JPH04240662A - Controller for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically start printing without the operation of a printing key by starting copying processing an optional time after detecting an original. CONSTITUTION:The above image forming device is provided with a control means for starting copying without the operation of the printing key 203 by an operator and an original detector 212 which detects that a book-like original 210 is set on a contact glass 202 and reproduces the image of the original on a copying sheet. Then, it is also provided with a processing means for starting the copying processing an optional time after the detector 212 detects the original.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine that places an original on a concave glass (original table) and copies it.

0002

[Prior Art] For example, in an electrophotographic copying machine, when replacing originals, there is a manual method and an ADF
There is automatic replacement using an auto document feeder (Auto Document Feeder), and copying machines equipped with an ADF are configured so that manual replacement can also be performed. In the case of manual replacement, copying is started by manually raising the pressure plate, placing the original on the contact glass, then lowering the pressure plate, and pressing the print key on the operation panel. On the other hand, the ADF method is
Multiple rollers are used to transport documents one by one from the document storage section onto the contact glass, and when the document reaches the position sensor, it is determined that the document is set in the correct position, and printing is automatically started. is configured to do so. Manual replacement is used when making copies from book manuscripts or three-dimensional manuscripts.

0003

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when copying a book manuscript, the print key must be pressed while turning the pages, which greatly reduces operability. Another problem is that if you do not press the original with both hands each time you copy, a part of the original (the binding part) will lift up, creating a shadow on the copy, resulting in a solid black image. To solve this problem, for example, there is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-262146, in which the copy interval is made variable and print start can be performed automatically, so that both hands can read the original. It is designed so that it can be left pressed down to improve operability. However, even in this case, the user must adjust the copy interval, and there still remains a problem in improving operability.

[0004] Furthermore, there has been proposed a configuration in which a document detecting means is provided and a copying operation is performed after an arbitrary period of time when the presence of a document is detected. However, if the original is still set on the contact glass even after the scheduled number of copies have been completed, the original detection means will continue to detect the presence of the original.
Printing starts at the same time as the copying is finished, and the time it takes to replace the original is very short, so the operability is still poor. Furthermore, if the operator leaves the book mode after copying, the next copy will start in conjunction with the setting of the original, which is likely to cause copy errors.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and allows printing to be started automatically without operating a print key, and copying to be started only when the original is replaced. so that
A further object of the present invention is to improve the operability of the apparatus and eliminate copy errors by automatically canceling the book mode upon completion of copying.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned first object, the present invention provides a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command; An image forming apparatus for reproducing an original image on a copy sheet includes a first means for starting copy processing after an arbitrary time when the original detecting means detects the original. There is.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above second objective,
An image forming apparatus that reproduces an original image on a copy sheet, comprising a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detection means for detecting that the original is set on an original placing table. A second means is provided for starting an auto copy timer based on the document detection by the document detecting means, and resetting the timer and canceling the auto copy mode when the document detecting means does not detect the document while the timer is operating. ing.

The apparatus further includes a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detection means for detecting that the original is set on the original placing table, and reproduces the original image on a copy sheet. The image forming apparatus includes a detection means for detecting whether or not there is a document on the document table, and a third means for canceling a function of automatically starting copying after an arbitrary time when the means detects the presence of the document. ing.

[0009]

[Operation] According to the first means described above, when the document detecting means provided in the reading area detects the document, the timer for automatic copying is activated, and the copying process is automatically started after an arbitrary period of time. . Therefore, printing can be started automatically without operating the print key.

According to the second means, an auto copy timer is started based on the document detection by the document detecting means, and when the document detecting means does not detect a document while the timer is operating, the timer is started. Reset. Therefore, copying is started only when the original is replaced, which allows more time for replacing the original, and improves operability.

According to the third means described above, the detecting means detects whether or not there is a document on the document table, and the function of automatically starting copying after an arbitrary time is canceled based on the detection of the document. Therefore, when copying in the book mode is finished, this mode is automatically canceled, eliminating the need for the operator to cancel the book mode, improving operability and preventing copy mistakes.

0012

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the main parts of a control device for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of an image forming apparatus (a copying machine is exemplified in this embodiment) to which the present invention is applied. It is.

First, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be explained. A contact glass 202 is located near the rear of the upper surface of the copying machine main body 201.
are arranged, and on the front side there are a print key 203 for starting the copy operation, a numeric keypad 204 for setting the number of copies, etc., a book mode key 205, a mode key 206 for setting various modes, and operation status. A display 207 for displaying , and an autocopy display 208 for displaying the autocopy state are installed.

[0014] In this copying machine, the back side is used as a document reference line, and a book document 210 or the like is placed along this reference line. Further, on the left side of the contact glass 202, a scale 211 corresponding to the size of recording paper is provided. Further, a document detector 212 is disposed at a corner of the contact glass 202 in the copying machine main body 201 at a position where it faces any size of document.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing details of the scanner section. The original detector 212 is installed on the base 301 of the optical system, and a lens 302 that forms part of the optical system is arranged adjacent to the original detector 212. Original detector 212
is constructed using a reflective sensor consisting of a light emitting part and a light receiving part. When installing it, it is installed so that the specularly reflected light from the light emitting section does not directly enter the light receiving section.
Since the reflection from the surface of 02 is large, it is necessary to prevent diffusely reflected light from entering the light receiving section). Note that in place of the document detector 212, it is also possible to use a document detector conventionally used for automatic paper selection control.

FIG. 1 shows the electric circuit of the document detector 212 and its peripheral circuits.
02 to the power source Vc, and the light receiving element 103 is connected to the power source Vc through a resistor 104. The output of the light receiving element 103 is sent to a comparator 108 via a resistor 105.
is applied to the positive phase input terminal of A midpoint voltage between resistors 106 and 107 inserted in series between the power supply Vc and the ground is applied to the negative phase input terminal of the comparator 108 as a reference voltage VS. The reason why the comparator 108 is provided in this way is to eliminate the influence of the above-mentioned diffusely reflected light.

In the above configuration, when copying the book original 210, the book original 210 is placed on the contact glass 202 as shown in FIG. Light emitted from the light emitting element 101 of the document detector 212 is reflected on the reading surface of the book document 210, and this reflected light reaches the light receiving element 103. The light receiving element 103 becomes conductive when the incident light value exceeds a certain level, a voltage drop occurs across the resistor 104, and the potential VD at point a decreases. As a result, the comparison content of the comparator 108 becomes VS > VD, and the output level of the comparator 108 becomes “L”.
” level to “H” level.Using this output signal, the control unit (not shown) causes the print key 203 to produce the same state as if the key had been pressed, even if it is off, and prints a copy. Start.Meanwhile, contact glass 2
When there is no document on the document 02, no light enters the light receiving element 103, so the light receiving element 103 is in a non-conducting state, and the potential VD at point a remains at the "H" level. Since this VD is set so that VD > VS, the comparator 108 does not generate an output signal and its output level is “
It remains at L'' level, and the control unit does not start copying.

FIG. 4 shows the process associated with pressing the book mode key. When the book mode key 205 is pressed (step 401), it is determined whether the auto copy display 208 is turned on ( Step 402), if it is off, the autocopy display 208 is turned on (step 404); on the other hand, if it is being displayed, the autocopy display 208 is turned off (step 403).

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing auto copy timer processing. Determine whether the auto copy display 208 is on (step 501), and if off, reset the auto copy timer (step 504)
do. On the other hand, if it is on, the original is on the contact glass 20.
2 (step 502), and if it is off, reset the auto copy timer (step 50).
4) If it is on, start the auto copy timer (step 503).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing copy start processing. First, it is determined whether the auto copy indicator 208 is on (step 601), and if it is on, it is determined whether the auto copy timer has timed up (step 602). For example, copy processing is executed (step 603). Note that when the auto copy display 208 is off or the auto copy timer has not timed up, the process is returned.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above,
By selecting book mode, print key 20
Copying can be started simply by placing the book original 210 on the contact glass 202 without pressing the button 3. Therefore, the operability when continuously copying thick materials such as books can be significantly improved. Furthermore, since the document can be held with both hands, a solid black image due to the shadow of the binding part is eliminated, and the image quality can be improved. Furthermore, since copying is started after detecting that the original is set on the contact glass 202, it is possible to reduce copy errors and eliminate the need to adjust the copy start timing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a series of processes in the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a process in which copying is started only when the original is replaced. Note that, prior to these processes, the process shown in FIG. 4 described above is executed.

As described above, when the original is still set on the contact glass even after the scheduled number of copies have been completed, the original detection means continues to detect the presence of the original, so printing starts at the same time as copying is completed. The time it takes to replace originals becomes extremely short. In order to resolve this problem, first, it is determined whether the auto copy display 208 is on (step 701), and if it is on, it is determined whether the exposure for the last sheet has been completed (step 702). . If completed, contact glass 20
Check whether there is a manuscript on 2 (step 703)
If there is a document, a document removal flag is set (step 704) and the process is returned. Through the above processing, it is possible to check whether the original has been removed from the contact glass after the exposure of the last paper copy of the previous original has been completed.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing auto copy timer processing. When it is determined that the auto copy display 208 is on (step 801), the presence or absence of a document is determined (
Step 802), and if yes, it is determined whether the document removal flag set in Step 704 of FIG.
Step 803). If the document removal flag is on (meaning that a new document is set), the auto copy timer is started and the document removal flag is turned off (step 805). On the other hand, if it is determined that the autocopy display 208 is off, there is no document, or the document removal flag is off, the autocopy timer is reset and the process is returned. The copy start process in this case is shown in Figure 6.
As shown in According to such a second embodiment,
It is possible to detect that the previous original has been removed from the contact glass after the copying of the previous original has been completed, and it is possible to prevent mistakes such as erroneously copying the previous original again.

Next, an embodiment in which the book mode is automatically canceled when copying in the book mode is finished will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the details of the configuration around the pressure plate, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the auto-copy automatic cancellation process. Note that before executing the process in FIG. 10, the processes shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 are executed as preprocessing.

As shown in FIG. 9, contact glass 20
A pressure plate 902 is disposed on the upper surface of the copying machine 201 so as to be openable and closable, and a pressure plate detector 901 that turns on when the pressure plate 902 is closed is installed on the main body 201 of the copying machine. In a configuration including such a pressure plate detector 901, first, it is determined whether or not the auto copy display 208 is on (step 10).
01), if it is on, the pressure plate 90 is used to set the original.
2 is in the open state (step 1).
002). Pressure plate 902 is closed, that is, pressure plate detector 901
If it is on (the output signal is at "H" level), the auto copy display 208 is turned off (step 1003). If the auto copy indicator 208 is off, the process moves to step 804 and the auto timer is automatically reset, as shown in FIG. Therefore, even if an original is placed on the contact glass 202 and the original detector 212 is activated, copying will not be performed automatically.

[0027]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it achieves the following effects. The control device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 includes a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detecting means for detecting that an original is set on an original placing table. In an image forming apparatus that reproduces an image on a copy sheet, a means is provided to start copying processing after an arbitrary time when the original detection means detects an original, so that printing can be performed automatically without operating a print key. It becomes possible to start.

The control device for an image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detecting means for detecting that the original is set on the original placing table. In an image forming apparatus that reproduces a document image onto a copy sheet, an auto copy timer is started based on the document detection by the document detecting means, and when the document detecting device does not detect the document while the timer is operating, the autocopy timer is started. Since a means for resetting the timer and canceling the auto copy mode is provided, copying is started only when the original is replaced, allowing time for replacing the original and improving operability.

The control device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 3 includes a control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detecting means for detecting that the original is set on the original placing table. In an image forming apparatus that reproduces an original image on a copy sheet, the image forming apparatus includes a detection means for detecting whether or not there is an original on the original placing table, and automatically starts copying after an arbitrary time when the means detects the presence of the original. We have provided a means to cancel the function that
At the end of copying in the book mode, this mode is automatically canceled, eliminating the need for the operator to cancel the book mode, improving operability and preventing copy mistakes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the main parts of a control device for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing details of the scanner section.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing that occurs when a book mode key is pressed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing auto copy timer processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing copy start processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for starting copying only when a document is replaced.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing autocopy timer processing related to the processing in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view showing details of the configuration around the pressure plate.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing auto-copy automatic cancellation processing related to FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Light emitting elements 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107
Resistor 103 Light receiving element
108 Comparator 201 Copying machine body
202 Contact glass 203 Print key
205 Book mode key 208 Auto copy display 2
12 Original detector

Claims (3)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A control device that starts copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and a document detection device that detects that the document is set on a document table, and reproduces the document image on a copy sheet. A control device for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes means for starting copying processing after an arbitrary time when the original detecting means detects an original. [Claim 2] A control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detection means for detecting that the original is set on the original placing table, and reproduces the original image on a copy sheet. In the image forming apparatus, means for starting an auto copy timer based on the document detection by the document detecting means, and resetting the timer and canceling the auto copy mode when the document detecting means does not detect the document while the timer is operating. 1. A control device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: 3. A control means for starting copying without issuing a manual copy start command, and an original detection means for detecting that the original is set on the original placing table, and reproduces the original image on a copy sheet. The image forming apparatus is provided with a detection means for detecting whether or not there is a document on the document table, and a means for canceling a function of automatically starting copying after an arbitrary time when the detection means detects the presence of the document. A control device for an image forming apparatus characterized by: