JPH02216165A - Paper feeding control method for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance workability and reliability by storing the size and residual quantity of storing sheets and selecting a paper storing part to be fed. CONSTITUTION:Information 15 on the size of sheets on first to fourth trays 11 to 14 and sheet residual quantity information 16 are inputted to a tray controller 10. In addition, information 17 on a paper storing part during using limitless on/off information 18 relating to the adoption of limitless paper feeding, optimum size information 19 required when automatic paper selection is used, and user program request size information 20 are inputted to the tray controller 10. Two pieces of information 15 and 16 are used by a limitless control L, a user program control U and an automatic paper feeding selection control P. The information 18 is used by the control L, the information 19 by the control P and the information 20 by the control P. When the paper storing part feeding sheets is finally selected, the controller 10 outputs paper feeding tray selection information to feed sheets. If sheets on the tray run out, paper exhaustion information is outputted from the controller 10 to stop paper feeding. Thus, workability and reliability can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a paper feed control method for image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, in copying machines, the paper storage section includes a paper feed tray,
It is known to provide a plurality of paper feed cassettes and the like, and to select one of the plurality of paper feed trays or paper feed cassettes to feed paper.

Furthermore, if paper of the same size is stored in two or more of the multiple paper trays or paper cassettes, and one paper tray or paper cassette runs out of paper, the automatic It is also known to temporarily switch to another paper feed tray or paper feed cassette to feed paper.

conventionally? When there are 31 paper feed trays or paper feed cassettes, the order in which paper sizes are searched is preset by the device. For example, if there are 4 paper feed trays from tray 1 to tray 4 In some cases, the search order is set to be - for example, the first, second, third, and fourth trays.

Therefore, if paper of the same size is stored in the first and fourth trays, for example, paper is fed from the first tray, and only when the first tray runs out of paper is the paper fed into the fourth tray. Paper is fed from the An exception is when copying a large amount of paper that requires copying all of the paper stored in two paper feed trays; generally, only a few sheets are to be copied.

In such a case, even if the first tray runs out of paper and paper is subsequently fed from the fourth tray, the fourth
The number of sheets fed from the tray is small.

When the first tray runs out of paper, it is normally replenished immediately. If there is paper in the first tray, paper will be fed from the first tray again during the next copy, and paper will not be fed from the fourth tray until the first tray runs out of paper. It will not be available unless specified. If this is done, the paper in the fourth tray will remain for a long period of time.

In conventional paper feeding devices, when paper of the same size is stored in multiple paper trays or paper cassettes, one specific paper tray or paper cassette is frequently fed, but other paper feeds are frequently fed. There is a problem in that paper is fed infrequently from a paper feed tray or a paper cassette, and paper remains for a long period of time.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and allows the paper to be fed almost evenly from all paper storage units without causing the paper feed to be unevenly distributed in multiple paper storage units that store paper of the same size. The objective is to provide a paper feed control method for this purpose.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention solves the above problem by storing size information and remaining amount information of each paper stored in a plurality of paper storage units, and determining which paper storage unit the paper should be fed from based on the input paper feeding size information and the size information. If you select , and there are multiple paper storage units that store paper of the same size, compare and select the paper storage unit with the most remaining amount based on the remaining amount information of the corresponding paper storage unit.
The problem was solved by a paper feed control method for an image forming apparatus characterized by feeding paper from the paper storage section.

[Function] According to the present invention, information on the size and remaining amount of paper stored in each paper storage section, for example, a paper feed tray, a paper feed cassette, etc., is stored in the control section, and when a signal for a specified paper size is input manually, Select a paper storage unit of the appropriate size from among the plurality of paper storage units. If multiple paper storage units exist for the specified size, the remaining amount information of the corresponding paper storage units is compared, the paper storage unit with the most remaining capacity is selected, and paper is fed from that paper storage unit. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of paper being fed from only a portion of a plurality of paper storage units.

[Example] The details of the present invention will be explained based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a control system for a copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus.

A microprocessor 1 that executes a copying machine program is connected to a read-only memory (ROM) 3 by a bus 2.
It is connected to a read/write memory (RA, M) 4, a nonvolatile memory (nonvolatile RAM) 5, an input/output capotro, and a serial communication control unit 7.

The input and output ports are connected to the motor in the copying machine, output loads such as sotonoids, and input signals from sensors and the like. The serial communication control unit 7 sends and receives signals to and from an operation display section (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, a tray control device 10 is provided to control paper feeding. Tray controller 10 includes a tray controller, an automatic paper selection controller, and a user program controller. The limitless control unit automatically switches paper trays when the paper tray in use as a paper storage section runs out of paper and the same size paper is set in another paper tray. This is a control unit that causes paper to be fed continuously. The automatic paper selection control unit is a control unit that determines the optimum recording paper size based on the document size and the magnification ratio, automatically selects a paper feed tray containing paper of the relevant size, and feeds the paper. The user program control unit can select one of a plurality of copy modes that are pre-registered.
This is a control unit that allows the user to call up a set at any time and feeds paper that matches the copy mode from the paper feed tray.

For each paper storage section, the tray control device 10 includes, for example, four paper feed trays, a first tray 11,
Paper size (recording paper size) information 15 for the second tray 1/12, third tray 13, and fourth tray 14
, and paper IAlt (recording paper remaining M) information 16 are input, and furthermore, used paper feed table information 17 indicating which paper storage section is currently being used, and whether or not to adopt limitless paper feeding are input. The limitless 0N10FF information 18 shown, the optimum size information 19 in the case of automatic paper selection, and the user program requested size information 20 are input.

The tray control device 10 outputs paper feed tray selection information and paper end information.

The above-described input devices to the tray controller 10 differ in the information used for limitless control, automatic paper selection control, and user program control. Table 1 below shows the correspondence between each piece of information and the type of control.

Chart paper size information and remaining chart paper amount information are used in limitless control, automatic paper selection control, and user program control, but other information is used depending on the type of control. There are things I don't do. The fact that whether or not to use each control differs indicates that the paper size determination method differs depending on the type of control. Once the paper size is determined, the remaining amount of paper in the paper storage section of the determined size is determined. The information necessary to select a paper storage section with a large number of sheets is commonly used in both controls.

Table 1 When the paper storage section to feed paper is finally selected, paper feed tray selection information is output from the tray control device, and paper is fed from a predetermined paper feed tray. When the paper in the paper feed tray runs out, vapor end information is output by the tray control device, and paper feeding from the paper feed tray is stopped.

An example of paper feeding control according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 in the case of limitless control. Other cases of automatic paper selection and user program control are basically the same as the case of beam limitless control.

First, the first paper feed tray (which may be a cassette) is set to be sequentially searched (step 1).

Next, 0 is stored in memory A and memory B provided in the RAM 4 shown in FIG. 1 (step 2), and it is determined whether or not the search was successful when all paper feed trays have been searched. Use as an indicator.

Determine whether the set paper tray is the one currently in use (step 3). In the case of limitless paper feeding, of course the paper tray currently in use must be excluded from the search target. This step is not necessary if the automatic paper selection control is user program controlled.

If the paper tray is currently in use, proceed to step 7.
File.

If the paper feed tray is not currently in use, it is determined whether the paper size of the paper feed tray is the same as the size specified by the manual information (step 4).

If they are not the same, jump to step 7.

In this step, in the case of automatic paper selection, it is determined whether the paper size is the optimum size or not, and in the case of the user program system, it is determined whether the paper size is the required size.

In step 4, the specified size information and the paper feed tray,
For example, compare and calculate the recording paper size information of the first paper feed tray, and if the sizes are the same, compare the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed tray, for example, the first paper feed tray, with the contents of memory B of RAM4. If it is larger than the amount in memory B, that is, if there is a lot of remaining capacity, the paper feed tray number is stored in memory A, for example 1 for the first feed tray, and the number is stored in memory B.
stores the remaining amount (step 6). If the first paper feed tray is the specified size in the first search, the contents of memory B will naturally be 0, so if there is a remaining amount in the first paper feed tray, Since the amount is large, 1 is stored in memory A and the remaining amount is stored in memory B.

After step 6, it is determined whether or not the fourth paper feed tray has been completed (step 7).In this case, since there are four paper feed trays, it is determined whether or not the fourth paper feed tray has been completed. Instead of 4, a number relative to the number of paper feed trays can be entered. Since the entire search is performed on the first paper feed tray, the search is not completed until the fourth paper feed tray, and the process moves to the next paper feed tray, that is, the second paper feed tray.

The above steps are then repeated for the second paper feed tray. Similar steps are repeated up to the last paper feed tray, for example, the fourth paper feed tray.

If the third and fourth paper feed trays are of the same size in addition to the first paper feed tray, in step 5, the remaining paper amount information of the third paper feed tray and the first paper feed tray stored in memory B are Comparison calculation is performed with the remaining amount information.

If the remaining amount of the third paper feed tray is larger, in step 6, 3 is stored in memory A, the remaining amount of the third paper feed tray is stored in memory B, and the process is moved to the fourth paper feed tray.

In the same way, the remaining amount of paper feed tray 4 is compared with the remaining amount stored in memory 2, and if the remaining amount of paper feed tray 4 is larger, the content of memory A is set to 4, and the content of memory B is set to 4. The content of is changed to the remaining amount of the fourth feeding tray and stored. If there is little remaining capacity in the fourth tray, the contents of memories A and B are left as they are and the process moves to step 7.

Thus, the paper feed tray number stored in memory A after completing step 7 is the paper feed tray with the maximum remaining capacity, and the remaining capacity at that time is stored next to the paper feed tray. This indicates that the paper feed tray with the maximum remaining capacity has been selected.

If the process ends up to step 7 and 0 is stored in memory A, all paper feed trays are searched, and in step 6 it is shown that the remaining amount is not stored in memory B.

When it is determined in step 7 that the search for all paper feed trays has been completed, it is determined whether the contents of memory B are 0 or not. Indicating that the stored paper feed tray was not found, paper end processing is executed (step 9).

If the contents of memory B are not O, this means that a paper tray with more remaining capacity was found, so select the paper tray with the paper tray number stored in memory A (step 10). , outputs information so that paper is fed from the paper feed tray with the number stored in memory A.

〔effect〕

According to the present invention, paper is controlled to be fed from the paper storage section with a large amount of remaining paper, thereby preventing a certain paper storage section from being lopsided and being used more frequently, and preventing paper from remaining in the paper storage section for a long period of time. It was resolved.

As a result, over a long period of time, even if the number of additional paper replenishments is the same, the proportion of additional paper replenishment required during the copying operation will be reduced, and the number of times the copying operation will be interrupted will be reduced, allowing the operator to The workability of the machine has improved, and the reliability of the copying machine has improved.

Particularly in rimless paper feeding control, paper feeding tray selection can be executed more effectively, improving the operator's work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a paper feed control section, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example of paper feed control. 1... Microprocessor 3... ROM 4... RAM 6... Input/output board 10... What? Ray control device 11-14...
Paper feed tray 15... Recording paper size information 16... Recording paper remaining amount information

Claims (1)

[Claims] A paper feed control method for an image forming apparatus that switches and feeds paper from a plurality of paper storage units, the method comprising: storing and inputting size information and remaining amount information of each paper stored in the plurality of paper storage units; The paper storage unit to which paper should be fed is selected based on the specified paper feed size information and the size information, and if there are multiple paper storage units that store paper of the same size, the remaining amount of paper in the corresponding paper storage unit is selected. A paper feed control method for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that a paper storage unit with the largest remaining amount is selected based on information, and paper is fed from the paper storage unit.