JPH0318530A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operationability of a paper feeding device and increase the practicability of the paper feeding device by providing a control means for calling the size information of the hand inserting paper to display with a display means when the size information is loaded in a memory. CONSTITUTION:Size of the hand inserting paper is detected by size detecting means M1, M3 and M4. Next, this size information is stored in a memory 61 to be held till non-existence of the hand inserting paper in the hand inserting paper feeding unit is judged by a paper existence detecting means M2. Next, when the size information of the hand inserting paper is loaded in the memory 61, this information is called by a control means 60 to be displayed with a display means 54.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a paper feeding device attached to an image forming device such as a copying machine or a printer.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a paper feeding device for an image forming apparatus has an automatic paper feeding section that feeds vapor stored in a cassette, and a manual feeding table, and a plurality of sheets placed thereon are fed. A device equipped with a manual paper feed unit that feeds paper one sheet at a time has been proposed.

According to this paper feeding device, vapor of any size can be fed from the manual paper feeding section, so when copying paper of a rarely used size or special sheet,
It is convenient because there is no need to replace the cassette every time. Further, by storing paper of a different size from the paper in the cassette in the manual feeding table, the manual feeding section can be used in the same way as a cassette.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, conventional paper feeding devices equipped with a manual paper feeding section have a means for displaying the size of the paper stored in the cassette; There was nothing to display the size of the paper being fed by hand.

Therefore, even if you try to feed paper that is already loaded in the manual paper feed section, if you do not know the size of the paper, you have to pull out the manual paper from the manual feed table and check it directly. Ta.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and includes a paper feeding device: i. an automatic paper feeding section; i. A manual paper feed section capable of accommodating several sheets of manual paper; a paper feed section selection means; 1v. V. size detection means for detecting the size of the manually fed paper; a paper presence/absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of manual paper in the manual paper feed section; v1. storage means for storing the size information of the manually fed paper obtained by the size detecting means and holding the size information until there is no more manually fed paper in the manual paper feed section; vii. display means for displaying paper size; vii.
If size information of manual paper is held in the storage device, a control means for calling up the size information and displaying it on the display means is provided.

(Function) According to the above configuration, the size of the manual paper feeder is detected by the size detection means. The size information is stored and held in the storage means until the paper presence/absence detection means determines that there is no manual paper in the manual paper feed. Further, the stored size information is called up by the control means and displayed on the display means.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example that embodies the invention having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a copying machine. In this copying machine 1, a photoreceptor 2 rotating in the direction of the arrow is charged with a charger 3 and an eraser 4 in a predetermined area on its outer periphery. Further, the document on the document table crow 6 covered with the opening/closing cover 5 is illuminated by an exposure lamp 7, and the reflected light is exposed to the charged area of the photoreceptor 2, forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the document image. be shaped. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by a developing device 8, and is transferred to a paper feeding device 11 in a transfer area facing a transfer charger 9.
The image is transferred to the beaver that is transported from there. The paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device 10, where the toner image is heated and fixed, and then discharged outside the machine.

The paper feeding device 1l generally includes two automatic paper feeding sections 12.1.
3, and a manual paper feed section 20 provided above these.

In the manual feed section 20, the manual feed table 2l is rotatably supported by a fixed table 22 fixed to the copying machine main body, and can be accommodated in the state shown by the dotted line on the side of the copying machine main body. It consists of a movable table 23, and this office table 23 is provided with a side regulating part 24 for regulating the width of the vapor P placed on the manual feeding table 2l, and a sensor M1 for detecting the position of this side regulating part 24. be. Further, above the fixed table 22, a paper feed roller 25 and a sensor M for detecting the vapor P on the manual feed table 21 are provided. A sensor M3 is provided to detect the leading and trailing ends. Furthermore, a sensor M4 is provided above the fixed table 22 to detect the movable table 23 housed in the copying machine main body.

FIG. 2 shows the operation panel of the copying machine l. In this operation panel, 30 is a print key for starting copying, 3l to 40 are numeric keys from "1" to "O", and 41
Clear/Scan 1-. is used to clear the number of copies (set number of copies), stop copying, etc. /p key, 42 is a display section that displays the set number of sheets, 50 is a paper feed section selection key, 51
, 52 and 53 are LEDs, respectively indicating the manual paper feed section 20,
It is displayed that the upper automatic sheet feeding section 12 and the lower automatic sheet feeding section 13 are selected. Reference numeral 54 denotes a display section that displays the size of the paper contained in the selected paper feed section or the paper embossment. Reference numeral 55 is an all reset key for returning the copying machine that is in a special mode to a standard mode.

FIG. 3 is a control circuit diagram, in which various keys on the operation panel,
The LEDs, sensors M1 to M4 of the paper feeder 11, etc. are connected to a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as "CPUj") 60.
The control circuit consists of the following. Also, CPU6
0 exchanges data through a memory 61 and a data bus 62.

Regarding the control of the paper feed device of a copying machine with the above configuration,
This will be explained with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. In the following explanation, "on edge" refers to the state in which a signal switches from an off state to an on state, and an "off edge"
refers to the state in which a signal switches from an on state to an off state.

Main routine (see Figure 4) When the power is turned on to the copying machine, the CPU 6
0 internal RAM is cleared and initial settings for standard copy mode are performed. At this time, in the paper feeding device 11, the upper automatic paper feeding section l2 is automatically selected.

In step S2, an internal timer of the CPU 60 is set. This timer requires 1
Routine time is managed.

In step S3, human input from the operation panel and various sensors is accepted and processed.

In step S4, a paper feed section is selected, in step S5, a vapor size display process is performed, and in step S6, a manual vapor width is read. The details of these processes will be described later.

In step S7, a series of operations of the copying machine described above from the start to the end of copying are performed.

In step S8, the paper size of the manual paper feed section is read into the memory 6l. The details of this process will be described later.

In step S9, the control signal and display signal are processed and necessary information is displayed on the operation panel or the like.

In step SIO, processing for main switch off is performed.

In step Sll, it is determined whether the internal timer set in step S2 has ended, and if the internal timer has ended, the process returns to step S2 and the processes from step S2 to step S1l are executed again.

Paper feeding unit selection operation processing routine (see FIG. 5) In this routine, the paper feeding unit is switched.

In step SIOO, it is determined whether the copying machine is in the process of copying, and if it is in the process of copying, the process returns to the main routine;
If it is not being copied, the process advances to step S101.

In step Slot, the on-edge of sensor M4 is detected. And on edge, that is, movable table 2
When it is detected that the paper feed section 3 is switched from the idle state (dotted line state) to the open state (solid line state), the paper feed section is switched to the manual paper feed section 20 in step S102, and the process proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, if the on-edge is not detected in the steno knob Sl01 and the movable table 23 remains in the idle state, the process proceeds to step Sl03 without changing the paper feeding section.

In step S103, it is determined whether the manual paper feed section 20 is selected. Here, if the manual paper feed section 20 is selected, the paper feed section selection key 5 is pressed in step S104.
0 on-edge is detected, and if the on-edge is detected, the paper feeding section is switched to the upper automatic paper feeding section 12, and if the on-edge is not detected, the process proceeds to step Sl13 while maintaining the selection of the manual paper feeding section 20.

If it is determined in step S103 that the manual paper feed unit 20 is not selected as the paper feed unit, the process advances to step S106, and it is determined in step S106 that the upper automatic paper feed unit l2 is selected as the paper feed unit. Determine whether Here, if the upper automatic paper feed section l2 is selected, step S107
Detects the on-edge of paper feed section selection +-50, and when an on-edge is detected, the paper feed section is switched to the lower automatic paper feed section l3, and if no on edge is detected, the paper feed section is switched to the upper automatic paper feed section 12.
The process advances to step S113 while maintaining the selection.

If it is determined in step Sl06 that the upper automatic paper feeding unit l2 is not selected as the paper feeding unit, the process proceeds to step Sl09, where the on-edge of the paper feeding unit selection key 50 is detected. If the ON/OFF state of the paper feed unit selection key 50 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S113 while maintaining the lower automatic paper feed unit l3 as the paper feed unit. On the other hand, when the on-edge of the paper feed section selection key 50 is detected in step Sl09, it is determined in step Silo whether or not the movable table 23 is in the open state. This judgment is based on sensor M4
This is done based on signals from. And the driving table 2
3 is opened, the paper feed section is switched to the manual paper feed section 20 in step s111, and if it is not opened, step S111 switches the paper feed section to the manual paper feed section 20.
At ll2, the paper feeding section is switched to the upper automatic paper feeding section 12, and the process proceeds to step Sll3.

Through the above processing, when the movable table 23 is set to the open state, the paper feeding section is switched to the manual paper feeding section 20. Also,
When the movable table 23 is open, pressing the paper feed section selection key 50 switches the paper feed sections in the order of the upper automatic paper feed section 12, the lower automatic paper feed section, and the manual paper feed section 20. On the other hand, when the movable table 23 is not opened, pressing the paper feed section selection key 50 alternately selects the upper automatic paper feed section 12 and the lower automatic paper feed section l3. That is, even if the movable table 23 is in the open state, the automatic paper feeding section 12.
All 13 are selectable.

In step Sl13, the off edge of the sensor M4, that is, the switching from the open state to the closed state of the movable table 23 is detected, and if the off edge is detected, step Sl1
After switching the paper feeding section to the priority paper feeding section in step 4, if no off-flow is detected, the process directly returns to the main routine. In this embodiment, the priority paper feeding section is the upper automatic paper feeding section 12.

Paper size display routine (see FIG. 6) In this routine, the paper size of the selected paper feed section is displayed on the display section 54 of the operation panel.

In step 3200, the manual paper feed section 20 is used as a paper feed section.
is selected, and if the manual paper feed section 20 is not selected, the paper size of the upper automatic paper feed section l2 or the lower automatic paper feed section 13 is displayed in step S205.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S200 that the manual paper feed section 20 is selected, it is determined in step 201 whether or not there is a paper feeder P on the manual feed table 2l. This determination is based on the sensor M. This is done based on the signal. Then, if vapor P is not detected on the manual feed table 2l, step S
In step 204, the size information of the paper P stored in the memory 60 is cleared. Note that this size information is read by a Ruheha width reading routine and a Baber size reading routine, which will be explained later, and stored in the memory 6l. Further, when paper P is detected on the manual feed table 21, step S20
Proceed to step 2.

In step S202, it is determined whether or not size information is stored in the memory 60. If size information is already stored, the size of the paper P is displayed on the display section 54 in step S203, and conversely, the size information is stored in the memory. If there is none, just return to the main routine.

<<Paper Width Reading Routine>> (See FIG. 7) This routine reads the width of the paper P and stores it.

In the steno knob S300, it is determined whether the movable table 23 is opened. This determination is made based on the signal from the seven sensor M4.

Here, if it is determined that the manual feed table 21 is open, a step S301 determines whether or not there is a beaver P on the manual feed table 21 based on the signal from the sensor M, and if there is a beeber P, the step S301 And sensor M. After reading the vapor width based on the signal from P, if there is no vapor P, the size information in the memory 61 is cleared in Stenov S303 and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S300 that the manual feed table 21 is not opened, it is determined in step S304 whether or not there is size information in the memory 6l. After clearing , if there is no size information, return to the main routine.

Paper Size Reading Routine (See FIG. 8) This routine reads the length and paper size of the paper P fed from the manual paper feed section 20.

In step S400, the manual paper feed section 20 is used as a paper feed section.
is selected, and if the manual paper feed section 20 is not selected, the process returns to the main routine, and if the manual paper feed section 20 is selected, the process advances to step S401.

The stenop S401 detects the on-edge of the sensor M3. That is, when the vapor P is fed from the manual feed table 2l and its leading edge passes the detection position of the sensor M, the signal of the sensor M3 switches from the off state to the on state, and its on edge is detected. Further, if an on-edge is detected, a timer T1 is started in step S402.

While the vapor P is passing through the detection position of the sensor M3, the processes of step S400, S401 and step S403 are executed.

In step S403, an off edge of sensor M is detected, and if no off edge is detected, the process returns to the main routine. Then, when the rear end of the paper P passes the detection position of the sensor M, and the signal of the sensor M3 is switched from the on state to the off state, the off energy of the sensor M3 is detected by the steno knob S403.

When the off-edge of the sensor M3 is detected in step S403, the timer T1 is stopped in step S404, and the paper length of the paper P is read from the value of the timer T1 in step S405. Next, in step S406, step S4
The paper size is calculated and read from the paper length information read in step 05 and the paper width information read in the above-mentioned Baber width routine, and the process returns to the main routine. Then, the paper size is displayed on the display section 54 according to the processing of the paper size display routine described above.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the paper feeding device according to the present invention, size information of the manual paper feeder accommodated in the manual paper feeding section is displayed on the display section. Therefore, even when feeding manual feed paper remaining in the manual paper feed section, the troublesome work of pulling out the manual feed paper and checking its size is not necessary, so the paper feed device, even the copying machine, etc. This improves the shape and ease of handling the device, and increases the practicality of the paper feeding device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the copying machine, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the operation panel, Fig. 3 is a control circuit diagram, Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the main routine, and Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the paper feed section selection operation processing routine. , FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the paper size display routine, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the paper width reading routine, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the paper size reading routine. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Copying machine, 11... Paper feeding device, 12... Upper automatic paper feeding section, l3... Lower automatic paper feeding section, 20... Manual paper feeding section, 2l... Manual feeding table, 50 ... Paper feed section selection key, 54 ... Display section, 60 ... Microcomputer (CPU), 61 ... Memory, M. ．． M,
, M3, M4...sensor. Figure 4 υ]

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An automatic paper feeding section, a manual paper feeding section capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets of manual paper, a paper feeding section selection means, a size detection means for detecting the size of the manual paper, and a manual paper feeding section in the manual paper feeding section. a paper presence/absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of paper; a storage means for storing size information of the manually fed paper obtained by the size detecting means and retaining the size information until there is no more manually fed paper in the manual paper feed section; A paper feeding device comprising: a display means for displaying the size; and a control means for calling up size information of manual paper if stored in the storage device and displaying it on the display means.