JPH0983719A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce or display an alarm as long as an operator is at the side of an image recorder when a running out state of the recording paper is detected. SOLUTION: An image recorder is provided with a paper ejection state detection part 12 which detects the election state of the recording paper on a stacker, a shortage detection part 11 which detects whether the remaining amount of set recording paper is reduced less than a prescribed amount, a shortage reporting part which reports that the remaining amount of recording paper is reduced less than a prescribed amount, and a control part which drives the near end reporting part only when the part 11 detects that the remaining amount of recording paper is reduced less than a prescribed amount and also the part 12 detects that the ejected recording paper is removed out of the stacker. Thus the shortage of the recording paper is reported as long as an operator is at the side of the image recorder.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for recording input image information on a recording sheet, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus having a function of notifying an operator when the near end of the recording sheet is detected. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-130298 has been used to inform an operator of the timing of replenishing recording paper.
There is one such as that proposed in the official gazette. The proposed apparatus detects the height of the recording papers stacked in the recording paper cassette, and when the detected height is below a predetermined level, blinks an LED to inform the operator that it is time to replenish the recording papers. It is to inform.

With such a device, it is possible to recognize the replenishment of the recording paper in advance, but this is only applicable to the operator who is conscious of the LED display. Generally, such a display is easily overlooked, and the replenishment of recording paper tends to be delayed. It is also possible to output a warning sound such as an alarm instead of blinking the LED. However, if configured in this way, there is a possibility that the alarm will continue to sound when the operator is absent, such as at night. , Not only inconveniences neighbors but also wastes power.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and when the near end of the recording paper is detected, an alarm or a message to that effect can be displayed on condition that the operator is on the side. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In order to achieve the above object, in an image recording apparatus that records input image information on recording paper and discharges it onto a stacker, it is set with a discharge state detection unit that detects the discharge state of the recording paper on the stacker. A near-end detection unit that detects whether the remaining amount of recording paper is below a predetermined amount, a near-end notification unit that notifies that the remaining amount of recording paper is below a predetermined amount, and a near-end detection unit The control unit that drives the near-end notification unit only when it is detected that the remaining amount is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, and when the discharge state detection unit detects that the discharged recording paper is taken from the stacker. It is characterized by having and.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising an operation part for giving an instruction for stopping the notification by the near-end notification part, and the near-end notification part. Is driven, the drive of the near-end notification unit is stopped when a stop instruction is given through the operation unit.

[0007]

According to the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the near-end detecting section detects that the remaining amount of the recording paper has become equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the ejecting state detecting section ejects the sheet. Since the near-end notifying unit is driven only when it is detected that the recording sheet taken out from the stacker is detected, it is possible to prevent the near-end notification from being executed when the operator is not at the apparatus side.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2 having the above-mentioned structure, the driving of the near-end notifying unit is stopped when the instruction to stop is given through the operation unit while the near-end notifying unit is being driven. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the near-end notification unit from being continuously driven in vain.

[0009]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below based on examples. 1 to 4 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. The facsimile apparatus includes a system controller 1, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 2, and a RAM (R).
andom Access Memory) 3, operation display unit 4, image reading unit 5, image recording unit 6, network control unit 7, modem 8, encoding / decoding unit 9, communication control unit 10, near-end detection unit 11, discharge state detection The unit 12 is provided. The system control unit 1 is C
ROM2 that consists of PU (Central Processing Unit)
The program controls the main body of the facsimile apparatus according to the program. In the RAM 3, the system control unit 1 is the RO
For storing various data necessary for executing the control of the main body of the facsimile apparatus according to the program of M2, and image information read by the image reading unit 5 or image information received via the network control unit 7. Is.

The operation display unit 4 is composed of a start button, a stop button, various operation keys necessary for operating the facsimile machine such as a numeric keypad, a near-end LED, and a display for displaying a message for operation guidance. The image reading unit 5 reads image information of a document at a predetermined resolution, and the image recording unit 6 records image information on a recording paper at a predetermined resolution. The network control unit 7 detects a call incoming from the communication line L, a line closing detection unit that detects closing of the communication line, and a hook state of the connected telephone, that is, whether or not the telephone is off-hook. It includes an off-hook detection unit for detection.

The modem 8 modulates and demodulates signals such as image information and transmits and receives them. The encoding / decoding unit 9 encodes and compresses the image information read by the image reading unit 5, and decodes the image information received via the network control unit 7 to restore the original image information. . The communication control unit 10 transmits / receives a control signal to / from a destination facsimile machine via the communication line L to execute a facsimile communication procedure.

The near-end detecting section 11 detects the remaining amount of the recording paper set by the method described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-130298, and the detected remaining amount becomes a predetermined amount or less. In this case, a near end signal is output to notify the system control unit 1 that the recording paper is near end. The discharge state detection unit 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the micro switch 28 is arranged on the paper output stacker 27. When the recording paper is discharged, the micro switch 28 is turned on by its own weight, and the discharged recording paper is Is taken off by the operator and is returned to the off state by the internal spring. With the above configuration, the system control unit 1, the ROM 2, the RAM 3, the operation display unit 4, the image reading unit 5, the image recording unit 6, the network control unit 7, the modem 8, the encoding / decoding unit 9, the stamp pressing unit 10, the near end. The detection unit 11 and the discharge state detection unit 12 are the bus line 11
Data is exchanged with each other via.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. The document table 20 is for setting a document to be transmitted or copied. The original set on the original table 20 is conveyed to the image reading section 5 by the original conveying roller 21, and then the original whose image information is read is conveyed by the original discharge roller 22 to the original stacker 23.
The paper is ejected on top. The recording paper cassette 24 is for setting a plurality of recording papers, and has a near end detection unit 11 for detecting the remaining amount of the recording papers inside thereof.
The recording sheets set in the recording sheet cassette are separated one by one by the recording sheet conveying roller 25 and conveyed to the image recording unit 6, and thereafter, the recording sheet on which the image information is recorded is discharged by the recording sheet discharging roller 26. The paper is discharged onto the stacker 27. A micro switch 28 is arranged in the paper discharge stacker 27, but it is desirable that the micro switch 28 is arranged at a position where the micro switch 28 is covered even when the recording paper of the minimum size is discharged.

Next, the near end detection operation of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. The near end detection operation is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the device is in the standby state. First, the near-end detection unit 11 outputs a near-end signal to the system control unit 1 when detecting that the remaining amount of the set recording paper has become less than a predetermined amount (Yes in STEP 1). When the system controller 1 receives this near-end signal, it sets the near-end flag of RAM 3 to 1
Is set to (STEP2), and then the near-end LED on the operation display unit 4 is turned on or blinks (STEP2).
3).

Further, when the remaining amount of the set recording paper is more than a predetermined value, the near end signal is not output from the near end detection section 11 (No in STEP 1).
The system control unit 1 checks the near end flag of the RAM 3 (STEP 4). Here, when the near-end flag is "0" (No in STEP4), it means that the remaining amount of the recording paper is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount and there is no change. In this case, the near-end detection operation is ended and the state returns to the standby state. on the other hand,
When the near end flag is "1" (Yes in STEP4
s) Since it is the case that the recording paper in the near end state is refilled, the system control unit 1 sets the near end flag of the RAM 3 to "0" (STEP 5), and turns off the near end LED that is lit or blinking. The near end detection operation ends.

Next, the near-end notification operation of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. It should be noted that, similar to the above-mentioned near-end detection operation, this near-end notification operation is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the device is in the standby state. Step 10 is a step of detecting whether or not the micro switch 28 is switched from on to off. When the discharged recording paper is taken by the operator, the micro switch 28 is switched from on to off. Therefore, when the system controller 1 detects this (Yes in STEP 10), RA
Check the near-end flag of M3.

When the near end flag is "1" (S
When TEP11 is Yes), that is, when the operator takes out the ejected recording paper, the system control unit 1 starts a timer (STEP 12) and sounds an alarm to inform the operator that the recording paper is near end. (STEP 13). Along with this, the system control unit 1 outputs a predetermined message stored in the RAM 3, for example, a message such as "please replenish recording paper" through the display of the operation display unit 4 (STEP 14).

Step 15 is a step of detecting whether or not the stop button on the operation display unit 4 has been pressed.
When the operator who has picked up the recording paper discharged from the paper discharge stacker 27 hears the alarm ringing and presses the stop button (Yes in STEP 15), the system control unit 1 detects this and sounds the alarm and outputs a message. Is stopped (STEP 17). Also, if the timer started in step 12 times out (STEP
16 (YES in 16), the system control unit 1 stops the sounding of the alarm and the output of the message (STEP 17), ends the near-end notification operation, and returns to the standby state.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the discharge state of the recording paper is detected by using the micro switch 28. However, instead of such a mechanical switch, a method utilizing the reflection of light is used to detect the recording paper. The discharged state may be detected.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the alarm and the message are output under the condition that the discharged recording paper is taken out. However, in addition to this, for example, the setting of a document is performed. It is easy to set the condition.

[0020]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention,
When the near-end detection unit detects that the remaining amount of recording paper has fallen below a predetermined level, and the discharge status detection unit detects that the discharged recording paper has been taken from the stacker. Only, that is, when the near end of the recording paper is detected, the near end notification unit is driven on condition that the operator is on the side, so at night, etc.
It is also possible to prevent the alarm from sounding off when the operator is absent, and it is possible to avoid annoying neighbors and consuming unnecessary power. Further, when the instruction to stop is given through the operation unit while the near-end notifying unit is being driven, the driving of the near-end notifying unit is stopped, so that the near-end notifying unit is prevented from being continuously driven in vain. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a near-end detection operation of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a near-end notification operation of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... System control unit, 2 ... ROM, 3 ... RAM,
4 ... Operation display unit 5 ... Image reading unit, 6 ... Image recording unit, 7 ... Network control unit,
8 ... Modem 9 ... Encoding / decoding section, 10 ... Communication control section, 11 ... Near end detecting section 12 ... Paper discharge state detecting section, 13 ... Bus line 20 ... Original table, 21 ... Original conveying roller, 22
Original document discharge roller 23 Original document stacker 24 Recording paper cassette 25
Recording paper transport roller 26 Recording paper discharge roller 27 Recording paper stacker 28 Micro switch

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image recording apparatus for recording input image information on a recording sheet and discharging the recording sheet onto a stacker, and a discharge state detecting section for detecting a discharge state of the recording sheet on the stacker, and the set recording sheet. Near-end detection unit that detects whether the remaining amount of the recording paper is below a predetermined amount, a near-end notification unit that notifies that the remaining amount of recording paper is below a predetermined amount, and the remaining recording paper set by the near-end detection unit. The near-end notifying unit is driven only when it is detected that the amount is less than or equal to a predetermined amount and when it is detected by the paper discharge state detection unit that the discharged recording paper is taken from the stacker. An image recording apparatus comprising a control unit. 2. An operation unit for giving an instruction for stopping the notification by the near-end notification unit, wherein when a cancellation instruction is given through the operation unit while the near-end notification unit is driven. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving of the near-end notification unit is stopped.