JPH0983722A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption of a facsimile equipment by deciding a shift position based on the shift frequency of a bin tray. SOLUTION: When an ITU-T recommended EOP signal is received, a bin tray is shifted for the next reception. A print sequence control means 14 sends a signal SFTON to a shift control means 18, and the signal SFTON is sent to a bin tray device 19 which shifts the tray. When a copy operation request is received in a stand-by mode set for a reception or copy operation request, a single sheet is copied. Then a copy sheet number counter CPCNT is counted up and it is decided whether the count value reaches the copy sheet number CPBUSU that is requested by an operator. If the count number does not reach the number CPBUSU, the tray is shifted once and a shift frequency counter SFTCNT is counted up. Then a single sheet is copied again. When the count value reaches the number CPBUSU after the copy operation is repeated, it is decided that the shift frequency of the tray is equal to an odd number or not. If the shift frequency is equal to an odd number, the tray is shifted once again and is reset in a stand-by mode.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a copy function (hereinafter, referred to as a standard paper as recording paper).
LBP-FAX).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a copying machine and a facsimile machine are separate machines.
For the reason of increasing the added value and responding to the intensifying competition due to the drop in the unit price, the development of a multi-functional machine in which a copying machine and a facsimile machine are combined has become popular. Further, the sorter for sorting the recording paper to be ejected in order to save the space has been reduced from the large size of 10 or 20 in the conventional copying machine to the small size of 2 or 3. A sorter with a small number of stages (hereinafter referred to as a bin tray)
However, since the number of sheets of recording paper that can be sorted is small, it is necessary to devise a method for journaling more than the number of sheets. As one of the measures, there has been conventionally devised a method of shifting the position of the recording paper on the bin tray by shifting the bin tray in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper discharge direction, thereby facilitating the operator's journal entry.

However, the above bin tray shift system has the following problems. The receiving operation of the facsimile is often performed unattended, and therefore, while the operator comes to collect the received images, the received images of several communication minutes are accumulated on the bin tray. Since the number of bin trays is small, the received images after what communication will be discharged separately from the previous received image depending on the method of shifting the bin tray. For example, before the communication is started and the received image is printed and discharged, the bin tray may be shifted in the opposite direction to the previous reception and the recording paper may be discharged. That is, it is only necessary to shift once before discharging the recording paper. However, since the copy operation occurs between receptions, and the shift position during reception before the shift operation also changes during copying, the device must remember the shift position during the previous reception. become.

Further, since the facsimile apparatus has an automatic reception function, it is normally turned on overnight.
In order to reduce the power consumption during standby, the mainstream method is to cut off the power supply to most of the devices. When the power is cut off, the memory of the controller that remembers the shift position of the bin tray may be erased, and it will not be possible to accurately grasp the recording discharge position at the next reception, and the position of the previous recording paper It was supposed to be discharged, and it would not be possible to make the best use of it.

[0005]

The original function of the bin tray is to discharge the recording paper so that the operator can easily sort a plurality of copy images or a plurality of received images. For example, when copying three copies of a three-page original on a three-tiered bin tray, print the first page three times,
Each recording sheet is switched to a three-stage tray and discharged. That is, the switching of the discharge port must be performed page by page. For that purpose, a sensor that accurately detects the position of the recording paper being conveyed is required, but since the multifunction machine also has the function of a copying machine, the printing speed is high,
The momentum sensor also needed to be highly accurate, which was a major cause of cost increase.

Further, there is a limit to the number of recording papers that can be stacked on each stage of the bin tray, and if the recording papers are discharged in an attempt to exceed the limit, the bin trays may overflow. Therefore, conventionally, a so-called overload sensor for detecting overload is provided near the discharge port, but this also cannot be overlooked as a cause of cost increase.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and controls for maximizing the effect of the bin tray for sorting and storing the above-mentioned recording paper, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide an LPB-FAX that can suppress the cost increase of a bin tray device.

[0008]

Therefore, a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention is (1) a facsimile apparatus including a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for storing discharged recording papers. Therefore, the bin tray has shift means for shifting in the direction perpendicular to the recording paper discharge direction and counting means for detecting the number of shifts, and when performing the shift operation at the time of reception and the shift operation at the time of copying alternately, A facsimile apparatus characterized in that the shift position at the time of reception is judged only from the number of shifts at the time of copying after the reception of.

(2) The shift operation for the next reception is
The facsimile apparatus according to (1), which is previously performed at the end of the previous reception operation or the end of the copy operation.

(3) A facsimile apparatus comprising a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for storing discharged recording sheets, wherein the timing of switching the outlet of the bin tray to the tray is apparatus control. Facsimile machine characterized by being controlled by a soft timer for use.

(4) A facsimile apparatus provided with a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for accommodating recording sheets to be ejected, wherein the bin tray comprises:
The tray has discharge counting means for detecting the number of times the tray is instructed to discharge, and the maximum number of sheets to be discharged to each tray is set in advance. Facsimile machine characterized by switching to discharge.

The present invention achieves the above-mentioned object by the above-mentioned respective constitutions.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to solve the above problems, the first invention according to the present application is that between one reception and the next reception (the reception here is disconnected after the line is connected). The number of shifts of the bin tray due to the copy operation is counted. If the number is an even number,
The bin tray shift after the copy operation is performed by determining that it has returned to the shift position at the time of reception immediately before the copy operation, and if it is an odd number of shifts, it is determined to be at the position opposite to the shift position at the time of previous reception. Figure out the position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, based on the above determination result, a bin tray shift for the next reception is performed in advance after the copy operation is completed, so that the load of the control for storing the shift position can be reduced. Even if the power is cut off during reduction and energy saving, it is possible to stack the next received image by shifting it from the previous received image without fail.

According to the third invention of the present application, the timing for switching the outlet to each stage of the bin tray is performed by the soft timer, so that the dedicated switching timing sensor is eliminated and the cost of the bin tray device can be reduced. .

According to the fourth invention of the present application, the number of times the bin tray is instructed to be ejected to each stage is counted, and the maximum number of sheets ejected to each stage is set in advance. By switching the outlet, the overload sensor is eliminated and the cost of the bin tray device can be reduced.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a shift position shift diagram when the shift position of a bin tray provided in the LBP-FAX according to the first embodiment is viewed from the side. Indicates the positional relationship between the tray position and the recording paper on the tray at the time when the previous reception is completed. Reference numeral 1 is a recording paper, and 2 is a tray. The end of reception is judged by receiving the EOP signal recommended by ITU-T. After that, the tray is shifted to the left once so that the position of the recording paper on the tray at the time of the next reception is shifted from the position directly above the position of the previous recording paper. It is in a state of waiting for a while in the state shown in. During this time, the tray is stopped.

It is assumed that a copy operation, not reception, is entered during the standby state, for example, two copies are entered. In this state, one copy has been completed and a copy recording sheet is placed diagonally above the previous reception recording sheet. Reference numeral 3 indicates a copied recording sheet. If there is a shift request in the copy operation,
This time shift once to the right for the second copy and
The recording paper should be placed at a position shifted from directly above the copy recording paper for the first copy. Shows the state in which the second copy recording paper is placed on the tray. Reference numeral 4 is the recording paper for the second copy.

Since the number of shifts in the copying operation is once and is an odd number, the tray position has returned at the end of the previous reception, so the tray is shifted to the left once for the next reception. Indicates a state of being shifted to the left.
It can be seen that is in the same shift position as. In the example of FIG. 1, the number of shifts during copying is one.
It is obvious that the case of other general odd number of times also returns to the tray position of the next reception start.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the first embodiment.

Reference numeral 11 is an NCU, 12 is a modem, and 13 is a CPU for controlling the entire facsimile apparatus. Reference numeral 14 is a print sequence control means, which is usually a small-scale one-chip microcomputer. Reference numeral 13-1 is a copy button which the operator presses at the time of copying, and the print sequence control means 14 knows the operator's copy request by the signal COPY. Reference numeral 15 is a copy number input means, which is normally a ten-key pad or the like. The print sequence control means 14 is C
Know the number of copies with PBUSU. Reference numeral 16 is a copy number counting means. Reference numeral 17 is a shift number counting means. Reference numeral 18 denotes shift control means for shifting the bin tray device. 19 is a bin tray device. The conventional examples of the shift control means 18 and the bin tray device 19 are well known, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the detailed operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Step S1301 (hereinafter, simply S ***
(Marked with *) is a standby state. When the reception operation starts, the CPU sends a signal REC to the print sequence control means 14.
Let me know. If there is a receiving operation in S1302, S1303
The image is printed with, and if there is no receiving operation, S1306
Then, the copy number counter CPCNT, the requested copy number register CPBUSU, and the shift number counter SFTCNT are cleared respectively. In S1307, the COPY signal is checked to see if there is a copy operation request. If there is no copy operation request, the process returns to S1301.

If there is a receiving operation in S1302, S
Proceed to 1303. Although the transmission procedure signal is actually transmitted and received between the start of the receiving operation and the printing of the image, it is omitted in the flowchart because it is not directly related to the present invention. Until the EOP signal indicating that the reception page of the ITU-T recommendation does not follow comes in S1304, S1
The image printing of 303 is repeated. The recording paper of the image received during that time is discharged onto the tray like the recording paper 1 of FIG. When EOP is received in S1304, S13
At 05, shift the tray for the next reception. The print sequence control means 14 sends a signal SFTON to the shift control means 18, the signal is transmitted to the bin tray device 19 as an SFT signal, and the tray is shifted. In the present embodiment, the bin tray device 19 has a structure that shifts only in either the left or right direction, and the end of the shift operation is automatically detected by the sensor in the bin tray device, thereby automatically shifting to the right or left position. It will be stopped. Further, when shifting from right to left or vice versa, the print sequence control means 14 causes the SFTO
The structure automatically shifts in the opposite direction only by issuing the N signal, and it is not necessary to instruct the shift direction one by one.

After shifting the tray in S1305, the process returns to S1301 and waits. Then from S1301 to S1
In the loop of 302, S1306, S1307, and S1301, the process waits until there is a request for reception or a copy operation. That state is the standby state between and in FIG. If there is a copy operation request in the meantime, the process advances from step S1307 to step S1308 to copy one copy. When partial copy ends, S130
The copy number counter CPCNT is incremented at 9 and the copy number C requested by the operator at S1310.
Determine if PBUSU has been reached, and if not, S1
In 311 the tray is shifted once, in S1312 the shift counter SFTCNT is incremented, and in S13
Return to 08 and make another copy. Repeat the above, S
When the requested number of copies is reached in 1310, it is determined in S1313 whether the number of tray shifts is an odd number. If it is an odd number, the tray is further shifted once in S1314 and S1301.
Return to standby.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 4 to 8 are explanatory views showing a cross section of a bin tray according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the case of three stages is shown. 41 is the bottom tray, 42 is the middle tray, and 43 is the top tray. Reference numeral 44 indicates a frame of the bin tray device. Reference numeral 45 denotes a sensor that detects the conveyance state of the recording paper. 46,4
7 and 48 are printed out and are directed to the bin tray to show the recording paper being conveyed. Although FIG. 4 shows the case where the printer body is below and the bin tray device is above it, the positional relationship between the printer body and the bin tray device is not limited to the case of the example shown in FIG. Is a flapper attached to the tray 41, and switches the direction of the recording paper for discharging the recording paper to the tray 41 or further discharging it to the upper tray 42 or the tray 43. Similarly, it is attached to the tray 42 and switches the direction of discharging the recording paper to the tray 42 or further to the upper tray 43. As for the position of the flapper, the position of the wavy line in FIG. 4 is the state where the flapper is ON, and in this state, the recording paper is discharged to the tray above. When the position of the solid line is the OFF state of the flapper, the recording paper is discharged to the tray of the flapper. The flapper is turned on / off
Normally, a solenoid or the like is used, and the flapper is turned on when a current is passed through the solenoid, and the flapper is turned off when the current is cut off. Since the solenoid is not directly related to the present invention, its description is omitted.

A, a, B, and b marked next to 44
In order, A represents the position where the flapper is turned on when the leading edge of the recording paper comes to this position, and a is the position where the flapper is turned off when the leading edge of the recording paper comes to this position. That is, when the leading edge of the recording paper comes to the position a, the current of the solenoid is turned off. The solenoid has a structure that returns the flapper to the OFF position by the force of a spring or the like when the current is cut off. The positions of B and b in the flapper are also similar positions. Note that the tray 43 does not need a flapper because the tray 43 is the uppermost tray and the frame 44 has a structure for guiding the conveyance of the recording paper and placing the recording paper on the tray 43. Is.

4 to 8 are 13 sectional views shown in (4-1) to (4-13), and the position of the recording paper when the recording paper is conveyed from below is shown in order. And the state of each flapper is transitioning. In this figure, the three recording papers of recording papers 46, 47, and 48 are sequentially
The case where the trays are discharged to trays 3, 42 and 41 is shown.

First, in (4-1) of FIG. 4, the leading edge of the first recording sheet 46 reaches the position of the sensor 45, and the second sheet,
The state where the third recording sheets 47 and 48 are continuously conveyed thereafter is shown. Both the flapper and the flapper are OFF in this state. (4- of FIG.
2) is a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 46 has reached the position A. At this point, the flapper is first turned on to eject the recording paper 46 to the uppermost tray 43. (4-3) of FIG. 4 shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 46 has come to a. At this point, the leading edge of the recording paper 46 has passed through the flapper, so the flapper is turned off. As described above, when the current for the solenoid that drives the flapper is cut off, the flapper is turned off and returns to the home position with a relatively weak force such as a spring, so that the flap is pressed against the recording paper but does not affect the conveyance of the recording paper. . Further, the reason why the flapper is turned off relatively quickly as described above is to shorten the time during which the current is passed through the solenoid as much as possible to save energy and improve the durability. (4-4) of FIG. 5 shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 47 reaches the sensor position 45. (4-5) of FIG. 5 shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 46 has reached the position B. At this point, the recording paper 46 is placed in the tray 43.
Turn on the flapper to discharge to. (4 in FIG.
-6) shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 46 has reached the position b. At this point, the flapper is turned off as in the case of the flapper. Next, (4-7) in FIG. 6 shows a state in which the leading end of the second recording paper 47 reaches the position A.
Since the second sheet of recording paper is discharged to the tray 42, the flapper is turned on again. (4-8) of FIG. 6 shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording paper 47 has reached the position a. Similar to the case of the first sheet, the flapper is turned off at this point. (4 in FIG.
-9) represents a state in which the leading edge of the last recording paper 48 reaches the sensor position. As will be described later, the soft timer starts when the leading edge of the recording paper reaches this sensor position, and becomes the starting point for the flapper control thereafter. (4- of FIG.
10) represents a state in which the front end of the recording paper 47 has reached the position B. Since the recording paper 47 is to be discharged to the tray 42, the flapper may remain OFF. Also, 1
The recording sheet 46 of the first sheet is in a state of already being mounted on the tray 43 by the guide of the frame 44. (4-11) in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the leading edge of the third recording paper 48 has reached the position A. The flapper remains off because it is to be discharged to the third tray 41. The first sheet is already on the tray 43 and the second sheet is on the tray 42 by the guide of the flapper. In (4-12) of FIG. 7, the third sheet is resting on the tray 41 by the guide of the flapper, and in (4-13) of FIG. 8, all the recording papers have been discharged onto a predetermined tray. It represents the state.

In this embodiment, the case where three recording sheets are ejected one by one from the upper tray is described, but a plurality of sheets are ejected to the same tray or ejected from the lower tray. In any case, the flapper may be appropriately controlled in accordance with the discharge destination at the time of the positions A, a, B, and b, such as in the case where the upper and lower sheets are discharged alternately.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the second embodiment.

A CPU 221 controls the entire facsimile apparatus. Reference numeral 222 denotes a print sequence control means for controlling the printer portion, which is usually a one-chip microcomputer or the like. The CPU 221 gives a print instruction to the print sequence control means 222 by a print signal, and gives an instruction for the recording paper discharge stage of the bin tray by a TR-CHOICE signal. Numeral 223 is a recording paper feeding means, which instructs feeding by a pickup signal from the print sequence control means 222. 224 is a flapper control means, and F from the print sequence control means 222.
When there is an instruction to turn on the flapper by the LPON_1 signal, the flapper solenoid 225 is activated to turn on the flapper. Similarly, 226 is a flapper control means, and 227 is a flapper. A recording paper sensor 228 corresponds to the sensor 45 shown in FIG. The HAISEN signal is turned on when the recording paper reaches the sensor 228, and turned off when the recording paper passes through the sensor. The print sequence control unit 222 detects this signal and recognizes the position of the recording sheet being conveyed.

Next, 229, 2210, 2211, 221
Although 2, 2213, 2214, 2215, and 2216 are all means relating to the timer, the timer used in this embodiment will be described.

The relative distance between the position of the sensor ⋄ (reference numeral 45) in FIG. 4 and the position A, the position a, the position B, and the position b is defined as follows.

◇ to A = X1 (1)
A to a = X2 ... (2) a to B = X3 ... (3) B to b = X4 ... (4) Further, the recording paper conveyance speed is set to V, and the above X1 to X4 are recorded. T1 = X1 / V (5) T2 = X2 / V (6) T3 = X3 / V (7) T4 = X4 / V (8) ), And the soft timer values corresponding to the respective times T1 to T4 are respectively set as X1TM_CNST X2TM_CNST X3TM_CNST X4TM_CNST, and 229 X1 timer constant storage means, 2 respectively.
The data is stored in the X2 timer constant storage means 211, the X3 timer constant storage means 2213, and the X4 timer constant storage means 2215.

Further, timers for calculating the position of the recording paper between the sections X1 to X4 are calculated by the X1 timer 2210, the X2 timer 2212, the X3 timer 2214, and the X4 timer 2216, respectively. Each timer value is represented by X1TM, X2TM, X3TM, and X4TM.

Reference numeral 2210-1 is a flapper pattern storage means for storing the bin tray discharge stages instructed by the CPU to the print sequence control means by patterning. The pattern corresponding to each print command is FLP_P
It is represented by AT (I). Here, I is a suffix representing the I-th pattern. Reference numeral 2210-2 is a paper interval time constant storage means for storing a recording paper conveyance interval (which is called a paper interval) time which is determined by the type condition during continuous printing, and is a constant fixed when the printer system is determined. Is. This constant is represented by PA_INT_CNST. 221
Reference numeral 0-3 is a print interval time constant storage means for storing a constant defining the interval time of the PRINT command issued from the CPU to the print sequence control means, and this constant is PR_
Expressed as INT_CNST, if the interval between print commands does not exceed this constant, the print commands are considered to be continuous print. Reference numeral 2210-4 is a bin tray conveyance number maximum value storage means for storing a constant that defines the maximum number of continuous printing sheets, and the maximum value is represented by BIN_TR_MAX.

Next, the actual control will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart.

10 to 13 are flowcharts of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a transition diagram of each task described in the flowchart. FIG. 15 is a pattern diagram of TR_CHOICE corresponding to the discharge stage of the bin tray.

Now, in the flowchart, FIG. 10 shows three tasks of task 1, task 2 and task 3. Task 1 is a flow chart relating to a print command given from the CPU 221 to the print sequence control means 222 and selection of a bin tray discharge stage. Task 2 is a flowchart regarding sheet feeding. Task 3 is a flowchart regarding the recording paper sensor.

First, the task 1 will be described.

In step S311 (hereinafter simply referred to as S ***), the suffix I representing the print command number is initialized. Next, in S312, it is determined whether or not the flag F_PIC_OK indicating whether or not the paper can be fed is 0. F_PI
Paper can be fed when C_OK = 1. In the LBP printer, it is necessary to open a fixed space between sheets during continuous paper feeding for some reasons. Therefore, when it is determined that the fixed space is opened, this F_PIC_OK is set to 1. Note that this flag is set / reset in task 2. By the way, it waits in S312 until the paper can be fed, and the paper can be fed (F_
If PIC_OK = 1), it is determined in S313 whether a print command has come from the CPU, and if so, a constant P preset in the print command interval timer PR_INT_TM for measuring the print command interval in S314.
Initialize PR_INT_TM by substituting R_INT_CNST. Next, in step S317, 1 is set in the flag F_PRNT indicating that the print command has come. This flag is used in task 2 to trigger the paper feed start. S
317-1, BI is the maximum value of the number of transported bin trays
It is judged whether N_TR_MAX has been reached, and if so, S3
17-2 initializes I to 0, and if not reached, S31
Increment I by 8. Then, in S319, FIG.
The TR_CHOICE pattern of the above is substituted into the register FLP_PAT (I) corresponding to the I-th print instruction. Then, the process returns to S312 and waits until F_PIC_OK is set to 1.

When the print command is interrupted from the CPU 221 for a certain period of time, the printer returns to the standby state, charging, developing,
Since it is necessary to stop high-voltage control such as transfer, S313
If the print command has not arrived at, the timer PR_INT_TM for measuring the interval between the print commands is decremented at S315, and it is determined at S316 whether PR_INT_TM has become 0. If it is 0, it is determined that continuous printing has ended, and S311 The suffix I representing the number of a series of continuous prints is initialized to 0. If it is not 0 in S316, I is not initialized and waits in S312 until paper can be fed. Normally, the PRINT signal, which is a print command from the CPU 221, means TRUE at a high level.
The INT signal is held at the high level, then falls to the low level at a predetermined timing, and then becomes the high level again at the next print command. From the above, it can be understood from the flowchart of the task 1 that it is possible to prevent a print command from being detected many times by controlling F_PIC_OK and erroneously recognizing the print command as a plurality of print commands.

Next, the task 2 will be described.

First, in step S321, 1 is set in F_PIC_OK. F_ set in task 1 in S322
Determine if PRINT has been set, and if so, S
In 323, reset F_PRINT to 0 for the time being,
Paper feeding is started in S324. Paper feeding is started by setting the PICUP signal to TRUE for the paper feeding means 223 shown in the block diagram of FIG. 9, but detailed description thereof will be omitted. Timer PA_INT_ that measures the paper interval time in S325
Decrement TM, PA_INT_TM in S326
Is determined to be 0. If this timer reaches 0, it means that the predetermined paper interval time has elapsed, so 1 is set in F_PIC_OK in S328, and PA_I is set in S329.
P, which is a paper time constant preset in NT_TM
Substitute A_INT_CNST. PA still in S326
If _INT_TM is not 0, in S327 F_PIC
F_PIC_OK is not set to 1 until _OK is reset to 0 and becomes 0 in the loop of S325 to S326. That is, after the paper feed is started once, the F
_PIC_OK remains reset to 0, so PRI
Even if the NT signal remains high level, in task 1, one print command is not mistakenly recognized as a plurality of print commands.

Next, task 3 will be described.

When the recording paper sensor hits the recording paper, a signal H
It is assumed that AISEN turns on and signal HAISEN turns off when the recording paper comes off the sensor. S3
At 31, the sheet feeding is started, and the recording sheet is conveyed and waits until it reaches the recording sheet sensor. If the sensor is not activated yet, the flag F_HAI_LOOK is reset to 0 in S332. When the recording paper hits the recording paper sensor, S33
Set F_HAI to 1 at 3.

This F_HAI_LOOK is shown in FIG.
A flag indicating that F_HAI has been set to 1 in task 5 of 2 and is set to 1 in task 5. Further, the flag F_HAI is a flag showing the timing when the recording paper is applied to the sensor, and the timer X1TM starts counting at the timing when this flag is set. If F_HAI_LOOK is 1 in S333, F_HAI is reset to 0 in S335.

Now, after F_HAI is set to 1 in S334, it returns to S331 and judges again whether HAISEN is ON or not, but after the recording paper is once caught by the recording paper sensor, a signal is output until the trailing edge of the recording paper comes out of the sensor. Since HAISEN remains ON, the process proceeds to S333, and the flag F is set in task 5.
Since _HAI_LOOK is already set to 1 at that time, the process proceeds to S335, F_HAI is reset to 0, and the count of the timer X1TM is not adversely affected in the task 5. HA when the trailing edge of the recording paper leaves the sensor
ISEN will be OFF, so in S332, F_HAI_L
OOK is reset to 0, and then, when the leading edge of the next recording sheet hits the recording sensor, HAISEN is turned on in S331 and the process proceeds from S333 to S334 and F_HAI is again set.
Is set to 1 and the timer count for the next recording paper is started.

In task 4 of FIG. 11, timers X1TM to X4TM are changed to timer constants X1TM_CNST to X4T.
9 is a flowchart for setting M_CNST,
When each timer value becomes 0, each constant is reset. In this way, it is possible to prevent the constant from being reset when a certain timer is counting and the count is changed. In S341, it is determined whether the timer X1TM is 0 (determines whether the timer has counted up), and if it is 0, S342
Substituting the constant X1TM_CNST into X1TM in the same manner, the count up of X2TM, X3TM, and X4TM is similarly determined, and the constant X2TM_CNST, X is determined based on the determination.
Substitute 3TM_CNST and X4TM_CNST, respectively.

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 12 will be described.

FIG. 12 shows Task 5, Task 6, Task 7, and Task 8. Task 5 is a flow for counting up X1TM, and similarly, task 6 is a flow for counting up X2TM, task 7 is for counting up X3TM, and task 8 is a flow for counting up X4TM. When X1TM counts up in task 5, the information is transmitted to task 6, and task 6 returns X.
When the count of 1TM is counted up, the count of X2TM is started, and when the count of X2TM is counted up, the information is notified to the task 7. The count of X3TM is started from the time when the count of X2TM is counted by task 7, and the count of X3TM is started.
When M counts up, the task 8 is notified of the information, and task 8 starts counting X4TM at the time when X3TM counts up. In this way, the timers X1TM, X2TM, X3TM and X4TM are sequentially counted.

In task 5, it is determined in step S351 whether F_HAI to which task 3 is set is 1. F_HAI
Is set to 1, the recording paper has reached the recording paper sensor, and the flag F_HA for indicating that the task 5 recognizes the setting of the flag F_HAI in S352.
Set 1 to I_LOOK. Task 3 as described above
If F_HAI_LOOK is set to 1, then F_HA
I is reset to 0. Next, in S353, FLP_PAT (I) representing the bin tray discharge stage selection is shifted to the right by one. This FLP_PAT is tray 3 as shown in FIG.
When is selected, both b0 and b1 are 1.
In this embodiment, the first recording paper 46 shown in FIG.
Since it is scheduled to be ejected to the (top), FLP_PAT for this recording paper is 1 for both b0 and b1. That is, the carry flag CY is set to 1 as a result of shifting the register FLP_PAT to the right in S353. Therefore, the process proceeds from S354 to S355. FLP_P
The value of b0 of AT is a bit indicating whether to turn on the flapper, and if b0 is 1, turn on the flapper,
If 0, the flapper remains off. Well, S
Decrement X1TM at 355, X1T at S356
It is determined whether or not M has counted up, and S355 and S356 are looped until it is counted up. X1T at S356
The timing at which M counts up indicates that the leading edge of the recording paper has reached the position of A in FIG. 2, so the flag F is turned on in S357 so that the flapper is turned on at this timing.
Set 1 to _X1TM_OUT. This flag F_
X1TM_OUT has two roles, one being a trigger for starting the counting of the next timer X2TM, and the other being a trigger for turning on the flapper. Now, in S357, the flag F_X1
After setting 1 to TM_OUT, it returns to the head of the task and determines F_HAI in S351. Since F_HAI has been reset to 0 in task 3, the head of the next recording paper reaches the recording paper sensor again in S351. stand by.

In task 6, F_X1TM_O in S361.
Wait until UT becomes 1, and when it becomes 1, X at S362
The counting of 2TM is started, and S362 and S363 are looped until X2TM is counted up in S363. S
When X2TM is counted up at 363, 1 is set to the flag F_X2TM_OUT at S364. Flag F
_X2TM_OUT also has two roles, one is X3
It is a trigger to start counting TM and the second is a trigger to turn off the flapper.

In task 7, F_X2TM_O in S371.
Wait until UT becomes 1, and when it becomes 1, F in S372
Shift LP_PAT to the right by one. B of FLP_PAT
Since 1 is 1, CY = 1, so that the count of X3TM is started in S374, waits until the count-up to 0 is detected in S375, and when the count-up is performed, S376 is executed.
The flag F_X3TM_OUT is set to 1. This F_X3TM_OUT also has two roles, one is a trigger to start counting X4TM,
The second is a trigger that turns on the flapper.

In task 8, the process waits until F_X3TM_OUT becomes 1, and when it becomes 1, counting of X4TM is started in S382, and when the count-up is detected in S383, 1 is set in the flag F_X4TM_OUT. F
When _X4TM_OUT is set to 1, the flapper is turned off.

In FIG. 13, task 9, task 10, task 11 and task 12 are shown.

Task 9 turns on the flapper when the flag F_X1TM_OUT set in task 5 becomes 1.
Similarly, task 10 is a flow for turning off the flapper, task 11 is a flow for turning on the flapper, and task 12 is a flow for turning off the flapper.

In step S391 of task 9, F_X1TM_OU
It is determined whether T becomes 1, and if it is 1, the flapper is turned on in S392. Specifically, 224 shown in the block diagram 9
FLP_ON for the flapper control means
The _1 signal is set to TRUE. The flapper control means turns on the solenoid to turn on the flapper 225.
N In step S393, F_X1TM_OUT is reset to 0, and next, it waits until F_X1TM_OUT becomes 1.

In task 10, F_X2T is executed in S3101.
It is determined whether M_OUT becomes 1, and if M_OUT becomes 1, S3102
To turn off the flapper, and in S3103, F_X2TM
Reset _OUT to 0. The flapper is turned off by setting the FLPON_1 signal to FULSE.

In task 11, F_X3TM is executed in S3111.
It is determined whether _OUT becomes 1, and when it becomes 1, S3112
To turn on the flapper, and in S3113, F_X3TM_
Reset OUT to 0.

In task 12, F_X4T in S3121
It is determined whether M_OUT becomes 1, and when it becomes 1, S312
The flapper is turned off in 2 and F_X4T in S3123.
Reset M_OUT to 0. As described above, the flapper can be turned on and off and the flapper can be turned on and off in order according to the timeout of the corresponding timer.

FIG. 14 is a task transition diagram showing the execution order of the tasks 1 to 12 described above. As described above, each task is passed control by the flag, so the task execution order must be as shown in FIG. Although not specifically mentioned in the above description, it is assumed that tasks are moved one after another by a jump instruction that transfers control to the next task. The flowchart of the task monitor that controls the movement of this task is omitted.

In this way, the leading recording sheet is discharged to the uppermost stage of the bin tray. Since the second recording sheet is ejected in the middle, the TR_CHOICE pattern is 01 for b1 and b0, CY = 1 in S354 in task 5, F_X1TM_OUT = 1 after X1TM timeout, and the flapper is turned on in task 9, The flapper turns off in task 10, but in task 7, C in S373.
Since Y = 0 (because b1 = 0), X3TM does not start, and therefore F_X3TM_OUT = in S376.
1 is not performed and the flapper does not turn on. That is, it is discharged to the tray 42 shown in (4-1) of FIG. Furthermore, since the third recording paper is discharged to the bottom, the TR_CHOICE pattern is 00 for b1 and b0, CY = 0 in S354 of task 5, the timer after X1TM does not start, and therefore the flapper does not start. As a result, the flapper is not turned on, and as a result, the bottom tray 1
Will be discharged.

If the above control is performed, the discharge stage control for each recording paper can be performed in any combination.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the third embodiment. Most of this figure has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9, but the tray 1 maximum loaded number storage means 4114-1 and the tray 1 loaded number counting means 4114-2,
114-3 tray 2 maximum loading number storage means 4114
-4 tray 2 loaded number counting means, 4114-5 tray 3 maximum loaded number storage means, and 4114-6 tray 3 loaded number counting means. The maximum tray number storage means for tray 1 is a means for presetting and storing the maximum number of recording sheets that can be loaded on the tray 1 of 41 shown in FIG. The tray 1 stacking number counting means is a means for counting the number of recording sheets actually stacked on the tray 1.
The same applies to tray 2 and tray 3.

Next, details of the control of the third embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of the third embodiment. In the control of stacking the recording papers, the control corresponding to the part after the task 2 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

In S421, I = 0 is reset. S42
In 1-1, the register C_ROT representing the number of times TR_CHOICE, which is the discharge stage selection from the CPU to the print sequence control means, is reset to 0. F_PIC_OK, which is the paper feed possible flag in S422
Wait until is set to 1, and then S42
At 3, wait for the print command from the CPU. When a print command arrives, PR_INT_ is set in PR_INT_TM in S424.
Substitute CNS.

Then, in S427, it is determined whether TR_COICE is 3. TR_CHOICE = 3 means that the discharge stage is tray 3 as described in the second embodiment.
Has been selected. If TR_CHOICE = 3, the process proceeds to S428 and C_ROT is incremented. At this point, C_ROT = 1. S429
At 3, the tray 3 loaded sheet counter RT3_CNT is incremented by the tray 3 loaded sheet counter.
In S4210, it is determined whether TR3_CNT exceeds the maximum number of trays 3 that can be loaded (constant). If it exceeds, the maximum number of recording sheets has already been stacked on the tray 3, so that it cannot be stacked any more and must be discharged to another tray (tray 1 or tray 2).

Then, in S4211, it is determined whether C_ROT is 3. Since C_ROT = 1 at the present time, S4212
And set TR_CHOICE = 1. That is, in this embodiment, the discharge stage is first switched to the tray 2 (see the TR_CHOICE pattern in FIG. 15). Then, jumping to S4214, C_ROT is further incremented. At this point, C_ROT = 2. S42152
Then, the tray 2 stacking number counter RT2_CNT is incremented, and it is determined in S4216 whether or not TR2_CNT exceeds the tray 2 maximum loading number.

Further, if the maximum number of sheets has already been loaded on the tray 2, the process proceeds to S4217, and it is determined whether C_ROT = 3. Since C_ROT = 2 at this point, S421
Proceed to step 8, and this time TR to select tray 1 as the discharge stage selection
Set _COHICE = 0. Then, jumping to S4219, C_ROT is incremented. C_ at this point
ROT = 3. In S4220, the tray 1 loading number counter TR1_CNT is incremented, and S4221
Then, it is determined whether TR1_CNT exceeds the maximum number of trays 1 that can be loaded, and if so, the process proceeds to S4222 and it is determined whether C_ROT = 3. Since C_ROT = 3, the process proceeds to S4224, and since all the trays that can be discharged have reached the maximum number, there are no trays that can be discharged and the ERR is set.

In this case, the case where all the trays are full has been described. For example, if the tray 3 is full but the tray 2 can still be discharged, the process proceeds from S4216 to S4225, and the case of the second embodiment. Similarly, a flag F_PRINT = 1 indicating that a print command has come is set, and the paper feed routine instructed in Task 2 of the second embodiment is instructed to feed paper.
A print sequence similar to that in the second embodiment is started. It should be noted that it is clear that the present control correctly switches the discharge stages even when the tray other than the first discharge stage selection tray 3 is used.

[0076]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the shift position is determined from the number of shifts of the bin tray, so that the standby state between reception can be achieved. Even when the bin tray shift operation for the copy operation is entered, the device does not need to store the shift position at the time of the previous reception, which is effective in reducing the power consumption during standby.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by controlling the switching timing of the outlet of the bin tray by a predetermined soft timer, the flapper switching timing sensor arranged in the vicinity of each outlet can be omitted and the cost of the device can be reduced. And high reliability can be secured.

According to the structure of claim 4 of the present invention, the maximum number of sheets to be loaded in each stage of the bin tray is set in advance and compared with the number of sheets to be discharged to each stage.
By switching the discharge port to a stage where the maximum number of sheets has not been reached yet, it becomes possible to omit the overload sensor provided in each stage of the bin tray and reduce the cost of the device and ensure high reliability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a shift diagram of a bin tray shift position according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the bin tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the bin tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the bin tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the bin tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the bin tray of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a task transition diagram according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a TR-CHOICE pattern diagram of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 NCU 12 modem 13 CPU 13-1 copy button 14 print sequence control means 15 copy number input means 16 copy number counting means 17 shift number counting means 18 shift control means 19 bin tray device 41 tray 42 tray 2 43 tray 3 44 bin tray cover 45 Recording paper sensor 46 First recording paper 47 Second recording paper 48 Third recording paper 221 CPU 222 Print sequence control means 223 Paper feeding means 224 Flapper control means 225 Flapper control means 227 Flapper control means 227 Flapper 228 Recording paper Sensor 229 X1 timer constant storage means 2210 X1 timer 2211 X2 timer constant storage means 2212 X2 timer 2213 X3 timer constant storage means 214 X3 timer 2215 X4 timer constant storage means 2216 X4 timer 2210-1 Flapper pattern storage means 2210-2 Paper interval time constant storage means 2210-3 Print interval time constant storage means 2210-4 Bin tray transfer sheet maximum value storage means 4414-1 Tray 1 maximum loaded number storage means 4414-2 Tray 1 loaded number counting means 4414-3 Tray 2 maximum loaded number storage means 4414-4 Tray 2 loaded number counting means 4414-5 Tray 3 maximum loaded number storage means 4414-6 Tray 3 Loading number counting means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus comprising a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for storing discharged recording sheets, wherein the bin tray shifts in a direction perpendicular to a recording sheet discharging direction. Means and a counting means for detecting the number of shifts, and when the shift operation at the time of reception and the shift operation at the time of copy are alternately performed, the shift at the time of reception is made only from the number of shifts at the time of copy operation after the previous reception. A facsimile machine characterized by determining a position. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift operation for the next reception is performed in advance at the end of the previous reception operation or the end of the copy operation. 3. A facsimile apparatus comprising a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for storing recording sheets to be ejected, wherein the timing of switching the outlet of the bin tray to the tray is for controlling the apparatus. Facsimile machine characterized by being controlled by the soft timer. 4. A facsimile apparatus comprising a receiving means, a copying means, and a bin tray having a plurality of trays for storing recording paper to be ejected, wherein the bin tray detects the number of ejection instructions to each tray. A facsimile apparatus having discharge counting means for controlling, and presetting the maximum number of sheets to be discharged to each tray, and switching to discharging to the tray of another stage when the maximum number of sheets to be discharged is reached.