JPH0624606A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a jam generation rate by selecting a tray provided in a recording device. CONSTITUTION:In a recording device 13, the number of paper sheets fed out from a first to third paper feed trays 141-143 as well as a jam generating frequency is counted, and a jam generation frequency of each of the first to third paper feed trays 141-143 is calculated based on these count values. Priority of selection is lowered for a paper feed tray whose calculated result is not less than a specified value, while tray selection is conducted with a predetermined priority for a paper feed tray whose result is less than a reference value. Since the tray whose jam generation frequency is low is preferentially used, the jam generation is suppressed at a low value.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording device such as a printer or a copying machine, and more particularly to a recording device having a plurality of trays, a plurality of trays feeding or discharging the same sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printer connected to a host computer selects a tray in which sheets of a size requested by the host are accommodated and performs recording. Such a printer is often provided with a plurality of trays, and more than two of these trays often accommodate sheets of the same size. For example, there is a printer that accommodates sheets of the same size in a large capacity tray and a relatively small capacity tray. In such a printer, paper is always supplied from a large-capacity tray to the printing unit, and when the paper in this tray is exhausted, the paper is sent out from a relatively small-capacity tray instead of the large-capacity tray. It is possible to replenish the paper in the tray.

In an apparatus having a plurality of trays containing sheets of the same size as described above, in order to select the tray when the feeding of the sheets of the size is instructed, (a)
There have been two methods: a method of setting a priority (priority order) to each tray and a method of (t) selecting a tray with a small number of jam occurrences.

For example, assume that a recording apparatus has a large capacity tray and a normal capacity tray. In general, a large-capacity tray is easier to use than a small-capacity tray because the number of paper replacements can be reduced. Therefore, in this case, the tray having a large capacity is often set to have a higher priority. Of the trays having the same capacity, the tray arranged at a position convenient for attachment / detachment such as the uppermost tray is easier to use, and thus the priority is often higher.

On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-178144 discloses the latter technique of determining the tray selection order based on the number of jam occurrences. Here, the number of jam occurrences is stored in association with the paper feed tray, and the tray with the smallest number is preferentially selected to reduce the number of jam occurrences.

[0006]

By the way, if the trays are selected simply according to the priority order, the higher priority trays are used more frequently. As a result, there is a problem in that, for example, movable parts such as a paper carrying roller and a clutch used in connection with the tray may reach the end of their life early and frequently cause jams (paper jams) before they are replaced. It was Further, in order to avoid such a trouble, there is a problem that it is necessary to set a sufficiently short interval for maintenance and inspection of the recording apparatus.

If the paper is sent out from the tray with the least number of jams, the trays that are used a lot will produce more jams than the trays that are rarely used. The trays that do not have higher priority. For this reason, even when a tray that is rarely used has a high jam occurrence rate, this tray is preferentially selected, and as a result, there is a problem that jams per unit number frequently occur. .

The paper feed tray of the printer has been described above, but the paper discharge tray has the same problem. Further, a recording device other than a printer, such as a copying machine, has the same problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of reducing a jam occurrence rate by selecting a tray.

Another object of the present invention is to set the priority of use of a plurality of trays and the reduction of the jam occurrence rate.
It is to provide a recording device that can harmonize the three requirements.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of paper feed trays containing paper of the same size,
Counting means for counting the number of sheets sent out from these paper feed trays for each of these paper feed trays, jam detection means for detecting paper jams, and the number of times jams have occurred are stored in association with the paper feed trays. Jam count storage means, jam occurrence rate calculation means for calculating the jam occurrence rate from the count value counted by the counting means and jam count for each paper feed tray, and paper of the same size as the paper accommodated in the plurality of paper feed trays. The recording apparatus is provided with a paper feed tray selection unit that selects a paper feed tray for which a minimum jam occurrence ratio has been calculated by the jam occurrence ratio calculation unit when a paper feed is instructed.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the number of sheets fed out corresponding to each of the plurality of paper feed trays and the number of jam occurrences are stored, and the jam occurrence rate is calculated based on these. Then, when selecting a tray, the paper is fed out from the paper feed tray for which the minimum jam occurrence rate is calculated, and the jam occurrence rate is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a plurality of paper discharge trays for storing recorded papers, a counting means for counting the number of papers fed to the paper discharge trays for each paper discharge tray, and a paper Jam detection means for detecting jams, jam count storage means for storing the number of jam occurrences in association with the discharge tray, and jam occurrence from the count value counted by the counting means and the jam count for each discharge tray A jam occurrence rate calculation means for calculating a rate, and a discharge tray selection means for selecting a discharge tray for paper discharge for which a minimum jam occurrence rate is calculated by the jam occurrence rate calculation means when a sheet discharge is instructed. The recording device.

That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of paper discharge trays are present, the number of fed sheets and the number of jam occurrences are stored in correspondence with each other, and the jam occurrence rate is based on them. Calculate Then, when the tray is selected, the discharge tray for which the minimum jam occurrence rate is calculated is used to reduce the jam occurrence rate.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a recording section for recording on a sheet, a plurality of trays for handling the sheets used in the recording section, and the number of sheets used by the recording section in relation to these trays. Counting means, a jam detecting means for detecting a paper jam, a jam count storing means for storing the number of times a paper jam has occurred in relation to a tray, and a counting counter for each tray. A jam occurrence rate calculating means for calculating a jam occurrence rate from a numerical value and the number of jams, a priority order setting means for presetting a priority order when selecting a tray, and a comparing means for comparing the jam occurrence rate with a predetermined prescribed value. By comparing means, trays with a jam occurrence rate of a specified value or higher are given lower priority than other trays, and the lower the occurrence rate, the lower the priority. A priority changing means set a high priority among the priority is provided to the recording apparatus.

That is, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of paper feed trays or paper discharge trays, the number of sheets handled in relation to these trays and the number of jam occurrences are stored, and based on these, Calculate the jam occurrence rate. When the jam occurrence rate is less than the specified value, the trays are selected in a predetermined priority order, while the trays with the specified value or higher are given lower priority orders than the other trays to avoid use as much as possible. To In addition, when there are multiple trays that are equal to or greater than the specified value, the lower the jam occurrence rate, the higher the priority is set in the lower priority order. We are trying to harmonize the request and the two requests of respecting priorities.

[0017]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples.

FIG. 2 shows the construction of a printing system using a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the host computer 11 is the cable 12
Is connected to the recording device 13. Recording device 13
Has _three paper feed trays 14 _{1 to} 14 ₃ and three paper discharge trays 15 ₁ to 15 ₃ . Inside the recording device 13, for example, a photosensitive drum (not shown) is arranged, and a laser beam is modulated by an image signal and irradiated on this to form an electrostatic latent image. . The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is developed by a developing device (not shown). The toner image obtained by this is one of the first to third paper feed trays 14 _{1 to} 14 _3.
First, it is transferred and fixed on the paper sent from
Selected one of the _third output trays 15 ₁ to 15 ₃
It will be discharged once.

FIG. 1 shows the main part of the circuit configuration of this recording apparatus. The recording device 13 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 21. The CPU 21 is connected to each unit of the device through a bus 22 such as a data bus. Of these, the ROM 23 is a read-only memory that stores a program for controlling the recording device 13. RA
M24 is a random access memory for temporarily storing various data when controlled by the CPU 21.
The non-volatile memory (NVM) 25 is backed up by a battery (not shown) so that the stored contents can be retained even when the power of the recording device 13 is turned off. The non-volatile memory 25 includes the first to third paper feed trays 14 _{1 to} 14 ₃ and the first to _third paper feed trays 14 _{1 to} 14 ₃ shown in FIG.
Various count values and the like for managing the paper discharge trays 15 ₁ to 15 ₃ are stored. The communication control device 26 is connected to the cable 12 of the host computer 11 shown in FIG. 2 and is adapted to receive control information such as image information and paper size.

The console controller 27 has a console 28.
It is connected to the. The console 28 is the recording device 1
3 Various information is displayed and the operator's instruction contents are input.
I can do my best. The recording control unit 29 is the recording unit 3
1 is controlled. The recording unit 31 is the above-mentioned photosensitive drum or the like.
Is provided so that an image can be recorded. Paper tray
The control unit 32 uses the first to third paper feeding clutches 33.₁~ 33
₃Excitation control is performed. First to first
3 paper feed clutch 33₁~ 33₃Are respectively shown in Figure 2.
The first to third paper feed trays 14 shown₁~ 14₃From paper
Of the first to third paper feed rollers (not shown)
It is designed to perform on / off control of the drive system. Well
In addition, the discharge tray control unit 34 controls the first to third discharge clubs.
Chi 35₁~ 35₃Excitation control is performed.
Here, the first to third discharge clutches 35₁~ 35₃Is
The first to third paper discharge trays 15 shown in FIG. 2 respectively₁~
15 ₃First, not shown, for discharging the recorded paper
Perform on / off control of the drive system of the third discharge roller
It has become. The sensor input circuit 36 uses
Mounted at the location corresponding to the roller and discharge roller
Paper detection sensors and jam detectors placed in various parts of the device
It is connected to a sensor group 37 consisting of output sensors,
When paper is sent or ejected
Detects if the tray has been used and jams
If so, the detection is performed.

FIG. 3 is for explaining the printing operation of such a recording apparatus. On the recording device side, the CPU 21 shown in FIG. 1 waits for the reception of control data for printing (step S101). When the control data is received (Y), the size of the paper used for printing is decoded ( Step S102), then, based on the data stored in the non-volatile memory 25 (FIG. 1), the first
A tray having a priority order is selected (step S103).

The following Table 1 shows the first to third parts of this embodiment.
The paper feeding trays 14 _{1 to} 14 ₃ and their priorities and the sizes of the sheets currently set are shown.

[0023]

[Table 1]

In the recording apparatus of this embodiment, the third paper feed tray 14 ₃ is a tray for storing a large amount of A4 size paper, and the first and second paper feed trays 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ are cassettes. It is a tray that accommodates a relatively small volume of paper whose size can be switched by exchanging the paper. These first and second paper feed trays 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ have
A mechanism for identifying the size of the paper is attached to the main body of the recording apparatus, and the CPU 21 stores the information in RA when mounting.
It is designed to be registered in M24 (FIG. 1).

When the third paper feed tray 14 ₃ is selected as the first priority in step S103, the CPU 2
1 checks whether the tray is usable (step S104). If no paper is stored in the _third paper feed tray 14 ₃ or is not in a usable state such as when the tray is not attached, it is determined whether there is a next paper feed tray. Is performed (step S105). If there is no tray to select next (N), such as when the lowest second paper feed tray 14 _{2 in} priority is selected and this is not available (N), an operator call is executed. (Step S
106). That is, a warning such as "There is no corresponding tray." Is displayed on a liquid crystal display (not shown), a lamp (not shown) is turned on, or a buzzer (not shown) is sounded to alert the operator. Become.

On the other hand, if there is a tray that can be selected next, such as when the _third paper feed tray 14 ₃ is selected and cannot be used (step S
105; Y), the paper feed tray 14 having the next priority is selected (step S107), and the process proceeds to step S104.

On the other hand, if the paper feed tray 14 is usable in step S104 (Y), step S1
It is checked whether or not the size of the paper decoded in 02 matches the size (step S108). If the sizes do not match (N), step S
Proceeding to 105, the selection of the paper feed tray 14 of the next rank is considered.

On the other hand, if the sizes match in step S108 (Y), the sheet feeding clutch 33 corresponding to the sheet feeding tray 14 is turned on to transmit the driving force to a sheet feeding roller (not shown). Only one sheet is fed out (step S109). Then, the printing operation is performed by the recording unit 31 (step S110), and the number of sheets used for the paper feed tray 14 set in the predetermined area of the non-volatile memory 25 is counted up by "1" (step S111). ).

At this stage, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the number of sheets set by the host computer 11 has been printed (step S112). If the set number of sheets has not been reached (N), the corresponding paper feed tray 14 is selected. Check again whether there is paper (step S11)
3). When the sheets are used up (N), the process proceeds to step S105, and the sheet feed tray 14 of the next priority is set.
To select. If the sheet is still present (Y), the sheet is again fed out, the printing operation is performed, and the number of used sheets is counted up (steps S109 to S1).
11). When the set number of sheets have been printed in this way (step S112; Y), the print control is ended (END).

FIG. 4 shows a control state when a jam occurs in this recording apparatus. Sensor group 37
When the jam detection sensor detects a jam (step S201; Y), the CPU 21 shown in FIG. 1 causes the conveyance system of the recording apparatus to be emergency stopped (step S202) and causes the jam of the paper feed tray 14 to occur. A determination is made (step S203). Then, the count value of the jam counter corresponding to the paper feed tray 14 is incremented by "1". That is, the corresponding count value stored in the jam counter area in the nonvolatile memory 25 (FIG. 1) is incremented by "1".

Next, the CPU 21 causes the step S111 in FIG.
The ratio of the number of used sheets for the paper feed tray 14 counted in step 3 and the count value of the jam counter is calculated to calculate the jam ratio (jam occurrence ratio) (step S205).
Then, this jam ratio is compared with a prescribed value that is set in advance for this recording apparatus (step S206), and if it is less than this (N), there is no particular problem with the supply roll or the like, so the jam processing is terminated (end). . That is, if the operator presses a start button (not shown) on the console 28 (FIG. 1) after removing the jammed paper from the recording apparatus, the normal recording operation is started.

On the other hand, when the jam ratio is equal to or higher than the specified value (Y), a priority order for tray selection is newly set and registered for the paper feed tray 14 (step S207). For example, in the case of the priority order shown in Table 1, it is assumed that a jam occurs during printing on the _third paper feed tray 14 ₃ and the jam ratio exceeds the specified value. At this time, the first and second paper feed trays 14 ₁ , 1
For 4 _2, it is assumed that the jam rate has not reached the specified value yet. In this case, the contents after updating the priority order are as shown in Table 2 below.

[0033]

[Table 2]

That is, in the present embodiment, the paper feed tray 14 ₃ having a jam ratio exceeding the specified value is changed to a group having a lower priority, and the paper feed trays 14 ₁ and 14 having the jam ratio not reaching the specified value are changed. for ₂ is set to a high-priority group. At this time, the priority order permutation in the group having a high priority follows the preset priority order. As a result, the third paper feed tray 14
The priority of ₃ is the first and second paper feed trays 14 ₁ , 1
The lowest rank is lower than 4 ₂ . Further, between the first and second paper feed trays 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ , the priority is moved up by one accordingly.

As a result, when the host computer 11 again designates A4 size paper and both the first and third paper feed trays 14 ₁ and 14 ₃ are usable, the _third paper feed tray 14 ₁ and 14 ₃ is used. The first paper feed tray 14 ₁ will be used instead of the paper feed tray 14 ₃ . Depending on the apparatus, when the priority order is changed in this way, the priority order may be displayed on a display or the like to alert the operator that the priority tray has been changed.

In this embodiment, when the host computer 11 designates B4 size paper, the corresponding tray is only the _second paper feed tray 14 ₂ . Therefore, the second
Of course, even if the jam ratio of the paper feed tray 14 ₂ of the above-mentioned paper feed exceeds the regulation, the paper feed tray 14 is not changed.

In the embodiment described above, the host computer specifies the paper size, but the operator or the like may specify the paper size in the recording apparatus itself. Further, although only the paper feed tray has been described in the embodiment, the present invention can be similarly applied to the paper discharge tray.

In the embodiment, the number of sheets used in each tray and the number of jam occurrences are simply counted up. However, when the parts such as the paper feed roller are replaced, these count values are cleared, As a matter of course, the current count value may be corrected to a predetermined value that is low to some extent in relation to other parts in use that are related to the same tray. Further, although the count value is held in the non-volatile memory 25 in the embodiment, it may be held in a register or other storage means.

In the embodiment, the priority is set for all the trays regardless of the size of the sheets accommodated, but the priority is set among the trays accommodating the sheets of the same size. You may Further, in the embodiment, the trays are selected according to the priority order, and then it is checked whether or not the paper sizes match, but it is checked whether or not there are a plurality of trays that accommodate the paper of the corresponding size. When there are a plurality of trays, the tray having the highest priority may be selected first.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sheet with the smallest jam ratio is preferentially selected from among the sheet feeding trays containing the sheets of the same size and the sheet is sent out. I decided to do it. Therefore, unlike the case of simply comparing the numbers of jam occurrences, the ratio of jam occurrence can be set to be always low, and the labor for removing the jammed paper can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the jam ratio of the sheet is calculated for each sheet discharge tray and the sheet is discharged to the smallest sheet discharge tray. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the jam that occurs before the paper is discharged.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the paper feed tray or the paper discharge tray having a high jam occurrence rate is set to a group having a low priority, and the paper feed tray or the paper discharge tray having a low occurrence rate is prioritized. We have set it to a group with a high degree of priority, and preferentially use the items with the highest priority. Moreover, within the group of paper feed trays or paper discharge trays where the occurrence rate of jams is low, the trays are selected according to the priority order initially set by the operator or the like. Both convenience and convenience can be harmonized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a circuit configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a print system using a recording apparatus in this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing how the recording apparatus selects a paper feed tray and performs printing in this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a control state when a jam occurs in the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Host computer, 12 ... Cable, 13 ... Recording device, 21 ... CPU, 23 ... ROM, 24 ... RAM,
25 ... Non-volatile memory, 26 ... Communication control device, 31 ... Recording unit, 32 ... Paper feed tray control unit, 33 ... Paper feed clutch,
34 ... Paper discharge tray control unit, 37 ... Sensor group

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of paper feed trays containing paper of the same size, a counting means for counting the number of papers fed from these paper feed trays for each paper feed tray, and a jam of the paper. A jam detection unit, a jam count storage unit that stores the number of jam occurrences in association with the paper feed tray, and a jam occurrence rate based on the count value counted by the counting unit and the jam count for each paper feed tray. A jam occurrence ratio calculating means for calculating, and a paper feed tray for which a minimum jam occurrence ratio has been calculated by the jam occurrence ratio calculating means when instructed to send out a paper of the same size as the paper accommodated in the plurality of paper feed trays And a paper feed tray selection means for selecting a paper feed tray. 2. A plurality of paper discharge trays for storing recorded papers, a counting unit for counting the number of papers sent to the paper discharge trays for each paper discharge tray, and a jam of the papers. A jam detection unit, a jam count storage unit that stores the number of jam occurrences in association with the discharge tray, and a jam occurrence rate from the count value counted by the counting unit and the jam count for each discharge tray. A jam occurrence rate calculating means for calculating and a discharge tray selecting means for selecting the discharge tray for which the minimum jam occurrence rate has been calculated by the jam occurrence rate calculating means when discharging the paper is specified for paper discharge. A recording device comprising: 3. A recording unit for recording on a sheet, a plurality of trays for handling sheets used in this recording unit, and a counting for counting the number of sheets used by the recording unit in relation to these trays. Means, jam detecting means for detecting jam of the sheet, jam number storing means for respectively storing the number of times of jam of the sheet in relation to the tray, and count value counted by the counting means for each tray. And a jam occurrence rate calculating means for calculating a jam occurrence rate from the number of jams, a priority setting means for presetting a priority order when selecting the tray, and a comparison for comparing the jam occurrence rate with a predetermined specified value. By means of the means and the comparing means, the tray having the jam occurrence rate of the specified value or more has a lower priority than the other trays, and the occurrence rate is lower. Etc. recording apparatus characterized by comprising a priority changing means for setting higher priority in its lower priority.