JPH05105317A - Image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the continuation of an image forming process without removing paper jam in the case of paper jam being generated in one sorter in an image forming system provided with plural sorters. CONSTITUTION:A copying device as one example of an image forming device is provided with plural sorters 400, 401 connected thereto. Each of the sorters 400, 401 is provided with a sort path sensor S402 for detecting paper jam, and a sort tray paper existence detecting sensor S407. In the case of detecting the paper jam of the sorter 401 by the sort path sensor S402, a CPU controls in such a way as to continue paper discharge onto an empty tray in the other sorter 400 detected by the sort tray paper existence sensor S407.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming system including a copying machine, a printer, etc.
Image forming system including a plurality of sorters).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to sort a plurality of copies, which is larger than the total number of bins of one sorter, at a time, an image forming system in which a plurality of sorters are connected and used is provided.

[0003]

However, in a conventional image forming system having a plurality of sorters for classifying and storing such papers after image formation, when a paper jam occurs in one sorter, another sorter becomes empty. Despite that, I stopped the image formation process there and did not restart until I removed the jammed paper.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and when a paper jam occurs in one sorter, the paper jam is discharged to another vacant sorter. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of continuing the image forming process without removing the image forming system.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image having a plurality of sheet post-processing devices for classifying and accommodating sheet materials added to an image forming apparatus and discharged from the image forming apparatus. In the forming system, a conveyance abnormality detection unit that monitors the conveyance state of the sheet material and detects the occurrence of a conveyance abnormality and the abnormal place, and a sheet that is continuously processed according to the detection content of the conveyance abnormality detection unit A sheet post-processing device selecting means for selecting a material storage device can be provided.

Further, as one form of the present invention, the sheet post-processing device in which the conveyance abnormality is eliminated is selected after a series of sheet discharging operations for the sheet post-processing device selected by the sheet post-processing device selection means are completed. It can be characterized by having a means for doing.

As another aspect of the present invention, the conveyance abnormality detecting means includes means for detecting a paper jam of the sheet post-processing apparatus, and the sheet post-processing apparatus selecting means is the inside of the sheet post-processing apparatus. It can be characterized in that it has means for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when a paper jam of a sorter is detected during the image forming procedure using the sorter, the paper is continuously discharged to the vacant sort tray of another sorter. Therefore, the paper jam is not removed. However, the image forming process can be continued.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the construction of an embodiment of a copying system which is one of the image forming systems of the present invention will be described. 1 to 8 show the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal configuration of the entire copying system, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the automatic document feeder of the copying system. 3 is a layout view of the operation panel of the copying system, FIG.
Is a block diagram of the control unit of the copying system, and FIGS.
8 is an enlarged view of a sorter portion of the copying system, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control unit of the sorter portion of the copying system. 9 to 15 are flowcharts showing the control contents of the control unit.

FIG. 1 shows the internal construction of an embodiment of a copying apparatus applicable to the present invention. In the figure, 100 is a main body of a copying machine, 200 is a pedestal having a double-sided processing function of turning over a recording medium (paper) at the time of double-sided recording, and a multiple recording function of performing recording a plurality of times on the same recording medium, 300
Is a circulating automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as RDF) that automatically feeds documents.
The 0 and RDF 300 can be freely combined with the main body 100 for use.

A. Main Body (100) In the main body 100, 101 is a platen glass on which a document is placed, 103 is an illumination lamp (exposure lamp) that illuminates the document, and 105, 107 and 109 are scanning mirrors (scanning mirrors) that change the optical path of the document. ), 111 is a lens having focusing and zooming functions, and 113 is a fourth reflecting mirror (scanning mirror) that changes the optical path. Denoted at 115 is an optical system motor for driving the optical system, and denoted at 117, 119 and 121 are sensors.

Reference numeral 131 is a photosensitive drum, 133 is a main motor for driving the photosensitive drum 131, 135 is a high voltage unit, 137 is a blank exposure unit, 139 is a developing device,
140 is a developing roller, 141 is a transfer charger, 143 is a separation charger, and 145 is a cleaning device.

Reference numeral 151 is an upper cassette, 153 is a lower cassette, 171 is a manual paper feed port, 155 and 157 are paper feed rollers, and 159 is a registration roller. Also, 16
Reference numeral 1 is a conveyor belt that conveys the recording paper on which an image has been recorded to the fixing side, 163 is a fixing device that fixes the conveyed recording paper by thermal fixing, and 167 is a sensor used for double-sided recording.

The surface of the above-mentioned photosensitive drum 131 is composed of a photoconductor and a seamless photosensitive member using a conductor. The drum 131 is rotatably supported and responds to the pressing of a copy start key, which will be described later. The main motor 133 that operates in this way starts rotation in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Next, predetermined rotation control of the drum 131 and potential control processing (pretreatment)
When the process is completed, the document placed on the platen glass 101 is illuminated by the illumination lamp 103 integrally formed with the first scanning mirror 105, and the reflected light of the document is scanned by the first scanning mirror 105 and the second scanning mirror 107. An image is formed on the drum 131 via the third scanning mirror 109, the lens 111, and the fourth scanning mirror 113.

The drum 131 is corona charged by the high voltage unit 135. After that, the image (original image) irradiated by the illumination lamp 103 is slit-exposed, and an electrostatic image is formed on the drum 131 by a known electrophotographic method.

Next, the electrostatic image on the photosensitive drum 131 is
The toner is developed by the developing roller 140 of the developing device 139 and visualized as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to the transfer charger 14.
1, the image is transferred onto the transfer paper as described later.

That is, the transfer paper in the upper cassette 151 or the lower cassette 153 or the manual feed port 171.
The transfer paper set on the paper feed roller 155 or 1
57 and the registration roller 159.
Is sent to the photosensitive drum 131 with accurate timing, and the leading edge of the latent image and the leading edge of the transfer paper are aligned.
After that, the transfer sheet passes between the transfer charger 141 and the drum 131, so that the toner image on the drum 131 is transferred onto the transfer sheet. After the completion of this transfer, the transfer paper is separated from the drum 131 by the separation charger 143, guided to the fixing device 163 by the conveyor belt 161, fixed by pressure and heating, and then discharged to the outside of the main body 100 by the discharge roller 165. Then, the sheets are stacked on the discharge tray 403.

After the transfer, the drum 131 continues to rotate, and its surface is cleaned by the cleaning device 145 composed of a cleaning roller and an elastic blade.

B. Pedestal (200) The pedestal 200 can be separated from the main body 100 and can store 2,000 sheets of transfer paper.
And an intermediate tray 203 for double-sided copying. Further, the lifter 205 of the deck 201 capable of accommodating 2,000 sheets ascends according to the amount of transfer paper so that the transfer paper always contacts the paper feed roller 207. Also, 21
Reference numeral 1 is a paper discharge flapper that switches between a double-sided recording side or multiplex recording side path and a discharge side path, 213 and 215 are conveyance belt conveyance paths, and 217 is an intermediate tray weight for pressing a transfer sheet. 211, and the transport path 21
The transfer paper that has passed through the sheets 3, 215 is turned over and stored in the double-sided copy intermediate tray 203. Reference numeral 219 denotes a multiple flapper that switches between double-sided recording and multiplex recording paths. The multiplex flapper 219 is provided between the transport paths 213 and 215 and rotates upward to guide the transfer paper to the multiple recording transport path 221. A multiple paper ejection sensor 223 detects the end of the transfer paper passing through the multiple flapper 219. Reference numeral 225 is a paper feed roller for feeding the transfer paper to the drum 131 side through the path 227. 229
Is a discharge roller for discharging the transfer paper to the outside of the machine.

At the time of double-sided recording (double-sided copying) or multiplex recording (multiplexed copying), first, a paper discharge flapper 211 of the main body 100.
The transfer paper that has been copied by raising the
It is stored in the intermediate tray 203 via the transport paths 213 and 215. At this time, the multiple flapper 219 is lowered during double-sided recording, and the multiple flapper 219 is raised during multiplex recording. The intermediate tray 203 can store, for example, up to 99 copy sheets. The transfer sheet stored in the intermediate tray 203 is pressed by the intermediate tray weight 217.

At the time of the next reverse recording or multiple recording, the transfer sheets stored in the intermediate tray 203 are operated one by one from the bottom with the sheet feeding roller 225 and the weight 217, and the main body via the path 227. It is guided to the registration roller 159 of 100.

C. RDF (recycling automatic document feeder)
(300) As shown in detail in FIG.
Stacking tray 31 as a first document tray for setting
0, and a stacking tray 350 as a second original tray for setting the original bundle SS.

Further, the stacking tray 310 side is equipped with a feeding means which constitutes one part of the document feeding means. This feeding means includes a half-moon roller 331, a separation / conveyance roller 332, a separation belt 333, and a separation motor 361.
A registration roller 335, a full belt 336,
Belt motor 363, large conveyance roller 338, conveyance motor 365, paper discharge roller 340, flapper 341
, Recycle lever 342, and paper feed stopper 343
And a paper feed sensor 367, a reversal sensor 369, a paper discharge sensor 371, and the like.

Here, the half-moon roller 331, the separation / conveyance roller 332, and the separation belt 333 are rotated by the separation motor 361 to separate the originals one by one from the lowermost part of the original bundle S on the stacking tray 310.

The registration roller 335 and the entire surface belt 336 rotate the original separated by the belt motor 363 and separate the original through the sheet paths 1 and 2.
The sheet is conveyed to the exposure position on 01 (sheet path 3). Further, the large conveyance roller 338 is rotated by the conveyance motor 365 and conveys the original on the original platen glass 101 from the sheet path 3 to the sheet path 5. The original conveyed to the sheet path 5 is placed on the stack tray 31 by the discharge roller 340.
The original bundle S of 0 is returned.

Further, the recycle lever 342 detects one circulation of the original, and when the original feeding starts, the recycle lever 342 is placed on the upper part of the original bundle S, the originals are sequentially fed, and the trailing edge of the final original is placed. When the recycle lever 342 exits, it falls by its own weight to detect the circulation of the document.

In the feeding means 330, when a two-sided original is used,
The original is once guided to the sheet paths 1 to 3 and then the large conveyance roller 338 is rotated to switch the flapper 341 to the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG.
Then, the sheet is passed through the sheet path 2 by the registration roller 335, and thereafter, the original is conveyed by the entire surface belt 336 onto the original table glass 101 and stopped to reverse the original. That is, the original is reversed in the path of the sheet paths 3 to 4 and 2.

It should be noted that the originals of the original bundle S are passed through the sheet paths 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 one by one and the recycle lever 34 is set.
The number of documents can be counted by transporting the document until it is detected that one circulation is made by 2.

Furthermore, on the right side of the main body of the RDF 300,
The second document discharge path for discharging the sheet document S after the image reading on the platen glass 101 to the side opposite to the direction in which it is carried into the platen glass 101 and discharging it to the uppermost part of the document stack S on the stacking tray 310. (Sheet path 7) is configured. A first transport roller 343 and a second transport roller 344 for transporting the sheet document S are arranged in the sheet path 7, and a second paper discharge roller 345 is provided downstream of the sheet path 7. The sheet bundle S conveyed through the sheet path 7 is discharged to the uppermost part of the document bundle S on the document tray 310.

Above the sheet path 7, the document discharge cover 3 is provided.
46 is arranged, the sheet path 3 is branched from the vicinity of the downstream side of the full-face belt 336, and a third document discharge path (sheet path 13) extending to the sheet path 13 is formed. A discharge flapper 355 for switching the conveyance path is arranged at a branch portion between the sheet path 3 and the sheet path 13, and is turned on / off by a discharge flapper solenoid 373 between a solid line position and a broken line position in the drawing. The path is switched by swinging. A third paper discharge roller 362 is provided downstream of the sheet path 13 and discharges the sheet document S conveyed through the sheet path 13 onto the document discharge cover 346.

The sheet path 7 is provided with a second paper discharge sensor 375 which is a transmissive optical sensor for detecting the front end and the rear end of the sheet original S in the paper discharge path.

On the right side surface of the main body of the RDF 300, an original carry-in path (sheet path 12) for receiving a sheet original from the outside of the main body into the RDF main body is opened.
An original carry-in path is formed from 2 to join the sheet path 7.

Next, the swing operation of the document tray 310 will be described. The motor output shaft of the tray swing motor 377 is coupled to the tray swing arm shaft 348. A tray swing roller 347 is coupled to the lower surface of the stacking tray 310. The tray swinging roller 347 is provided at the tip of the tray swinging arm 349, and the base of the tray swinging arm 349 is fixed to the tray swinging arm shaft 348. Moving arm 3
49 swings between the positions of the solid line and the broken line in the figure,
10 is swung around the swing center between a solid line position and a broken line position in the figure.

Reference numeral 379 is an upper limit switch for detecting that the document tray 310 has reached the upper position (solid line position). Reference numeral 381 denotes a lower limit switch for detecting that the document tray 310 has reached the lower position (broken line position). The tray swing motor 377 controls rotation by detecting upper and lower limit switches.

Further, the stacking tray 350 side is also equipped with a feeding means which constitutes the other part of the document feeding means.
This feeding means includes a half-moon roller 351, a separation / conveyance roller 352, a separation belt 353, and a registration roller 354.
, Reserved conveyance motor 383, and paper feed stopper 359
A reserved paper feed sensor 385 and a document detection sensor 387
And a paper discharge roller 362 and the like.

When the reserved conveyance motor 383 is turned on, the half-moon roller 351, the separation conveyance roller 352, and the separation belt 353 rotate, and the originals are fed one by one from the bottom of the original bundle SS on the stacking tray 350. To separate.

When the conveying motor 383 is turned on to rotate the registration roller 354, and the belt motor 363 is reversely turned on to reverse the entire surface belt 336, the original bundle S
The document separated from S can be conveyed to the sheet paths 11, 12 to 7.

The belt motor 363 is turned on in the forward direction to rotate the entire surface belt 336 in the forward direction, and the reserved conveyance motor 38 is also used.
When 3 is turned on in reverse and the paper discharge roller 362 is rotated in reverse, the document on the platen glass 101 can be discharged from the sheet path 3 through the sheet path 13 onto the upper cover 346.

FIG. 3 shows an arrangement configuration example of the operation panel provided in the main body 100 described above. The operation panel has a key group 600 and a display group 700 as described below.

D. Key group (600) In FIG. 3, an asterisk (*) key 601 is used by the operator (user) to set the binding margin amount,
It is used when setting the mode such as the size of the document frame erase. An all reset key 606 is pressed when returning to the standard mode. Reference numeral 602 is a preheat key, and the main body 100
Press to put the machine in the preheat state and to release the preheat state. The key 602 is also pressed when returning from the auto shutoff state to the standard mode.

Reference numeral 605 is a copy start key (copy start key), which is pressed when copying is started. A clear / stop key 604 functions as a clear key during standby (standby) and as a stop key during copy recording. This clear / stop key is pressed to cancel the set number of copies. It is also used to cancel the * (asterisk) mode. The clear / stop key is pressed to interrupt continuous copying. After the copying at the time of pushing is completed, the copying operation is stopped.

Reference numeral 603 is a ten-key pad which is pressed to set the number of copies. It is also used when setting the * (asterisk) mode. Reference numeral 619 is a memory key, which allows the user to register modes that are frequently used. Here, four types of registration of M1 to M4 can be performed.

Copy density keys 611 and 612 are pressed to manually adjust the copy density. 613 is A
The E key is pressed to automatically adjust the copy density according to the density of the original, or to cancel the AE (automatic density adjustment) and switch the density adjustment to annual (manual). Reference numeral 607 denotes a cassette selection key, which is an upper cassette 151, an interruption cassette 153, and a lower paper deck 20.
Press to select 1. When a document is placed on the RDF 300, APS (automatic paper selection) can be selected with this key 607. When APS is selected, a transfer paper cassette having the same size as the original is automatically selected.

Reference numeral 610 denotes a unity size key, which is pressed to make a unity size (original size) copy. An auto scaling key 616 is pressed to automatically reduce or enlarge the image of the original according to the designated transfer paper size. 617 and 618
Is a zoom key, and is pressed to specify an arbitrary magnification between 64-142%. Reference numerals 608 and 609 denote fixed-size variable keys, which are pressed to specify reduction / enlargement of the fixed size.

Reference numeral 626 denotes a double-sided key, which is pressed to make a double-sided copy from a single-sided original, a double-sided copy from a double-sided original, or a single-sided copy from a double-sided original. A binding margin key 625 can create a binding margin of a designated length on the left side of the transfer sheet. A photo key 624 is pressed when copying a photo original. Reference numeral 623 denotes a multiple key, which is pressed when an image is created (combined) from the two originals on the same surface of the transfer paper.

Reference numeral 620 denotes an original frame erasing key, which is pressed when the user uses the frame erasing of a standard size original, and the original size at that time is set by the asterisk key 601. 62
Reference numeral 1 denotes a sheet frame erasing key, which is pressed when erasing a document frame according to the size of a cassette. A page continuous shooting key 622 is pressed to copy the left and right pages of the original on different sheets.

Reference numeral 614 denotes a paper discharge method (staple, sort,
Group) selection key, if a stapler that can staple printed sheets together is connected, you can select or cancel staple mode and sort mode, and if a sorting tray (sorter) is connected Can select or cancel sort mode or group mode.

Reference numeral 615 denotes a paper folding selection key, which can be used to select and cancel Z-folding in which a recorded sheet of A3 or B4 size is folded into a Z-shaped cross section and half-folding in half. Reference numeral 627 denotes an interrupt key, and when pressed during copying, the copying is interrupted and a new copying (hereinafter referred to as interrupt copying) becomes possible. If the button is pressed during interrupt copy mode setting, the interrupt enable state is canceled.

A reservation key 628 can be used to register / cancel reservation copying. When the preheat key 628 is pressed, a copy mode different from the copy mode already set can be set. Here, the copy mode to be registered is set, and when the setting is completed, the reservation setting key 629 is pressed. As a result, the set copy mode is set in the RAM 8 described later.
05 stored on.

E. Display Group (700) In FIG. 3, reference numeral 701 denotes an LCD (liquid crystal) type message display for displaying information relating to copying. For example, 5 × 7 dots form one character, a 40 character sentence message, and a fixed form. The copy magnification set with the scaling keys 608 and 609, the equal magnification key 610, and the zoom keys 617 and 618 can be displayed. The display 701 is a semi-transmissive liquid crystal and uses two colors for the backlight. Normally, a green backlight is lit, and an orange backlight is lit when there is an abnormality or the copying is impossible.

Reference numeral 706 denotes a unity-magnification display, which lights up when the unity-magnification is selected. Reference numeral 703 denotes a color developing device indicator, which lights up when the sepia developing device is set. A copy number display 702 displays the number of copies or a self-diagnosis code. Reference numeral 705 denotes a used cassette indicator, which is an upper cassette 151, an interruption cassette 153, and a lower deck 201.
Is displayed. 704 is A
It is an E indicator and lights up when AE (automatic density adjustment) is selected by the AE key 613. Reference numeral 709 denotes a preheat indicator, which is a two-color LED of green and orange, and lights up green when ready (when copying is possible) and lights up orange when waiting (when copying is not possible). 708
Is a double-sided copy display, and is turned on when either double-sided copy from double-sided original or double-sided copy from single-sided original is selected.

When the RDF 300 is used in the standard mode, the number of copies is one, the density AE mode, automatic paper selection, normal magnification, single-sided copy to single-sided copy are set.
1 copy in standard mode when RDF300 is not used
Sheet, density manual mode, normal size, single-sided original to single-sided copying are set. The difference between when the RDF 300 is used and when it is not used is determined by whether or not a document is set on the RDF 300.

A power lamp 710 is turned on when the power switch is turned on. Reference numeral 711 denotes an interrupt indicator, which lights up when the interrupt copy mode is set and during interrupt copy. Reference numeral 712 denotes a reservation registration display, which lights up when reservation copying is registered.

F. Main Unit Control Device (800) FIG. 4 shows a circuit configuration example of the control device 800 of the embodiment of FIG. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 801 is a central processing unit (CPU) that performs arithmetic control for executing the present invention, and is, for example, an NE.
Microcomputer V50 manufactured by C (NEC Corporation)
To use. Reference numeral 803 denotes a read-only memory (ROM) in which a control procedure (control program) as shown in FIG. 9 and subsequent figures relating to the present invention is stored in advance, and the CPU 801 is connected via a bus according to the control procedure stored in this ROM. Control each component. Reference numeral 805 denotes a random access memory (RAM) which is a main storage device used as a storage area for input data, a storage area for work, and the like.

Reference numeral 807 designates C as a load of the main motor 133 and the like.
An interface (I / O) that outputs a control signal from the PU 801, an interface 809 that inputs an input signal from the image sensor 121 or the like and sends the input signal to the CPU 801, 811
Is an interface for controlling input / output of the key group 600 and the display group 700. These interfaces 807, 809, 811 use, for example, an NEC input / output circuit port μPD8255.

Further, a known communication IC via a bus
(Eg, μPD8251) is connected, and this communication IC is further connected to the communication IC on the RDF side,
The control data necessary for mutual control of the copying machine body and RDF is transmitted and received by serial communication.

The data transmitted from the main body of the copying machine to the RDF includes a paper feed signal for prompting the feeding of the originals stacked on the RDF, a discharge signal for prompting the discharging of the originals on the platen glass 101, and a reserved original. This is a paper feeding / discharging mode that determines the form of the fed paper of the original.

G. RDF Control Device (900) FIG. 4 also shows the circuit configuration of the control device (900) of the circulation type automatic document feeder 300 of this embodiment shown in FIG.
The control circuit mainly comprises a one-chip microcomputer (CPU) 901 having a built-in ROM, RAM, etc., and input ports I1 to I1 of this microcomputer 901.
Signals from various sensors are input to 5. In addition, the driver D is connected to the output ports O1 to O17 of the microcomputer 901.
Each load is connected via 1 to D17, and control data is exchanged with the copying apparatus main body via the communication IC 903. The data transmitted from the RDF to the copying apparatus main body is a paper feed completion signal or the like indicating the completion of feeding the original onto the platen glass.

(Reserved Copy) Next, the reserved copy operation will be described. Here, the reserved copy is a second copy mode that is set after the copy is completed and the second copy mode that is different from the first mode that is already set and is waiting for the start of copying or is being copied is set. It is a copy by.

When the reservation key 628 is pressed during the copying start waiting state or during the copying operation, a display different from the display screen (hereinafter referred to as the main screen) of the first copying mode which has already been set (hereinafter referred to as "main screen") is displayed. , Called the reservation screen). At this time, the first copy mode which has already been set is stored in the memory M1.

When the reservation screen is displayed, the second copying mode can be set regardless of whether the copying operation is being performed. Second
The copy mode setting is completed by pressing the reservation setting key 629. At this time, the display screen returns to the main screen, and the set second copy mode is stored in the memory M2. The document to be copied by reserved copying is set on the reserved tray 350 with the front side facing up.

A description will be given of a case where the reservation copy is registered during the single-sided mode copy in which the original is set on the RDF 300. When the paper discharge process of the final document is completed by the normal copying operation, a paper discharge command is transmitted to perform the reservation preparation paper discharge process. When the reservation preparation paper discharge process is completed, the CPU 801 sends a document transfer command to the CPU 901 to transfer the document bundle SS on the reservation tray 350 to the document tray 310. In the main body, in the copy operation in the first copy mode, when the discharge of the paper is completed and the main motor is stopped, the display screen displays the set second copy mode, and the contents of the memory M2 are stored in the memory M1. Becomes the first copy mode. Then, it becomes possible to newly make a reservation copy registration. When all the originals are transferred from the reserved tray 350 onto the original tray 310, copying in the set copy mode is started.

H. Sorters (400, 401) The sorters 400, 401 are composed of a machine body 402 and a bin unit 403, as shown in FIGS. The machine body 402 is provided with a carry-in roller pair 405 near the carry-in entrance 404 of the bin unit 403, and a flapper 409 for switching the sheet carrying direction to the carrying path 406 or 407 is arranged downstream of the carrying-in roller pair 405. .. One of the transport paths 406 extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and a transport roller pair 410 is arranged downstream thereof. Also,
The other transport path 406 extends downward, and a transport roller pair 411 is arranged downstream thereof. Further, a stapler 412 is arranged near the roller pair 411.
The carry-in roller 405 and the pair of transport rollers 410 and 411 are driven by a transport motor (not shown) (see 413 in FIG. 8). Further, a non-sort path sensor S401 for detecting the passage of the paper is provided on the transport path 406, and a sort path sensor S402 is provided on the transport path 407.

A bin unit 403 having a large number of bins B is movably supported downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 410 and 411. That is, one end is the body 402
The other end of the spring 415 fixed to the hook 416 is hooked on the hook 416, and the weight of the bin unit 403 is carried by this spring 415.
It is supported so that it can be raised and lowered. This bin unit 4
Guide rollers 417 and 419 are provided on the upper and lower parts of the base end side of 03.
Is rotatably supported. These rollers 417, 41
9 is fitted in a guide groove 420 provided in the machine body 402 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is configured to roll in the groove 420 to guide the bin unit 403.

Further, the machine body 402 has a shift motor 421.
Are arranged. The lead cam 423 is attached to the rotary shaft 422.
And the sprocket 425 is fixed. The chain 4 is attached to the sprocket 425 and the shaft of the shift motor 421.
26 is stretched. The rotation of the shift motor 421 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 422 via the chain 426.

Further, the bin unit 403 includes a bottom frame 427 composed of an inclined portion and a vertical portion.
The unit main body 431 includes a pair of frames 429 provided vertically on the front side and the back side of the tip 27, and a cover 430 supported by the pair of frames 429. An alignment reference plate 455 that abuts the sheet is provided on the front side of the unit main body 431 (see FIG. 6). A lower arm 433 that is rotated by an unillustrated alignment motor (see 432 in FIG. 8) is rotatably supported on the inner side of the base end of the bottom frame 427 (see FIG. 7).

Further, the arm 43 of the cover 430 described above.
Another arm 435 is attached to the cover 4 at a position facing the cover 3
It is fixed to a shaft 436 rotatably supported by 30. A shaft 437 is installed at the center of rotation of the arm 435 and the center of rotation of the arm 433. Also, the arm 43
The alignment rod 439 is provided on the tip of the arm 3 and the tip of the arm 435.
The alignment rod 439 is constructed so as to rotate by the alignment motor (not shown) (see 432 in FIG. 8). This alignment motor (432) is a stepping motor, and the position of the alignment rod 439 can be accurately controlled by the number of pulses given to this stepping motor (432). S403 is a matching rod home sensor for detecting the position of the matching rod 439. The position of the matching rod can be controlled by the output of the matching rod home sensor S403 and the number of pulses given to the drive motor 432.

As shown in detail in FIG. 6, the above-mentioned bin B has engaging plates 4 on its front side and its back side, respectively.
40 is formed. By engaging the engaging plate 440 with a supporting plate (not shown) provided inside the frame 429, the bottle B is supported on the front end side. Support shafts 441 are fixed to the front side and the back side of the base end of the bin B, respectively. A roller 442 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 441. further,
The bin B is provided with a long hole 443 which is longer than the rotation distance of the alignment rod 439 at a predetermined distance from the shaft 437 and is sufficiently wider than the width of the alignment rod 443. Further, the base end portion Ba of the bin B stands upright with respect to the sheet storage surface Bb. The front end of the bin B is tilted upward by a predetermined angle with respect to the machine body 402, and by this tilt, the seat slides on the seat storage surface Bb and the rear end abuts on the base end part Ba so that the front-back direction is aligned. It has become.

The aligning rods 439 described above are fitted into the elongated holes 443 of each of the bins B1, B2.
3 is rotated to bring the sheet S into contact with the alignment reference plate 455.
It is configured to match.

Further, the lead cam 423 is spirally engraved with a groove 423a slightly wider than the roller 442. The groove 423a is engaged with the roller 442, and the rotation of the lead cam 423 causes the roller 442 to move up and down along the groove 423a. One rotation of the lead cam 423 is detected by the lead cam sensor S404 provided near the lead cam 423. The position of the bin unit 403 is detected by the bin home position sensor S405.

At the bottom of the bin B, a double stay 44 is provided.
5 are provided. The double stay 445 is rotatably supported by the roller 442 similarly to the bin B, and is further configured to support the double pass unit 446. The double pass unit 446 conveys a sheet to the second sorter. Rotate the lead cam 423,
The two-pass path unit 446 is used as the second transport roller pair 411.
The sheet discharged from the copying apparatus main body can be stored in the second sorter by moving the sheet to a position opposed to and conveying the sheet by a two-pass motor (not shown) (see 447 in FIG. 8). ..

In the non-sort mode, the sheets are placed on the top of bin B in the non-sort tray 430.
Is discharged to. The presence of paper on the non-sort tray 430 can be detected by the non-sort tray sensor S408. The presence of paper on the sort bin B can be detected by the sort tray paper presence detection sensor S407.

The stapler 412 is an electric stapler. This stapler 412 is swung in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 6 by a swing motor (not shown) (see 450 in FIG. 8) and moved to the position shown by the solid line, and by a solenoid not shown (see 451 in FIG. 8). The needle is struck and is swung again by the swing motor (450) to retract from the bin B and move to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG.

In this way, the stapler 412 is in the bin B.
The inner sheets S are bound, and then the shift motor 421 moves the bin B one bin to bind the sheets S stacked in the next bin B. Note that S406 is a manual stapling key, and when the user presses the manual stapling key S406 after finishing the sorting, the stapling operation is performed.

I. Sorter control device (1000) As shown in FIG. 8, the sorter control devices (1000) include a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, a read-only memory (ROM) 1002, and a random access memory (RA).
M) 1003, output port 1004, input port 100
A control device 1000 composed of 5 or the like is provided. ROM1
A control program is stored in 002, and a RAM 1003
Input data and work data are stored in. Various motors such as the shift motor 421 described above and solenoid driving means are connected to the output port 1004. Input port 1
005 is a non-sorted path sensor S401 or other S401
Each sensor and switch from to S408 are connected. The CPU 1001 controls each unit connected via the bus according to the control program stored in the ROM 1002. Further, the CPU 1001 has a serial interface function, performs serial communication with the CPU 801 of the copying apparatus main body, controls each unit by a signal from the copying apparatus main body, and outputs an operation signal to the next sorter.

J. Operation Example Next, the control operation of the image forming system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

(Non-sort mode) First, the control operation of the non-sort mode in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the non-sort mode, since the non-sort tray 430 is used, the bin unit 403 is returned to the home position in Step 201, and the flapper 409 is moved to the side for selecting the non-sort path 406 in Step 202.

Next, in Step 203, it is judged whether or not there is a sorter start signal.
Proceed to p204. At Step 204, the size confirmation signal from the copying apparatus main body 100 is waited, and if the size confirmation signal is input, the process proceeds to Step 205 to store the size in the RAM 1003. At the next Step 206, the sheet ejection signal is waited for. When the sheet ejection signal is received, the procedure proceeds to Step 207 to perform the transport operation for ejecting the sheet to the bin B of the non-sort tray 430, and then returns to Step 203.

If there is no sorter start signal in Step 203, the flapper 409 is moved to the side that selects the sort path 407 in Step 208, and the operation in the non-sort mode is completed.

(Sort Mode) Next, the control operation of the sort mode in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the case of the sort mode, first, Step3
At 01, the bin unit 403 is moved from the copying apparatus main body to the designated bin via serial communication.

Next, in Step 302, it is judged whether or not there is a sorter start signal.
Proceed to p303. In Step 303, it is determined whether or not there is a size confirmation signal, and if there is this signal, the procedure proceeds to Step 304, and if this signal does not exist, the procedure returns to Step 302. S
At step 304, the size data is stored in the RAM 1003, and then at step 305, a sheet ejection signal from the copying apparatus main body is waited for. If a paper ejection signal is received, the program will proceed to Step
Progressing to p306, the aligning rod 439 is retracted to a position where the ejected sheet does not hit the aligning rod 439.

Next, it is determined whether the sheet discharged in Step 307 is the sheet to be stored in the own sorter (eg, 400) or the sheet to be stored in the next sorter (eg, 401), and is stored in the own sorter. If it is a sheet, the program proceeds to Step 308. Step30
In step 8, the sheet is stored in the bin, and then in step 309, the aligning rod 439 is moved to the side to align the stored sheets.

After that, the program proceeds to Step 310 to judge the presence / absence of the shift inversion signal. If there is no shift inversion signal, the program proceeds to Step 311 to shift one bin. If it is determined in Step 310 that there is a shift inversion signal, the process proceeds to Step 312, the shift direction is changed downward if it is an upward shift, and if the shift direction is downward, it is changed upward. Change to direction. S
When step 311 or step 312 ends, the program returns to step 302.

If it is determined in Step 307 that the sheet is to be stored in the next sorter, the program is St
Proceeding to ep 313, the bin unit 403 is lifted and moved to the double pass position 445. After that, Step31
In step 4, the double pass motor 447 is turned on, and in step 315, a transport operation of transporting the sheet to the dual pass unit 446 is performed. Next, in Step 316, a double pass timer for measuring the time for sending the sheet conveyed to the double pass to the next sorter (eg, 401) is set, and the process waits in Step 317 until the double pass timer times out.

If the timer times out at Step 317, the sheet has reached the next sorter.
In p318, the double pass motor 447 is turned off and Step
At 319, one bin downshift is performed to return from the double pass to the normal bin position, and the program returns to Step 302.

(Group Mode) Next, the control operation of the group mode in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the group mode, first, Step
At 401, the bin unit 403 is moved from the copying apparatus main body to a designated bin position via serial communication.

Next, in Step 402, it is judged whether or not there is a sorter start signal.
Proceed to p403. In Step 403, it is judged whether or not there is a size confirmation signal, and if there is this signal, the procedure proceeds to Step 404, and if there is no this signal, the procedure returns to Step 402. S
In step 404, the size data is stored in the RAM 1003, and then in step 405, a paper ejection signal from the copying apparatus main body is waited for. If a paper ejection signal is received, the program will proceed to Step
Progressing to p406, the aligning rod 439 is retracted to a position where the ejected sheet does not hit the aligning rod 439.

Next, it is judged whether the sheet discharged in Step 407 is the sheet to be stored in the own sorter or the sheet to be stored in the next sorter, and if it is the sheet to be stored in the own sorter, the program proceeds to Step 408. ..
In Step 408, a conveyance operation for storing the sheet in the bin is performed, and then in Step 409, the aligning rod 439 is moved to the side to align the stored sheet.

Thereafter, in Step 410, it is judged whether or not there is a bin shift signal, and if it is judged that there is a bin shift signal, the process proceeds to Step 411 to perform 1-bin shift up, and the program returns to Step 402.

If it is determined in Step 407 that the sheet is the sheet to be stored in the next sorter, the program proceeds to St.
The process proceeds to ep 413 to raise the bin unit 403 and move it to the position of the double pass. Then, at Step 414, 2
The continuous path motor 447 is turned on, and in Step 415, the conveyance operation of conveying the sheet to the double path unit 446 is performed.
Next, in Step 416, a double pass timer for measuring the time for sending the sheet conveyed to the double pass to the next sorter is set, and St is set until the double pass timer expires.
Wait at ep417.

If the timer times out at Step 417, the sheet has reached the next sorter.
In p418, the double pass motor 447 is turned off, and Step
At 419, it shifts down by one bin and returns from the double pass to the position of the normal bin, and the program returns to Step 402.

(Stack Mode) Next, the operation procedure in the stack mode in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in Step 601, the bin is moved to the home position according to the stack mode instruction signal sent from the copying apparatus main body through serial communication. Next, at Step 603, a bin position for the next ejection and a stack shift counter indicating the number of sheets ejected to the bin are set.

At the next Step 605, it is judged whether or not the sorter start signal is output from the copying apparatus main body. If no sorter start signal is output, the operation ends.
If the sorter start signal is output, in Step 607,
It is determined whether or not there is a discharge signal generated when the paper is discharged from the copying apparatus main body. If there is an emission signal, Ste
In p609, the paper conveyance operation is performed, and if the discharge signal is not output, the process returns to Step 605.

Next, in Step 611, the stack shift counter is incremented by one to indicate that one sheet has been discharged. At the next Step 613, it is determined by the count number of the stack shift counter whether or not the number of sheets on the bin currently being discharged has reached the allowable number. If it reaches the allowable number, it is shifted by 1 bin in Step 615, and if it does not reach the allowable number, the process returns to Step 605.

At the next Step 617, at Step 603.
Similarly, the bin position for the next discharge and the counter indicating the number of discharged paper sheets are set. After that, Step60
Returning to step 5, the same operation as described above is performed.

(Conveying Operation) Next, the procedure of the sheet conveying operation in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

As the sheet conveying operation when the self sorter 400 and the next sorter 401 receive sheets from the copying apparatus main body 100, first, in step 501, the conveying motor 413 is turned on. And next Step50
2, the non-sort path 406 and the sort path 407
Is selected, and if the non-sort path 406 is selected, the process proceeds to Step 503 for detecting the output of the non-sort path sensor S401, and if the sort path 407 is selected, the sort path sensor S407 is selected. The process proceeds to Step 504 for detecting the output of S402.

Then, Step 505 or Step 5
At 06, the delay jam and stay jam of the sorter as shown in FIG. 14 to be described later are detected by using the outputs of the respective path sensors.

Next, at Step 507, the carry motor 413
When the sheet is discharged, a counter is set to measure the discharging time, and in Step 508, St is set.
It is determined whether or not the counter set in step 507 has finished counting, and if the counter has counted up, the process proceeds to step 509 to stop the carry motor 413 and terminate the operation.

(Jam Detection Processing) Next, the jam detection processing of the sorter in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

At Step 801, a time counter for detecting a delay jam is set. And the next Step
At 802, it is determined whether the pass sensor (S401 or S402) is on, that is, whether the paper is passing. When the pass sensor is off, it is determined in Step 803 whether or not the time counter is counting up. If the time is counting up, it is determined that there is a delay jam, and Step is performed.
Proceeding to 804, the jam processing is performed. If it is not counted up in Step 803, the process returns to Step 802.

If the pass sensor is turned on before this counting up, Step 802 to Step 80
In step 5, a time counter for detecting jammed jam is set. Next, in Step 806, it is determined whether the pass sensor is turned on. St when the pass sensor is on
In step 807, it is determined whether or not the time counter is counting up. If the time counter is counting up, it is determined to be a jammed jam, and the process proceeds to step 808 to perform the jam processing. If it is not counted up in Step 807, the process returns to Step 806.

If the pass sensor is turned off before this count-up, the program is returned to the main program as normal.

(Stapling Operation) Next, the stapling operation in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, at step 901, the stapler 412
To turn on (start) the swing motor 450 to move the
The swing motor 450 is driven until the stapler 412 moves to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Next, Step902
Then, the stapler solenoid 451 is driven to perform stapling.

Then, in Step 903, the swing motor 450 is driven until the stapler 412 moves to the retracted position shown by the broken line in FIG. Then Step 90
In step 4, it is determined whether or not stapling has been completed for all the bins B _{1 to} B _n , and if it has not been completed, one bin shift is performed in step 905, and the process returns to step 901 to perform the next stapling and returns to step 90.
The processing from 2 to 904 is repeated. When the stapling is completed for all the bins B _{1 to} B _n , the stapling operation is completed.

(Measures against Paper Jam) Next, in a copying procedure using two sorters, the operation procedure in the embodiment of the present invention when the next sorter 401 in FIG. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the sort mode and the group mode, the sheets are discharged to the sorter in the order of the next sorter 401 and the own sorter 400 (that is, the sorter 401 is prioritized). For example, if the number of bins in one sorter is 20, and 10 copies are to be made, that is, if one sorter is in time, the next sorter 4
Only 01 is used. The priority of the next sorter 401 is
This is because even if a paper jam occurs in the next sorter 401, the paper can be discharged to the own sorter 400, but if the paper jam occurs in the own sorter 400, the paper cannot be discharged to the next sorter 401 structurally.

First, the operation procedure when a paper jam of the sorter occurs in the sort mode will be described. First, Step
In step 701, it is determined whether a paper jam has occurred in the next sorter 401. When the place where the paper jam has occurred is not the next sorter 401 but the own sorter 400, the copying operation is stopped in Step 706.

When the place where the paper jam has occurred is the next sorter 401, it is determined in Step 702 whether the number of copies to be made is equal to or less than the number of bins of the sorter. When the number of copies exceeds the number of bins of the sorter, that is, the sorter 401 and the sorter 400
If you are also using, use Step 703 to set your own sorter 4
For the number of copies to be discharged to 00, the sheets following the sorter are discharged.

When the number of copies is less than the number of bins of the sorter,
In Step 704, whether or not the bin of the own sorter 400 is empty is detected by the output of the sort tray paper presence detection sensor S407. If the bin of the own sorter 400 is not empty, the copying operation is stopped at Step 707, and if the bin of the own sorter 400 is empty, Step 70 is set.
The continuation of the sort is performed on the self sorter 400 as it is in 5.

On the other hand, in the group mode, when a paper jam occurs in the next sorter 401, the own sorter 400
If the bin is empty, the rest is discharged to the empty bin of the own sorter 400.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, when the number of copies exceeds the number of bins of the sorter in the sort mode, if a paper jam occurs in the next sorter 401, the number of copies to be discharged to the own sorter 400 is , The continuation is discharged. After that, when the user clears the paper jam of the next sorter 401 during or after the paper is discharged to the self-sorter 400, when the paper jam occurs in the automatic document feeder 300 after the paper discharge of the self-sorter 400 is completed. It is preferable to return to the original so that the continuation regarding the next sorter 401 can be resumed. In this case, when a paper jam occurs,
The original number at that time, the information on the position of the ejected bin, and the like are temporarily stored in the RAM 1003, and the RAM is restarted.
The information is extracted from 1003 and executed.

[0118]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a paper jam occurs in one sorter, the paper can be discharged to another sorter to continue the image forming process without removing the paper jam. effective.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an overall internal configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the circulation type automatic document feeder (RDF) of FIG.

3 is a plan view showing an appearance of an operation panel of the copying apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a copying machine main body and an RDF control system of FIG. 1. FIG.

5 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the sorter shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the main configuration of the sorter of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the sorter shown in FIG.

8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the sorter shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure in a non-sort mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure of a sort mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure of a group mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure in a stack mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a sheet conveying operation procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure of jam detection processing of the sorter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a stapling operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a control operation procedure when a paper jam occurs in the sorter according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Copying machine main body 200 Pedestal 300 Recycling type automatic document feeder (RDF) 400, 401 Sorter 402 Machine body 403 Bin unit 406 Non-sort path 407 Sort path 412 Stapler 413 Conveying motor 421 Shift motor 430 Non-sort tray 431 Unit main body 432 Aligning motor 439 Alignment rod 440 Engagement plate 445 Double stay 446 Double pass unit 447 Double pass motor 450 Swing motor 451 Staple solenoid 455 Alignment reference plate 600 Key group 700 Display group 800 Main body controller 900 RDF controller 1000 Sorter controller 1001 CPU 1003 RAM

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming system having a plurality of sheet post-processing devices for classifying and storing sheet materials added to an image forming apparatus and discharged from the image forming apparatus, wherein the sheet material is conveyed while being monitored. A conveyance abnormality detection unit that detects the occurrence of an abnormality and the abnormal place, and a sheet post-processing device selection unit that selects a sheet material storage device to be continuously processed according to the detection content of the conveyance abnormality detection unit. An image forming system comprising: 2. A means for selecting a sheet post-processing device in which the conveyance abnormality is eliminated after a series of paper discharge operations for the sheet post-processing device selected by the sheet post-processing device selection means is completed. The image forming system according to claim 1. 3. The conveyance abnormality detecting means has means for detecting a paper jam of the sheet post-processing apparatus, and the sheet post-processing apparatus selecting means detects the presence or absence of the sheet material in the sheet post-processing apparatus. The image forming system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: