JPH0713464A - Copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the consumption of copying paper and simultaneously, the volume of obtained copies by selecting a copying magnification from an original size and the half size of a copying paper size and copying pages of the original on the same surface of a sheet of copying paper side by side. CONSTITUTION:The copying magnification is selected from the document size and the size of the half of the copying paper size. An automatic document feeder 30 successively feeds the documents OR2 and OR1 up to the front of a pinch roller 38 by a feeding roller from the top of the original whose surfaces to be copied face down and which are placed on an original tray 32. First, the original OR2 of the second page is carried onto an original platen 25 and positioned. The copy is made on the copying paper of the size twice as large as that of the copied image of the magnification selected from the original size and shown by the figure of COPY 1 and the half is blank. The copying paper is temporarily housed in a paper refeeding tray in a copying machine main body. Then, the original OR1 of the first page is fed and positioned, the copying paper is fed from the paper refeeding tray and the copy shown as the figure of COPY2 can be obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, and more particularly to a copying machine capable of synthesizing and copying a plurality of original images on one copy sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to reduce the consumption of copy paper or to reduce the volume of documents created by copying, a double-sided copy function for copying two originals on the front and back sides of one copy paper has been provided. Various copying machines are provided. In such a copying machine, since two originals can be accommodated on one copy sheet, consumption of the copy sheet is halved and volume of the copy is halved as compared with single-sided copying. It has an excellent advantage that

[0003]

By the way, there are cases where an image on the back side is inconvenient, depending on the usability of the document. For example, the image on the back side appears on the front side, making it difficult to see documents.

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to copy two original images on the same side of one copy sheet, reducing the consumption of the copy sheet and reducing the volume of the copy produced by copying. It is an object of the present invention to provide a copier capable of processing. Another object of the present invention is to facilitate setting of a copy magnification when copying two original images on the same surface of one copy paper.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, the copying machine of the present invention comprises an original size detecting means for detecting the size of an original, a copy paper size detecting means for detecting the size of a copy paper, and A magnification selecting means for selecting a copying magnification from the original size detected by the original size detecting means and a half size of the copying paper size detected by the copying paper size detecting means, and the magnification selecting means. According to the copy magnification, a copy unit for arranging and copying two originals on the same surface of one copy sheet is provided.

[0006]

In the copying machine of the present invention, the copying magnification is selected from the size detected by the original size detecting means and the half of the copying paper size detected by the copying paper size detecting means, and the selected copying magnification is selected. 2 originals
Copies are made side by side on the same side of a sheet of copy paper.

[0007]

EXAMPLES First, the second synthesis described below, which is particularly related to the present invention.
The outline of the copying operation in the mode will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic document feeder 30 sequentially reads the originals O from the top of the originals placed on the original tray 32 with the surface to be copied facing down.
R2 and OR1 are fed by the feeding roller to just before the pinch roller 38. First, the OR of the first (odd) original
In the case of a two-page original, that is, the second page of the original OR2 is placed on the original table 39 by the pinch roller and the conveyance belt.
Be transported to. When the rear end of the original document OR2 is detected by the sensor 37, the original document is conveyed by a constant distance l1 and then stopped, and is positioned at the position shown in FIG. In this state, scanning exposure is carried out to make a copy, but the copy is formed on a copy paper twice as large as the copy image, as shown in COPY1 in the figure, and half of the copy paper is blank. This copy paper is once stored in the re-feed tray in the main body of the copying machine. After copying the required number of copies of the original document OR2 in this manner, the second original document sheet O
R1, that is, the original OR1 of the first page is fed in the case of the original consisting of two pages. The sensor 37 is at the rear end of the document OR1.
When it is detected by (1), it is determined that the sheet is an even number this time, the sheet is conveyed by the total distance (11 + 12) of the constant distance 11 and the width 12 of the document, and then stopped and positioned at the position shown in FIG. In this state, scanning exposure is carried out and copying is performed. At this time, however, the copy paper on which the odd-numbered original document OR2 has been copied is fed from the re-feed tray, so that the copy sheet is shown as COPY2 in FIG. Odd and even page originals are copied on one copy sheet.

The embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main components of a copying machine having a copy mode of a synthetic copy mode suitable for installing and using the automatic document feeder 30 of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a copying machine main body, 2 is a scanning optical system, 3 is a photoconductor drum, 4 is a developing device, 5 is a first paper feed tray, 6 is a second paper feed tray, and 7 and 8 are respectively. Paper feed rollers for feeding the copy sheets on the first and second paper feed trays one by one, 9, 10 and 11 for conveying rollers for conveying the copy sheets to the transfer position, 12 for a conveying path, and 13 for a toner image. A conveyor belt for conveying the transferred copy paper, 14 and 15 are a pair of fixing rollers, and 69 is an eraser.

Further, 16 is a conveyance path for the fixed copy paper,
Reference numeral 17 is a switching claw for switching between discharging the copy paper or transporting it to the re-feed tray 20, reference numeral 18 is a transport path to the re-feed tray, and 19 is a case of performing double-sided copy on copy paper and a case of performing composite copy. With the conveyance path switching claws for changing the front and back sides of the sheet, the sheet is directly conveyed to the refeed tray 20 in the case of the composite copy, and is conveyed to the sheet refeed tray via the reverse conveyance path 21 in the case of the double-sided copy. It is for switching to. Reference numeral 20 is a re-feed tray, 22 is a feed roller for feeding the copy paper on the re-feed tray, and 23 and 24 are guide plates of the re-feed tray, which are set at appropriate positions according to the sheet size. Further, these guide plates 23, 24 retract the paper feed roller 22 upward when the number of copy sheets corresponding to the predetermined number of key-inputs are stored, and move the copy sheets to below the feeding roller. , And has a function of making a paper feed possible state. An automatic document feeder 30 is installed on the document table 25 of the copying machine 1. The structure will be described later. Further, 50 is a known sorter.

Next, the automatic document feeder 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be explained based on. Reference numeral 31 is a document feeding unit, 32 is a document tray, 33 is a feeding roller, 34 and 35 are separation rollers for separating and feeding the originals one by one, and 36 is a document fed surely one by one. A separation sensor for detecting whether or not a document is present, 37 is an entrance sensor for detecting the trailing edge passage timing of the document in order to control the stop position of the fed document, 39 is a transport belt for transporting the document, and the driving roller 40, tension It is installed between the rollers 41. 42 is a roller for pressing the conveying belt against the document table. Reference numeral 45 is a document discharge portion, 46 is a discharge document feeding guide, 47 and 48 are guide rollers, and 49 is a discharge tray, which receives the exposed document. 4
A paper discharge sensor 4 detects the trailing edge of the discharged document.

FIG. 4 shows the operation panel of the automatic document feeder 30. The print key 73, the border erase key 72 for requesting the erase of the border between two documents, and the composite second mode as the copy mode are selected. When the composite second mode key 71, an APS mode for automatically selecting a copy paper suitable for the original size from the original size, an AMS mode for automatically selecting a copy magnification according to the selected copy paper size, or a copy magnification, A selection key 70 for selecting one of MUL modes for manually selecting copy paper, and lamps 65-1, 65-2, 65-3, 6 for displaying these modes.
5-4 and 65-5 are provided. In addition, the composition mode as the copy mode includes a composition first mode and a composition second mode, and the composition first mode is a normal composition, that is,
Another original is copied by superimposing it on the copy paper once copied, and the composite second mode is continuously supplied in the copying system which works in conjunction with the automatic original feeder 30 in the copying mode according to the present invention. In this mode, two originals are copied on the same side of one copy sheet.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the key 71 on the operation panel of the copying machine is operated to select the second composite mode, and further the selection key 70 is operated to select one of the APS, AMS, and MUL modes as a mode. Also, the document surface is placed on the document tray 32 of the automatic document feeder 30 with the document surface facing down so that the document is fed from the last page at the top.

When the user presses the print key 73 on the operation panel to start the copying operation, the top original of the original OR on the original tray 32 is sent out by the feeding roller 33, and separated by the separating rollers 34 and 35 one by one. After being separated, the first (odd number) original OR2 is sent to the pinch roller 38. When the delivery timing comes by the known timing adjusting means, the pinch roller 38 rotates, and the document OR2 is delivered under the transport belt 39. The conveyor belt 39 is a drive roller 40.
Thus, the original OR2 is held by the frictional force and conveyed in the direction of arrow a.

A pulse generating disk (not shown) is attached to the motor shaft for driving the pinch roller 38, and a predetermined time has elapsed since the trailing edge of the original document was detected by the entrance sensor 37, and after the original document, After the end exceeds the reference point P, the pinch roller 38 and the conveyor belt 39 are stopped, and the conveyor belt is further moved in the reverse direction (the direction of arrow b) by a predetermined amount determined by the time counted by the timer and the movement amount. , The trailing edge of the document is stopped at the reference point P on the document table 25 (the position of the distance l1 by the entrance sensor 37 in FIG. 1).

Since the original is positioned at the predetermined first position (position A in FIG. 1) on the original table 25, a series of copying operations of exposure, development and fixing from the automatic original feeder 30 to the main body of the copying machine. Is ordered. The scanning optical system 2 scans the original,
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 3. The electrostatic latent image is developed and is fed from the paper feed table 5 or 6 to the transport rollers 9, 10, 1
The image is transferred onto the copy sheet fed through the first transport path 12. The copy sheet onto which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing rollers 14 and 15 by the conveying belt 13, and the toner image is fixed on the copy sheet. The above is a copying process of a normal copying machine, and although the description is omitted here, the copying machine includes a charger, a transfer device,
It goes without saying that there is a configuration provided in a known copying machine such as a static eliminator and a cleaner.

The copy sheet on which the fixing has been completed is fixed on the fixing roller 14,
When the composite second mode is selected as the copy mode, the switching claw 17 provided in the middle of the transport path switches the transport path 16 toward the re-feed tray 20. Therefore, the copy paper enters the transport path 18.
At the exit of the conveyance path 18, a switching claw for carrying into the reversal conveyance path 21 for reversing the surface of the paper in the double-sided copy mode, or directly into the refeed tray 20 in the composite first or second mode. 19, and the second composite mode is selected as the copy mode in the case of this description, the switching claw 19 is switched so that the copy paper directly enters the re-feed tray 20. The copy sheets carried in are guided by the guide plates 23, 2.
4, the sheet is stored in a predetermined position on the re-feed tray 20. Thus, the copying operation for the set number of copies is repeated, and the copying of the first (odd number) original is completed.

Next, the feeding roller 2 on the refeed tray 20.
2 is retracted upward, and the copy paper on the re-feed tray 20 is moved to the left in FIG. 3 by the guide plates 23 and 24 to be set at the paper feed position. Then, the feeding roller 22 descends to complete the preparation for feeding the second original as a copy sheet for copying the second original in the margin of the copy sheet on which the first original has been copied.

When the automatic document feeder 30 receives the copy end signal of the first (odd number) document output from the copying machine side, the automatic document feeder 30 starts the document replacement operation.
First, the conveyor belt 39 moves in the direction of arrow a in FIG.
The original (the odd-numbered original) is conveyed between the original feeding guide 46 and the guide rollers 47 and 48, and is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 49. At this time, the discharge sensor 44 detects the discharge. When discharge is detected by the discharge sensor 44, the next document is then sent out by the feed roller 33. Since this time it is the second (even-numbered) original, the timer that starts counting after the trailing edge of the original is detected by the entrance sensor 37 is the reference point P (in FIG. Sensor 37
The document is stopped by counting so as to stop at the position on the left side in FIG. 3 by a distance corresponding to the width 12 of the document more than the position of the distance 11). Since the document is positioned at the predetermined second position (position B in FIG. 1) on the document table 25, the automatic document feeder 30 commands the copying machine body to perform a series of copying operations of exposure, development and fixing. It The scanning optical system 2 scans the document to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. In this case, since the optical system 2 performs a full scan for scanning the entire surface of the document table, the surface of the conveyor belt 39 of the automatic document feeder 30 is dirty at the portion corresponding to the first position of the document on the photosensitive drum. Is also formed as an electrostatic latent image,
To remove this, erase this part by turning on the eraser lamp. At this time, a line image may be formed on the boundary between the first (odd number) original and the second (even number) original, so the eraser lamp should be set to a wider erase width. It is good to put it. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is developed, and the toner image is obtained by copying the copy paper on the re-feed tray 2 fed by the feed roller 22, that is, by copying the first original. It is transferred to the blank area on the existing paper.

The copy sheet on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing rollers 14 and 15 by the conveyor belt 13, and the toner image is fixed on the copy sheet. The fixed copy paper is ejected, but the switching claw 17 switches the transport path 16 in the ejection direction toward the sorter 50 because it is the processing of the second (even-numbered) document. Therefore, the copy paper is discharged from the main body of the copying machine, enters the sorter, and is sorted by a known means. The copying operation for the predetermined number of copies thus set is repeated, and the copying of the second (even-numbered) document is completed.

After the third and subsequent sheets, the same operation as the copying operation for the first (odd number) and second (even number) originals is repeated to complete copying of all originals. A series of copying work is completed.

In order to determine whether the original is an odd-numbered sheet or an even-numbered sheet, a signal indicating the passage of the end portion of the original detected by the entrance sensor 37 is used as a control microcomputer computer (hereinafter referred to as ADF) of the automatic document feeder 30. It is called a control CPU.) A counter in 60 is used for counting, and judgment is made based on the counting result.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit for controlling the automatic document feeder 30 and the main body of the copying machine, and shows only a portion related to the composite second mode. Both the automatic document feeder 30 and the main body of the copying machine are provided with control microprocessors, and the functions executed by the automatic document feeder 30 and the main body of the copying machine are controlled by programs executed by the respective microprocessors.

First, from the side of the automatic document feeder (ADF), reference numeral 60 is an ADF control CPU, a print key 72 for its input port I1 and an APS / A for its input port I2.
MS / MUL mode selection key 70, I2 is composed second
A signal from the border erase key 72 is input to the mode selection keys 71 and I4. Signals SEN.IN and SEN.OUT from the entrance sensor 37 and the discharge sensor 44 for detecting the feeding state of the document are input to the input ports I5 and I6, respectively. Further, from the output ports O1, O2 and O3, the high speed drive signal H is sent to the conveyor belt drive motor control circuit 62.
I, the low speed drive signal LO, and the forward / reverse switching signal are output.
63 is a conveyor belt drive motor whose speed and rotation direction are controlled by the conveyor belt drive motor control circuit 62, and
The pulse from the pulse generator provided on the motor shaft is passed through the control circuit 62 to the input port I of the ADF control CPU 60.
Enter in P. Further, from the output port O4 of the ADF control CPU 60 to the drive circuit 64, an ON / OFF signal of a clutch for transmitting power to a pinch roller, a brake operation signal, and a keyed APS / AMS / MU.
Signals for displaying the L mode and the second composite mode are output, and the clutch and brake are operated and the display lamp of the display unit 65 is displayed.

On the other hand, at the input ports Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id of the copying main body control CPU 61, the document size and the orientation of the document (hereinafter, the long side of the paper is set in the paper transport direction is the vertical and short sides. The direction set in the paper transport direction is referred to as "horizontal". Detection signal SEN / OR of a sensor for detecting whether A4 landscape, B5 landscape, etc., sheets stored in a paper feed tray of a copying machine, and a paper feed cassette. The size signal SEN.PA, the scanning end detection signal SEN.SC of the scanning optical system 2, and the rotation angle position detection signal SEN.DM of the photosensitive drum are input. The output ports Oa and Ob output a scanning optical system drive signal and a forward / reverse switching signal to the scanning optical system drive motor control circuit 66. Reference numeral 67 denotes a scanning optical system drive motor, the rotation of which is controlled by the above-mentioned control circuit, and the control of forward / reverse rotation is performed, and the pulse from the pulse generator provided on the motor shaft is transmitted through the control circuit 67 to the copying machine main body control CPU 6
1 input port IS. In addition, a lighting control signal for the erase lamp 69 is output to the drive circuit 68 from the output port Oc of the copier body control CPU 61.

ADF control CPU 60 and copy body control CP
Various control signals are exchanged between U61 and AD.
Output ports O5, O6, O7, O8 of the F control CPU 60
From the original size signal ORSZ, copy start signal CPS
T, the even page signal EVPG indicating that the original is an even page, and the COM2 signal indicating the second composite mode are output, and the input ports Ie and If of the copy main body control CPU 61 are output.
Input to Ig and Ih. Also, the copy body control CPU 6
Copy paper size signal PA from the output ports Od and Oe of No. 1
The SZ and copy end signal CPFN are output and input to the input ports I7 and I8 of the ADF control CPU 60.

Next, the control process executed by the ADF control CPU 60 and the copy body control CPU 61 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and the flow chart up to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the outline of the main routine of the program executed by the ADF control CPU 60. When the power is turned on, the memory is cleared and the flags are reset (step S1). Then, an internal timer that manages the operation of the main routine is set (step S2). Processing of signals input from various sensors and output signals such as drive motor operation commands is performed (step S3).

It is checked whether or not the automatic document feeder 30 is used (step S4), and if the automatic document feeder 30 is used, the input signal of the mode which is input as the copy mode, for example, the normal mode or the composition mode. According to the above, a mode setting for setting a required flag or the like is performed (step S5).
The feeding of the original is started, and the original is fed to the pinch roller and stopped (step S6).

Whether or not the copy mode is the composite second mode is checked (step S7). If the copy mode is not the composite second mode, the process proceeds to step S11, and as will be described later in detail, the transport mode 1 subroutine is executed and the process proceeds to step S12. . In the second composite mode, the process proceeds to step S8, and it is checked whether or not a flag indicating that the original is an even page is set.

When the flag indicating that the original is an even page is set, the transport mode 2 subroutine (step S9) is executed, and the process proceeds to step S12. When the above flag is not set, that is, when the original has an odd number of pages, the carry mode 1 subroutine (step S10) is executed, and the process proceeds to step S12.

The size of the original is detected by a key input or the fed original is detected by a sensor (step S1).
2) Wait for the internal timer to expire (step S13),
The process returns to step S2 to move to the process of the next cycle.

When the automatic document feeder 30 is not used in step S4, a document forgetting process such as a display indicating that the document is not placed on the document table 25 is performed (step S4).
14) Go to step S13.

Next, step S in the flow chart of FIG.
Subroutines of the transport mode 1 and the transport mode 2 shown as 10, S11 and S9 will be described.

First, the transfer mode 1 subroutine will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Whether or not the transported document is the first sheet is checked by a feeding counter (not shown) or the like (step S21), and if it is not the first sheet, the process proceeds to step S30. If it is the first sheet, it is checked whether or not the entrance sensor 37 has detected the leading edge of the document (step S22), and if detected, it is checked whether or not the feeding of the document to the pinch roller entrance is completed (step S23). ). When the feeding of the document is completed, the process proceeds to step S24. Step S22,
If the determination result in S23 is negative, the process returns to the main routine.

In step S24, it is checked whether the total number of originals set in the original tray to be copied is an odd number. This is because when the total number of originals is an odd number, only one original will be copied last in copying in the composite second mode, so the left side of the copy paper is blank (in FIG.
1) and the appearance is not good. In this case, the original to be copied first, that is, the original of the last page is copied to the left side of the copy paper,
This is a determination for forming a blank portion on the right side of the copy sheet. Whether the total number of originals set on the original tray is an odd number or an even number can be entered from an original number input means (not shown) such as a key switch on the operation panel. It is also possible to input from the counting means.

If the result of determination in step S24 is that the total number of originals is an odd number, the clutch of the pinch roller is turned on, the conveying belt 39 is driven at a low speed, and the originals are positioned on the original table 25B (see FIG. 1). And the even page flag for the next document is set (steps S25, S26,
S27). As a result, the subsequent processing is performed in the transfer mode 2 subroutine. If the result of determination in step S24 is that it is not an odd number of sheets, the clutch of the pinch roller is turned on, the conveyance belt is driven at high speed, and the original is placed on the original table 2.
5 to the position A (see FIG. 1) on the upper side (step S2)
8, S29).

In step S30, the completion of copying of the desired number of copies of the document positioned on the document table 25 is checked. When the copying is completed, the conveyance belt 39 is driven at a high speed to convey the original document to the discharge section 45, and the timer TM3 for adjusting the timing of feeding the next original document is set (steps S31 and S32). When the copy is not completed, steps S31 and S32 are omitted and the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S33, it is checked whether or not the timer TM3 has timed, and if not, the process proceeds to step S41, but if it is completed, the process proceeds to step S34 to check whether all the documents in the document tray 32 have been fed. Find out. If the document has been fed, the process proceeds to step S35 to check whether or not the discharge sensor 44 of the document discharge section has detected the rear end of the document, and if it has detected, the document is completely stored in the discharge tray 49. Up to the timing adjustment timer TM6 (step S36), and checks whether the timer TM6 has finished measuring time (step S36).
37) When the time measurement is completed, the conveyor belt 39 is stopped and the process returns to the main routine (step S38). Step S
If the discharge sensor 44 of the document discharge section does not detect the trailing edge of the document in 35, step S36 is omitted, and if the timer TM6 has not timed out in step S37, step S38 is omitted.

If all the originals have not been fed in step S34, the flow advances to step S40 to convey the originals by turning on the clutch of the pinch roller. It is checked whether or not the trailing edge of the conveyed document is detected by the entrance sensor 37 (step S41), and when it is detected, the conveyance belt 39 conveys the document to a predetermined position on the document table 25. Timing adjusting timer TM7 Is set (step S42). If no document is detected, step S42 is omitted. In step S43, it is checked whether the timer TM7 has timed.
If the timing has not ended, the process proceeds to step S50, but if the timing has ended, the transport belt 39 is stopped, the pinch roller clutch is turned off, and the brake is turned on to stop the document transport driving portion (steps S44 to S46), and the document is transported. A document feeding flag for feeding the next document from the tray 32 to the pinch roller 38 is set (step S47). Furthermore,
The original that is slightly out of the normal position and stopped, is conveyed to the normal position (the position where the rear end of the original matches the point P).
Timing adjustment timer TM8 for moving 9 in the opposite direction
Is set, and the copy start flag is set (steps S48, S49).

The timer TM8 is checked to see if it has finished counting (step S50). When the timer has finished, the brake of the conveyor belt 39 is turned off, the conveyor belt 39 is driven in reverse, the copy start flag is reset, and the conveyor belt is reversed. The driving time counting timer TM9 is set (steps S51 to S
54). When the original is fed by the pinch roller 38, the reverse drive time is determined based on the number of revolutions counted by the pulse generator attached to the pinch roller drive shaft, and the length of the original fed beyond the normal position is known. Therefore, the time is set so that the conveyor belt 39 is driven in the reverse direction by an amount corresponding to the correction of this length.

The timer TM9 is checked to see if the time measurement has ended. When the time measurement has ended, that is, when the original is set at the normal position, the reverse rotation of the conveyor belt 39 is stopped, the odd page flag is reset for the next original, and the even page flag is reset. Is set (steps S57, S58, S59) and the process returns to the main routine.

If the timer TM8 has not timed out in step S50, steps S51 to S54 are omitted and the process proceeds to step S56. If the timer TM9 has not timed out in steps S56 to S57-S59, It is omitted and returns to the main routine immediately.

Next, the transfer mode 2 subroutine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the completion of copying is checked (step S61), and if the copying is completed, the conveyor belt 39 is driven at a low speed to convey the original document to the discharge section 45 and adjust the timing of feeding the next original document TM3 set. (Steps S62 and S63).

Here, the point that the conveyor belt is driven at a low speed will be described. Since the first document stops at the position A in FIG. 1, the document is positioned at the reference point P. Normally, this position is the end of the document table (document glass), and the reference member sets the reference position. It is possible to drive at high speed.

On the other hand, when the original is stopped at the position B, the stop position differs depending on the size and it is difficult to provide a positioning member. Therefore, low-speed driving is performed in order to increase the accuracy of the position at which the conveyed original is stopped. To do. In the embodiment, high speed driving is 1000 mm / sec and low speed driving is 200 m.
m / sec.

If the copy is not completed in step S61, steps S62 and S63 are omitted. In step S64, it is checked whether the timer TM3 has timed, and if it has ended, the process proceeds to step S65, in which it is checked whether all the originals in the original tray have been fed. If the document has been fed, it is checked whether or not the discharge sensor 44 of the document discharge section has detected the trailing edge of the document (step S66). When the trailing edge of the document is detected, the timing adjusting timer TM6 until the document is completely stored in the discharge tray 49 is set (step S6).
7) Check whether the timer has finished counting (step S68). When the timer has finished, stop the conveyor belt 39, reset the even page flag, set the odd page flag, and return to the main routine (step S69, S70, S7
1). If the discharge sensor 44 of the document discharge portion does not detect the trailing edge of the document in step S66, step S67 is omitted, and if the timer TM6 has not timed in step S68, step S69 is omitted.

If all the originals have not been fed in step S65, the flow advances to step S72 to turn on the clutch of the pinch roller to feed the originals. It is checked whether or not the trailing edge of the fed document is detected by the entrance sensor 37 (step S73). When it is detected, the conveyance belt 39 conveys the document to a predetermined position on the document table. Timing adjusting timer TM4 Is set (step S74). This timer TM4 varies depending on the size of the original. If no document is detected, step S74 is omitted.

In step S75, it is checked whether the timer TM4 has finished counting time. If the time has not ended, step S
At 82, when the timing is finished, the conveyance belt 39 is stopped, the pinch roller clutch is turned off, and the brake is turned on to stop the document conveyance driving portion (steps S76 to S76).
78) Further, the timing adjustment timer TM5 for turning off the brake, the copy start flag, and the document feeding flag are set (steps S79 to S8).
1).

The timer TM5 is checked to see if it has timed (step S82). When it has ended, the brake is turned off, the copy start flag is reset, the even page flag is reset, and the odd page flag is set (steps S83 to S86), and the process returns to the main routine. . In step S82, the timer T
When the timing of M5 is not completed, the process immediately returns to the main routine.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the outline of the main routine of the program executed by the copy main body control CPU 62. When the power is turned on, the memory is cleared and the flags are initialized (step S101). Then, an internal timer that manages the operation of the main routine is set (step S102). Output signals such as signals input from various sensors such as a paper feed cassette and operation commands of various drive systems are processed (step S103). Next, the copy mode is set (step S104). Details of the copy mode setting will be described later. Next, the scanning optical system 2 is moved to set a predetermined copy magnification (step S105), and the guide plates 23 and 24 of the re-feed tray 20 are set according to the selected copy paper size (step S106). .

It is checked whether or not the copy mode is the second composite mode (step S107). If the second copy mode is selected, the preliminary composition operation is performed (step S108). This is for setting the transport path switching claw 17 for the re-feed tray 20, setting the tray guide plates 23, 24, and the like. Synthetic second
When the mode is not set, step S108 is omitted.

It is checked whether the copy start signal CPST output from the automatic document feeder 30 is ON (step S1).
09), if ON, a series of copying operations are started. That is, a copying process such as feeding of copy paper, charging to a photoconductor, development, transfer, and erase erase, scanning and exposure of an original by a scanning optical system, and electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor in the second composite mode. Of these, operations such as erasing the margins and borders, switching the conveyance path according to the second composite mode, feeding from the refeed tray, and ejecting copy paper are performed (steps S110 to S11).
6).

After waiting for the internal timer to finish measuring time (step S117), the process proceeds to the next cycle in step S102.
Return to. In step S109, the copy start signal is O
If it is not N, the copying operation is not started and the process proceeds to step S117.

Next, of the copy modes set in step S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the case where the second composite mode is set by the key 71 on the operation panel will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10a and 10b.
Descriptions of other cases are omitted. It should be noted that although the document is described here as being of A4 size, this is an example and the present invention is not limited to this.

First, it is checked whether or not it is the second composite mode (step S121). If it is not the second composite mode, the process returns to the main routine after executing the process for setting another mode. Checks whether the original is an odd page (step S122). If it is not an odd page, step S122.
In 132, the scanning optical system sets the scanning width of the document to A3 size corresponding to the entire surface of the document table, sets the erase mode 2 (step S133), and returns to the main routine. The erase mode will be described in detail later.

If the result of determination in step S122 is that the number of pages is an odd number, step S123 follows and the document size is A4.
Check whether it is horizontal. This is checked by a sensor (not shown) of the automatic document feeder 30. When it is not A4 landscape, it is judged whether or not it is other dimensions, for example, B5 landscape, but if it is a dimension that allows the second composite mode, the flow chart will be the same as the flow chart described below, and the copy to be used. The description is omitted because only the sheet size and the like are different.

If the document size is A4 landscape, the flow advances to step S124 to check whether the APS mode is set. APS
The mode is a mode in which a copy paper suitable for the size is automatically selected based on the size of the original, and is set by inputting from the key 70 of the operation panel. In APS mode,
Separately, check the copy magnification keyed in, and select A3 portrait as the copy paper when the copy magnification is equal, select B4 portrait as the paper when the copy magnification is 0.816, and copy magnification is 0.707.
If so, select A4 portrait as the paper (step S125-
S129). Then, it is checked whether the selected paper is in the paper feed tray or the paper feed cassette, and if there is no paper, a warning is displayed and the process returns to the main routine (steps S130 and 131).

Thus, in the second composite mode,
By selecting a size twice as large as the compatible size selected by the normal APS, it is possible to make a composite copy of two originals.

If the APS mode is not set in step S124, the process proceeds to step S141 (FIG. 10b) to check whether the AMS mode is set. The AMS mode is a mode selected by inputting from the keys on the operation panel, and is a mode in which the copy magnification is automatically selected according to the size of the copy paper input by another key. In the AMS mode, the copy magnification is selected according to the size of the copy paper input by the key input. However, when the original is A4 landscape, when the paper size is A3 portrait, the copy magnification is 1.00 and the paper size is A4. Copy magnification 0.70 for portrait
7. If the paper size is B4 portrait, the copy magnification 0.816 is selected (steps S142 to S146). It is checked whether the set magnification range can be set (step S147),
If it cannot be set, a warning process is performed and the process returns to the main routine (step S148), but if it can be set, step S154.
The width for scanning the original by the optical system is set to A4 width, and the erase mode 1 is set (step S1).
55) and returns to the main routine.

In this way, in the composite second mode, 1/2 of the compatible magnification selected by the normal AMS, that is, a magnification corresponding to half of copy paper is selected and set to 2.
Enables composite copying of one original.

If the result of determination in step S141 is not AMS, the process proceeds to step S151. This is for selecting the paper size and the copy magnification in the manual mode. In the description of this embodiment, A4 portrait is selected as the paper size and the copy magnification 0.707 is selected (steps S151 and S15).
2). It is checked whether or not there is a sheet of A4 size in the paper feed tray or the paper feed cassette (step S153), and if there is, the process proceeds to step S154. If there is no paper, a warning process is performed and the process returns to the main routine (step S156).

If there is a sheet selected in step S130, the process also goes to step S154. Erase mode 1 and erase mode 2 shown as steps S155 and S133 in the flowcharts of FIGS. 10a and 10b will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 11a and 11b.
FIG. 11a is a flowchart showing the erase mode 1.
First, when a copy is made in the composite mode, a line may appear at the boundary between two originals. It is checked whether or not a request for erasing the line is input from the operation key 72 (step S161). If there is no request, it immediately returns to the original routine, but if there is a request, it checks the set copy magnification and sets a flag requesting that a predetermined time be set in the timer T1 that determines the erase width according to the copy magnification. To do. That is, when the copy magnification is 1.00, flag A is set,
When the copy magnification is 0.816, the flag B is set, and when the copy magnification is 0.707, the flag C is set (steps S162 to S166), and the process returns to the original routine.

FIG. 11b is a flowchart showing the erase mode 2. In this erase mode, the document to be copied is in the second position (position B in FIG. 1).
In order to prevent dirt and the like on the original table of the first half from appearing on the photosensitive drum as an electrostatic latent image and being transferred again onto the already copied image on the copy paper, the first half,
That is, it is necessary to erase only the A4 size width of the paper. Therefore, when the boundary erase request is not input from the operation key 72, the request flag is set so as to perform the erase with the A4 size width (step S177). The other portion, that is, the portion for checking the copy magnification and setting the flag requesting the timer to set a predetermined time according to the copy magnification (steps S172 to S176) is the same as the erase mode 1.

Next, in the flowchart of FIG. 9, step S1
Of the erase control shown as 13, the portion related to the erase mode described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, it is checked from the rotation angle signals SEN and DM of the photosensitive drum whether the image front end of the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum has come under the eraser (step S1).
81), if not under the eraser, step S190
If it is below the eraser, the process proceeds to step S182 to check the erase request flag in the A4 width (step S182). If the erase request flag is set, the erase lamp 69 is turned on (step S18).
3). If the erase request flag is not set, the process moves to step S184 to check the timer request flag (step S184). If the timer request flag is not set, the process immediately proceeds to step S190, but if the timer request flag is set, the flag is A or B.
C or C, and the time corresponding to each is set in the timer T1 to start counting (steps S185 to S18).
9). That is, the following times are set.

(1) In case of flag A T1 = (TA-A) (2) In case of flag B T1 = (TB-B) (3) In case of flag C T1 = (TC-C) where TA: A4 Time required to scan the dimension at a copy magnification of 1: 1 TB: Time required to scan the A4 dimension at a copy magnification of 0.816 TC: Time required to scan the A4 dimension at a copy magnification of 0.707 A, B, C: constant. It is a value determined according to each copy magnification and represents the time corresponding to 1/2 of the erase width at the boundary.

The process proceeds to step S190, and it is checked whether the timer T1 has timed. If the timer has timed out, this means that the time to start the erase of the boundary has been reached, so the erase lamp 69 is turned on (step S191). ).
This step is omitted when the timing has not ended.

In step S192, whether the trailing edge of the image of the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum has come under the eraser is checked from the rotation angle signal of the photosensitive drum. If it is not under the eraser, the process proceeds to step S203, but if it is under the eraser, the erase request flag in the A4 width is checked (step S193). If the erase request flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S202 and the erase lamp 69 is turned on. When it is set, it is checked whether or not the timer request flag is set. If it is not set, the process proceeds to step S201, and the erase lamp 69 is turned off. Further, when the timer request flag is set, it is checked whether the flag is A, B or C, a time corresponding to each is set in the timer T2, and time counting is started (steps S195 to S199). That is, the following times are set. This time is to extend the erase width by a length corresponding to the time A, B and C.

(1) In case of flag A T2 = A (2) In case of flag B T2 = B (3) In case of flag C T2 = C Here, A, B and C are the same constants as described above. is there.

In step S200, the A4 width erase request flag is reset, and the process proceeds to step S203.

In step S203, it is checked whether or not the timer T2 has timed, and when the time has ended, the erase lamp is turned off (step S204). When the time counting is not completed, step S204 is omitted and the process proceeds to the next step. Further, the completion of scanning the document is checked, and even when the scanning is completed, the erase lamp is turned off and the process returns to the main routine (steps S205 and S206). When the scanning is not completed, step S206 is omitted and the process returns to the main routine.

[0072]

As is apparent from the above description, in the copying machine of the present invention, copying is performed based on the size detected by the original size detecting means and the half size of the copying paper size detected by the copying paper size detecting means. A magnification is selected, and two originals are copied side by side on the same surface of one copy sheet according to the selected copy magnification. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the consumption of copy paper and reduce the volume of a copy produced by copying. Further, when a plurality of original images are copied on the same surface of one copy sheet, the copy magnification can be easily set.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of an automatic document feeder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the main configuration of a copying machine suitable for installing and using the automatic document feeder of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main configuration of an automatic document feeder.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an operation panel of the automatic document feeder.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit that controls the automatic document feeder and the main body of the copying machine.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a CPU that controls operations of the automatic document feeder and the copying machine main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 25: Document Platen 30: Automatic Document Feeder 32: Document Tray 37: Entrance Sensor 38: Pinch Roller 39: Conveyor Belt OR1, OR2: Document COPY1, COPY2: Copy

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A document size detecting means for detecting a size of a document, a copy sheet size detecting means for detecting a size of a copy sheet, a document size detected by the document size detecting means, and a copy sheet size detecting means. From the half of the copy paper size detected by, the magnification selecting means for selecting the copy magnification and the copying magnification determined by the magnification selecting means place two originals on the same surface of one copy paper. A copying machine comprising a copying means for copying side by side.