stacking tray 116 even after the print job interruption command is output. In this case, the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the ON state from the OFF state in the stage before step S116. When the user removes the sheet bundle from the stacking tray 116 based on the notification in step S114, the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is switched from the ON state to the OFF state. Therefore, by executing step S116, the control unit 200 eliminates the possibility that the processes after step S117 are executed while the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is turned on by the sheet bundle discharged in step S114. .

In the above example, the case where the sheet bundle is discharged to the stacking tray 116 after the print job interruption command is output has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the sheet bundle is not discharged to the stacking tray 116 after the print job interruption command is output, the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state before step S116. Therefore, in step S116, the control unit 200 determines that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is OFF even if the user has not removed the sheet stack from the stacking tray 116, and proceeds to step S117.

After executing step S<b>116 , the control unit 200 executes sheet re-lifting processing to lift the stacking tray 116 again. The seat re-raising process in this embodiment is composed of a plurality of processes of steps S117 to S123, which are substantially the same as steps S104 to S110, and thus description thereof is omitted. Note that the sheet re-raising process includes a first sheet re-raising process and a second sheet re-raising process. In the first sheet re-lifting process, the controller 200 inputs the first current to the tray motor 226 to drive the tray motor 226 and lift the stacking tray 116 (step S117). In the second sheet re-lifting process, the control unit 200 inputs the second current to the tray motor 226 to drive the tray motor 226 and lift the stacking tray 116 (step S122).

If it is determined in steps S118 and S123 that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is ON (Yes), the control section 200 stops the tray motor 226 (step S124). After executing step S<b>124 , in the control unit 200 , the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 transmits the full load release information regarding the full load release state to the image forming apparatus control unit 201 . Then, based on the fully loaded release information, the control section 200 notifies the sheet stacking unit 115 of the fully loaded release state through the operation panel 61 (step S125), and terminates the tray elevation control process. When the user inputs an instruction to resume the print job on the operation panel 61, the control unit 200 resumes the print job and starts the tray elevation control process again from step S101.

If it is determined in step S123 that the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state (No), the control unit 200 determines that the second lifting time after starting the second sheet lifting process has reached the tray lifting timeout time. It is determined whether or not (step S126). If it is determined in step S126 that the second lift time has not reached the tray lift timeout time (No), the controller 200 executes step S123 again.

If it is determined in step S126 that the second lift time has reached the tray lift timeout time (Yes), the controller 200 stops the tray motor 226 (step S127). After executing step S127, the control unit 200 notifies the operation panel 61 of information about the failure of the sheet stacking unit 115 (step S128). In step S<b>128 , the post-processing apparatus control portion 204 determines that the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a failure state, and transmits failure information regarding the failure state to the image forming apparatus control portion 201 . Then, the image forming apparatus control unit 201 notifies the failure state through the operation panel 61 based on the failure information. Further, the control unit 200 forcibly terminates the interrupted print job based on the failure information, and terminates the processing related to the tray elevation control.

As described above, the printer 1 executes the sheet removal notification process in step S114, thereby making it possible to execute the sheet re-lifting process in steps S117 and after when the sheet stacking unit 115 is not fully loaded. In the printer 1, when the stacking tray 116 does not rise in the sheet re-lifting process, the sheet stacking unit 115 is not fully loaded, so it is determined that the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a failure state. That is, in the printer 1, when the stacking tray 116 does not rise in the sheet raising process, it is possible to determine whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a failure state without executing the process of lowering the stacking tray 116. Then, based on the determination of the failure state, the printer 1 can notify information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 . As a result, the printer 1 can determine and notify the failure state regardless of the position of the stacking tray 116, and can more appropriately notify the state of the sheet stacking unit. In addition, the printer 1 does not need to be provided with a dedicated sensor for determining the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost.

In addition, the printer 1 executes a first sheet raising process for raising the stacking tray 116 with the first current in the sheet raising process. Then, when the stacking tray 116 is not lifted in the first sheet lifting process, the printer 1 executes the second sheet lifting process for lifting the stacking tray 116 with the second current. As a result, the printer 1 drives the tray motor 226 with the first current smaller than the second current when the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 116 is small and light, thereby suppressing an increase in power consumption. can be done.

Further, in the printer 1, the sheet re-lifting process includes a first sheet re-lifting process of lifting the stacking tray 116 with a first current and a second sheet lifting process of lifting the stacking tray 116 with a second current. . Then, when the stacking tray 116 does not rise in the first sheet re-lifting process, the second sheet lifting process is executed. As a result, the printer 1 can suppress an increase in power consumption in the sheet re-lifting process.

Further, when the sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking tray 116 by the discharge claw 111, the printer 1 executes the sheet raising process after executing the sheet lowering process in step S102. As a result, the printer 1 can prevent the stack of sheets stacked on the stacking tray 116 from blocking the discharge port of the stock unit 105 .

Further, in the printer 1, when the stacking tray 116 does not rise, it is possible to determine whether the cause is the fully loaded state or the malfunction state. can improve the convenience of

Note that the printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes the first sheet lifting process, the second sheet lifting process, the first sheet re-lifting process, and the second sheet re-lifting process in the sheet lifting process and the sheet re-lifting process, respectively. configured, but not limited to. For example, the printer 1 may omit the second sheet lifting process and the first sheet re-lifting process, or may omit the second sheet lifting process and the second sheet re-lifting process.

Further, although the printer 1 in this embodiment is configured to have the tray lower limit sensor 118, the printer 1 is not limited to this. may be configured to determine

Further, although the printer 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the OFF state in step S116, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printer 1 may determine in step S116 whether or not a button displayed on the operation panel 61 has been pressed. Then, the processing from step S117 onward may be executed by pressing the above button. Note that the button may be a physical button or a specific detection area displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like and capable of detecting a user operation.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. It should be noted that the configuration similar to that of the first embodiment is omitted from the illustration, or the same reference numerals are given to the figure to omit the description. The control unit 200 according to the second embodiment executes each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 as the process related to tray elevation control. In this flowchart, the same reference numerals are given to the same processing as in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the description thereof is omitted.

After executing step S121, the control unit 200 inputs a third current larger than the second current to the tray motor 226 to drive the tray motor 226 and perform a third sheet re-lifting process to raise the stacking tray 116. start (step S130). That is, the control unit 200 causes the tray motor 226 to generate torque larger than that in the second sheet lifting process to lift the stacking tray 116 . After executing step S130, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sheet surface detection sensor 117 is in the ON state (step S123).

As described above, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment executes the second sheet lifting process in the frequently executed sheet lifting process, and executes the third sheet re-lifting process in the less frequently executed sheet re-lifting process. As a result, the printer 1 can prevent an increase in the frequency of driving the tray motor 226 with the third current and an increase in power consumption. In addition, in the third sheet re-lifting process, the stacking tray 116 is lifted with a torque higher than that in the second sheet lifting process in which the second current is applied, so that the malfunction of the sheet stacking unit 115 can be reliably determined and left as it is. can.

Note that the printer 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to include the first sheet re-raising process and the third sheet re-raising process in the sheet re-raising process, but the present invention is not limited to this. The printer 1 may be configured to include only the third sheet re-raising process in the sheet re-raising process. Further, in the sheet raising process, only one of the first sheet raising process and the second sheet raising process may be executed.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described. It should be noted that the configuration similar to that of the first embodiment is omitted from the illustration, or the same reference numerals are given to the figure to omit the description. As shown in FIG. 7, the post-processing device control unit 204 in the third embodiment includes a fully loaded state determining means 300 for determining whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or malfunctioning in processing related to tray elevation control. have That is, the full-load state determining means 300 determines a full-load state, which is an overload state in which the sheet stacking unit 115 is loaded with sheets having a predetermined weight or more on the stacking tray 116 . As shown in FIG. 8, the post-processing device control section 204 can transmit information about the full load state or the failure state to the image forming device control section 201 according to the determination by the full load state determination means 300 .

Here, tray elevation control in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing steps related to tray elevation control started when post-processing device control section 204 receives post-processing conditions. In this flowchart, the same reference numerals are given to the same processing as in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the description thereof is omitted.

After executing step S113, the control unit 200 executes a state notification process that includes steps S201 to S203 and notifies that the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or malfunctioning. First, in step S201, the control section 200 determines whether or not the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded by the fully loaded state determination section 300. FIG. The fully loaded state determination unit 300 calculates and estimates the weight of the sheet bundles stacked on the stacking tray 116 from the number of sheet bundles discharged to the stacking tray 116 and the sheet size and basis weight included in the post-processing conditions. Note that the fully loaded state determining unit 300 may be configured to calculate and estimate the weight of the sheet bundle based on the type of sheets in addition to the sheet size and basis weight.

The fully loaded state determination means 300 compares the estimated weight with a predetermined weight threshold. In this embodiment, the threshold is set to the sheet weight that the tray motor 226 can lift with the second current. The fully loaded state determining means 300 determines that the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a failure state when the estimated weight is less than the threshold, and the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded when the estimated weight is equal to or greater than the threshold. state.

In step S201, when it is determined that the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded (Yes), the control section 200 executes a full tray notification that notifies information about the fully loaded state. (step S202). In step S<b>202 , in the control unit 200 , full load information is transmitted from the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 to the image forming apparatus control unit 201 . Then, the control unit 200 notifies information about the full state of the sheet stacking unit 115 through the operation panel 61 based on the full load information. Further, the control unit 200 interrupts the print job based on the fully loaded state, and terminates the processing related to the tray elevation control.

When it is determined in step S201 that the fully loaded state determining means 300 has determined that the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a malfunctioning state (No), the control section 200 notifies the operation panel 61 of information regarding the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 (step S201). S203). In step S<b>203 , the post-processing apparatus control unit 204 determines that the sheet stacking unit 115 is in a failure state, and transmits failure information regarding the failure state to the image forming apparatus control unit 201 . Based on the failure information, the image forming apparatus control unit 201 notifies information about the failure state through the operation panel 61 . Further, the control unit 200 forcibly terminates the print job based on the failure information, and terminates the processing related to the tray elevation control.

As described above, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment can determine whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is in the fully loaded state or the failure state without executing the process of lowering the stacking tray 116 when the stacking tray 116 does not rise in the sheet lifting process. can determine whether Then, the printer 1 can notify information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 based on the determination of the failure state.

When the stacking tray 116 does not rise in the sheet lifting process, the printer 1 determines whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or malfunctioning without driving the tray motor 226, thereby reducing power consumption. can be suppressed. Further, the printer 1 can determine whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or malfunctioning without the user removing the sheet stack stacked on the stacking tray 116 . As a result, the printer 1 can reduce the burden on the user when the printer 1 is fully loaded or malfunctions.

Although the printer 1 according to the third embodiment is configured to notify only the information regarding the fully loaded state in step S202, the present invention is not limited to this. In step S202, the printer 1 may be configured to notify the user of information prompting the user to remove the sheets stacked on the stacking tray 116. FIG.

In addition, in the printer 1 according to the first to third embodiments, the tray rise time-out time is set to the time required for the stacking tray 116 to move from the lowest position to the detection height position with the first current. Not exclusively. The tray rise timeout time may be set to the time required to move from the lowest position to the detection height position with the second current or the third current.

Further, in the printer 1 according to the first to third embodiments, the first to third lift times are compared with the same tray lift time-out time, but the invention is not limited to this. The tray raise timeout time may be set differently for each raise time to be compared.

Further, the printer 1 according to the first to third embodiments is configured so that the operation panel 61 displays information regarding the fully loaded state and failure state, and information prompting removal of the sheets stacked on the stacking tray 116 . However, it is not limited to this. The printer 1 may be configured to notify the user of the information by sound or light, or may be configured to notify the service person by e-mail or the like.

Further, the sheet discharge device in the first to third embodiments is configured as the printer 1, but is not limited to this, and may be configured as the finisher 100 or the printer body 10. FIG. Further, although the finisher 100 in the first to third embodiments is configured to have the stock portion 105, the present invention is not limited to this. The finisher 100 may be configured to have a stapling processing unit that performs stapling processing, a bookbinding processing unit that performs bookbinding processing, or a trim processing unit that performs trimming processing.

Further, in the first to third embodiments, the fully loaded state and failure state of the sheet stacking unit 115 are determined during the tray elevation control after the sheet stack is discharged onto the stacking tray 116. It is not limited to this. For example, when the power of the printer 1 is turned on or when the image is not formed, the sheet lifting process may be executed to determine whether the sheet stacking unit 115 is fully loaded or has a failure.

1: sheet discharge device (printer), 30: image forming unit, 60: notification unit, 61: display unit (operation panel), 105: sheet processing unit (stock unit), 111: sheet discharge unit (discharge claw), 115 : sheet stacking unit, 116: sheet stacking section (stacking tray), 117: sheet detecting section (sheet surface detecting sensor), 200: control section, 226: driving section (tray motor)

Claims (7)

a sheet discharge unit for discharging a sheet;
A sheet stacking unit supported to be able to move up and down, on which sheets discharged by the sheet discharging unit are stacked, a sheet detecting unit for detecting the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit, and a driving unit for raising the sheet stacking unit. and a sheet loading unit having a
a notification unit that notifies the state of the sheet stacking unit;
a control unit capable of executing sheet raising processing for driving the drive unit and raising the sheet stacking unit to a detection height position where the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit can be detected by the sheet detection unit; prepared,
The sheet lifting process includes: a first sheet lifting process of inputting a first current to the driving section to drive the driving section and lifting the sheet stacking section to the detection height position; a second sheet raising process of inputting a larger second current to the driving unit to drive the driving unit and raising the sheet stacking unit to the detection height position;
The control section executes the second sheet lifting process when the sheet detection section does not detect the sheet in the first sheet lifting process, and the control section executes the second sheet lifting process when the sheet detection section does not detect the sheet in the second sheet lifting process. a sheet removal notification process in which the notification unit notifies information prompting removal of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit;
After executing the sheet removal notification process, a sheet re-raise process is executed to raise the sheet stacking unit to the detection height position, and if the sheet detection unit does not detect the sheet in the sheet re-raise process, the sheet Notifying by the notifying unit information about the failure state of the loading unit;
A sheet ejection device characterized by: The sheet re-raising process includes a first sheet re-raising process of inputting the first current to the driving section to drive the driving section and raising the sheet stacking section to the detection height position; a second sheet re-lifting process of inputting the current No. 2 to the driving unit to drive the driving unit and raising the sheet stacking unit to the detection height position;
The control section executes the second sheet re-raising process when the sheet detecting section does not detect the sheet in the first sheet re-raising process, and the sheet is detected by the sheet detecting section in the second sheet re-raising process. if not detected, the notifying unit notifies information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit;
2. The sheet ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein: In the sheet re-lifting process, a third current greater than the second current is input to the driving section to drive the driving section, thereby raising the sheet stacking section to the detection height position. Including rising process,
The control unit notifies, by the notification unit, information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit when the sheet detection unit does not detect the sheet in the third sheet re-lifting process.
2. The sheet ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein: The control unit executes sheet lowering processing for lowering the sheet stacking unit to a height position at which the sheet detecting unit does not detect the sheet when the sheet is discharged to the sheet stacking unit by the sheet discharging unit, executing the sheet raising process after executing the sheet lowering process;
4. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that: The notification unit has a display unit capable of displaying information about the failure state of the sheet stacking unit.
5. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that: a sheet processing means for processing the sheet;
The sheet discharge section discharges the sheet processed by the sheet processing means to the sheet stacking section.
6. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that: An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet,
The sheet discharge section discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section to the sheet stacking section.
The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , characterized in that:

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