JPH0398058A - Copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent miscopying caused by operator's misoperation by detecting the presence or absence of a document on a contact glass by a document size detection means and a document density detection means before starting copying action after attaining a copying-enable state and starting the copying action only when the document exists. CONSTITUTION:A print key reservation mode function for performing the copy ing action as soon as the copying-enable state is attained by storing a print key which is depressed before the copying-enable state is attained is provided. Then, the document size detection means 2 and 3 and the document density detection means 5 detects the presence or absence of the document on the con tact glass 24 from the detection output therefrom before starting the copying action after attaining the copying-enable state and the copying action is started only when the detection shows that the document exists. Thus, the presence or absence of the document is checked at the stage of preparing the copying action in the middle of the action of a print key reservation mode. Then, the miscopying caused by the operator's misoperation is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a copying apparatus equipped with an original size detecting means for optically detecting the original size and an original density detecting means for optically detecting the original density.

[Conventional technology]

For example, a copying apparatus that allows numerical data to be entered by manual key means in a state where copying preparations such as fusing temperature are not completed, and allows commands for such data after the copying operation is completed, is disclosed in, for example, the Japanese Patent Publication No. 63- It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 63904.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The above-mentioned prior art has the advantage that data input before the end of the copy preparation operation is valid after the preparation is completed, but data input after the end of the copy preparation operation is valid. There is a problem in that users often forget to insert the original when they realize it, resulting in unnecessary copying.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a copying apparatus that checks the presence or absence of a document before performing a copying operation when the printer enters a copying enabled state during operation in a print key reservation mode. It's about doing.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above purpose is to store the print key pressed before the copying state is enabled in a copying machine equipped with an original size detection means for optically detecting the original size and an original density detection means for optically detecting the density of the original. It is equipped with a print key reservation mode function that allows a copying operation to be performed at the same time that the copying state is enabled, and the document size detecting means and the document density detecting means detect the presence or absence of a document on the contact glass based on their detection outputs. This is achieved by detecting the copying operation after the copying state is achieved and before starting the copying operation, and starting the copying operation only when the detection indicates the presence of a document.

[Effect]

In the copying apparatus, the original size detection means and the original density detection means operate to detect the presence or absence of the original on the contact glass based on their detection outputs, and the copying operation is started only when the detection indicates the presence of the original. Operate as expected.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a copying apparatus according to the present invention, in which 2 is an optical control section, 2 is a width size detection sensor constituting document size detection means, and 3 is a length size detection sensor. , 4 is a main control unit, 5 is a document density detection means, 6 is various human output units for the copying process (sheet feeding, image formation, conveyance, fixing, etc.), 7 is various key human power display segments, 8 is an AC drive circuit , 9 is an exposure lamp, 10 is a heater, motor, etc., and l1 is a print key (not shown).
12 is an option control unit, 13 is an A
DF control unit, 14 is a registration sensor, 15 is a set sensor, 16 is a lift-up switch, 17 is a conveyance motor,
18 is a solenoid for the calling roller.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a copying machine equipped with an ADF.
is an ejection sensor, 20 is an ejection roller, 21 is a document ejection port,
23 is a calling roller, 24 is a contact glass, 25 is a lead edge, 26 is a photosensitive drum, and 27 is an optical unit.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the optical unit, 28 is a second mirror, 29 is a third mirror, 30 is a first mirror, 3 is a reflector, 32 is a lens, 33 is a dustproof glass, 34 is a 44th
It is ra. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

In the illustrated copying apparatus, a print reservation mode function is set in which the print key of the operation unit 11 that is pressed before entering the copying ready state, that is, in the standby state, is stored, and the copying operation is performed at the same time as the copying becomes possible. has been done. When a copying operation is performed in such a print reservation mode, before performing this copying operation, the document size detection means (length size detection sensor) 3 and the document density detection means 5 are
If the document you are trying to copy using contact glass 2
4 is detected.

In the above embodiment, the document size detecting means 2, 3 and the document density detecting means 5 read the background density, length, and width of the document using an optical sensor, and are an automatic document that can copy various documents without selecting paper. It can be configured as a detection means. In this case, the sheet of the original holding cover is changed from the conventional white sheet to a yellow sheet, and after turning on the start key of the operation unit 1l, pre-scanning is performed to detect the original size. A pre-scan is performed, and the document density detection means 5 (optical sensor) receives the reflected light from the document of the light irradiated onto the document from the exposure lamp 9 during forward movement and backward movement.
The voltage is converted by the main control unit 4 through an optical fiber, and the data is subjected to a discriminant to recognize the presence or absence of a document. In this case, if determination 2 is satisfied, the document length is calculated from the number of optical encoder pulses, and the document size is selected.

The length size detection of the document size detection means is performed by the length size detection sensor 3. After the optical unit 27 starts scanning, the data of the length detection sensor 3 is reset at a position of about 473 mm. Next, the optical unit 27 starts to move backward, reads the mark sticker and the yellow part of the document holding cover, and when the trailing edge of the document is detected, it is determined that there is a document and reads the encoder pulse. The document length is calculated from the number of encoder pulses and sent to the main control section 4 as length data.

The width size detection sensor 2 of the document size detection means is located, for example, at a position of 95 mm from the reference point (center of the document), and the presence or absence of the document is confirmed at the detection position and sent to the main control section 4 as width data.

Next, the characteristics of each sensor used in the document size detection means 2, 3 and the document density detection means 5 will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the spectral sensitivity of the sensor. In the figure, a shows the spectral sensitivity of the size detection sensors 2 and 3, b shows the spectral sensitivity of the density detection sensor, and C shows the spectral sensitivity of the lens 32, photoreceptor drum 26, and exposure lamp 9. Indicates relative sensitivity.

Figure 5 shows the spectral reflectance of the document holding cover sheet.
On the short wavelength side (~460 rrm), the reflected light is small and appears yellow when visually observed.

Figure 6 shows the spectral reflectance of various originals. In the figure, line l is white high-quality paper (T6200 etc.), line 2 is yellow (green) paper, v
A3 shows the spectral reflectance of newspaper and other recycled paper, and line 4 shows the spectral reflectance of blue paper (graph paper, etc.). The spectral characteristics shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are all expressed in relative sensitivities.

Taking the above characteristics into consideration, the case where there is a document at the sensor reading position on the contact glass 24 and the case where there is no document will be explained. When there is a document, the φ10 spot on the document is blank and 3. The output of the size detection sensor set to O V varies depending on the color and density of the original, but is larger than the output when the conveyor belt 22 is used, and is 1.5 to 3. Ov, blank paper 3. The output of the original density detection sensor set to O V similarly varies depending on the color and density, but generally 1
．． 5-3. It becomes OV. When there is no document, the output of the size detection sensor at the φ10 spot on the conveyor belt 22 is 0.0 with the same settings. 6-0.
7 V, the output of the original density detection sensor is 2.2 to 2.8 V.
becomes. The difference in the short wavelength spectral reflectance of the conveyor belt 22 and the document becomes the output difference of characteristic a for the size detection sensors 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 4, and is compared with the output of the density detection sensor to detect the presence or absence of the document.

The operation of the above-described embodiment will be explained below using a flowchart.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for determining whether or not to check the presence or absence of a document to be copied. When the operator presses the print key on the operation part 1 to make a copy, if the copying machine is in the copy preparation state, the operator presses the print key on the operation part 1 to make a copy. It is often the case that the user attempts to take out the original and complete other tasks without waiting for the preparation to be completed before copying. However, since the print key remains pressed, the copying apparatus is in the print key reservation mode, and when the copying preparation is completed and the copying ready state is reached, copying will be performed without a document present. Therefore, in the case of copying from such print key reservation mode, it is necessary to perform document presence/absence check processing, and for this purpose, the check start flag is set to "1". That is, it is determined in S1 whether the state is copyable or not, and if it is not in the copyable state, S1 is determined.
In step 2, it is determined whether there is an abnormal state. If there is no abnormality, it is determined in S3 whether the print key is on, if the print key is on, the print key reservation mode is turned on in S4, and in S5 it is determined whether the document out flag is 1, and if it is not ■ , s6 sets the document out flag to zero, and s7 sets the check start flag to 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the timing of the presence or absence of a document. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the check is performed only when copying is started in the print key reservation mode with the start flag set, and the check timing is performed in the copying operation preparation step. That is, in FIG. 8, it is determined in S8 whether the copy is possible,
If it is in the copyable state, it is determined in S9 whether or not it is in the print key reservation mode, and if it is in the print key reservation mode, a document presence/absence check process, which will be described later, is performed in S12. After that, it is determined in S13 whether the check start flag is zero, and if it is zero, it is determined in S14 whether the document out flag = 1, and if it is 1, the copy end flag is turned on in S16, and in S17 is in the normal copy standby state. If the no-original flag is not -1 in S14, the process proceeds to the normal copying process in S15.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the document presence/absence checking process. This process is performed with the optical unit 27 at the home position. If the conditions shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 are satisfied, the detection process is executed. The document size detection sensor detects the difference between the conveyor belt 22 (yellow) with low reflectance and the document with relatively high reflectance in the short wavelength band where the photoconductor drum 26 has low sensitivity, and the document density detection sensor detects the difference between the photoconductor drum 26 and the document with relatively high reflectance It has spectral characteristics similar to the sensitivity characteristics of No. 26, and detects the density of the original based on the original reflection level. The presence or absence of a document can be detected based on the output value and output difference of the document size detection sensor and document density detection sensor.

That is, in FIG. 9, it is determined in 318 whether the check start flag = 1, and if it is 1, it is determined in 319 whether the optical unit 27 is in the home position, and if it is in the home position, the print key reservation mode is selected in S20. If it is on, timer 1 is set in S21.
(not shown) or timer 2 (not shown) determines whether to start. If timer 1 or 2 is not started, the data of the previous copying process, etc. is cleared in S22, and the outputs of the document size detection sensor and document density detection sensor are reset. Next, the exposure lamp 9 is turned on in S23, the check processing flag is set to 1 in 324, and the reading of the document density detection sensor is turned on in S25.
In S26, the reading of the document size detection sensor is turned on, and in S2
7 and S28, timers 1 and 2 are started.

Next, in S29, it is determined whether or not timer 1 is counting up. If it is counting up, it is determined in step 330 whether timer 2 is counting up. If not, in S31, the data of the document size detection sensor and the document density are determined. The data from the detection sensor is corrected and compared to check the presence or absence of a document. Next, in S32, it is determined whether there is no original. If there is no original, a no-original counter (not shown) is set to +1 at S33, and if there is no original, the no-original counter is set to zero at S34. In S35, it is determined whether the no-document counter is 10 or more, and if so, in S36, the no-document flag is set to l, and the S
Set the no-document counter to zero in 37, stop and reset timer 1 in 338, stop and reset timer 2 in S39, and turn off the reading of the document size detection sensor and document density detection sensor in S40 and S41. do. Furthermore, the check start flag is set to zero (off) in S42, and the exposure lamp 9 is turned off in 543.
In S44, the check processing flag is set to zero. If the timer 2 counts up in S30, the process advances to S37 and processes 338 to S44 are performed in the same manner as described above.

After detecting the presence or absence of an original, if there is an original, the normal copying process is performed as m'fF. t. If there is no original, the copying process is stopped and the process returns to the normal copying standby state.

In the flowcharts of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the lift-up switch 16 is turned off by lifting the document holding force bar (not shown) and the ADF. The check processing flag is "1" during the processing shown in FIG.
If it is "0", it means that it is not being processed. When the copying operation end flag is "1", the copying operation is completely stopped (lamp, motor, etc. are turned off) by a check operation, and the copying operation is moved to a copying standby state. When the check start flag is rlJ, the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is processed, and when it is "0", there is no need to process it. Timer 1 is a timer of about 600 msec and waits for the light intensity of the exposure lamp 9 to rise according to the flowchart of FIG. 9. Timer 2 is a timer of about 1sec and performs the processing of the flowchart of FIG. Hiiragi completes. In the case of "no original", the no-original counter does not detect no original unless the signal is received 10 times or more consecutively in order to prevent data abnormalities and malfunctions.

The no-document flag is set to rlJ when there is no document, and is set to 0 when there is a document.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, in the copying apparatus of the above-mentioned type, the presence or absence of a document is checked in the preparation stage of copying operation while the print key reservation mode is operating, so that if the operator does not press the print key incorrectly. Even if you press the button and enter the print key reservation mode, you can check whether there is an original before it becomes ready for copying and performs a copying operation. If not, the copying operation can be stopped, so it is possible to provide a copying apparatus that can prevent erroneous copying due to erroneous operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a copying apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a copying apparatus equipped with an ADF,
Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram of the optical unit, Fig. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the spectral sensitivity of the sensor, Fig. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the spectral reflectance of the original holding sheet, and Fig. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the spectral reflectance of the original holding sheet. Characteristic diagram showing spectral reflectance, Figure 7 is a flowchart of the operation to determine whether or not to check the presence or absence of a document to be copied, Figure 8 is a flowchart explaining the determination of the presence or absence of a document, and Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a document presence/absence check process. 2.3...Document size detection means, 5...Document density detection means, 11...Operation unit, ■6...Lift up switch, 24...Contact glass, 27...Optical unit. Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 5 8 (nm)

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a copying machine equipped with an original size detection means that optically detects the original size and an original density detection means that optically detects the density of the original, the print key that is pressed before becoming ready for copying is memorized and the copying is possible. means for setting a print key reservation mode in which a copying operation can be performed at the same time as the state is reached, and the document size detecting means and the document density detecting means detect their detection outputs before starting the copying operation after the copying enabled state is achieved. 1. A copying apparatus characterized in that the copying apparatus is configured to detect the presence or absence of an original on a contact glass, and to start a copying operation only when the detection indicates the presence of an original.