JPS6119033B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a copying apparatus, and more particularly to a copying apparatus having a printing function for converting image information sent from an external output means into a hard copy.

Conventionally, non-impact printers using optical fiber tubes, lasers, multi-needle pin electrodes, etc. as recording heads are generally well known as means for converting image information converted into electrical signals into hard copies.

For example, in a facsimile device, by applying incoming image information, that is, a facsimile signal, to a multi-needle pin electrode, a dot-shaped charge latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on a recording medium having a dielectric layer. By developing it, it was made visible and a hard copy was obtained. Non-intact printers such as those described above have the disadvantage that they produce only a single hard copy.

In view of the above drawbacks, the present invention provides a non-impact
To provide a device that can obtain as many copies as necessary of hard copies formed by a printer. The present invention attempts to use an electrostatic copying device as is to obtain the required number of copies based on a hard copy that can only be made once. That is, in order to utilize the copying function of the copying device as it is and also to perform the copying process, a recording electrode is provided that applies the image information sent onto the photoreceptor as, for example, a charge pattern, thereby making a hard copy according to the image information. Create. The copying apparatus is provided with a means for transporting the created hard copy as a document onto the document table of the copying apparatus without ejecting the paper to an external tray, thereby making a required number of copies.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

The figure is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a copying apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a drum-shaped photoreceptor having a three-layer structure in which a photoconductive layer is formed on a conductive support, and the upper surface of the photoconductive layer is covered with a highly transparent, highly insulating film. Reference numeral 2 designates a first corona charger that uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor, and reference numeral 3 designates a second corona charger that charges the photoreceptor simultaneously with light image exposure. The above-mentioned light image exposure is performed by applying a reflected light image from the original placed on the original table 4 to an optical system 5 consisting of a mirror, a mirror lens, etc.
The charging is performed through a slit formed in the upper part of the second corona charger 3. Also, 6 is photoreceptor 1
7 is an exposure lamp that irradiates uniform light; 7 is a recording pin electrode for applying image information converted into an electric signal as a charge pattern on the insulating layer of the photoreceptor according to the present invention; and 7 is a multi-needle electrode. It is configured as. Reference numeral 8 denotes a developing device for visualizing the charge latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor using toner powder. Reference numeral 9 denotes a developing device for making the latent charge image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor into a visible image. The paper stored in the upper and lower cassettes is fed by a paper feed roller 9, and the paper is fed to the conveying means. A transfer corona charger is used to transfer the toner image onto the paper 10, which is sent as needed. 11 is a charge-eliminating corona charger to remove residual charges on the photoreceptor. 12 is a charger that is used to remove charges remaining on the photoreceptor. This is a cleaning device that removes accumulated toner and prepares the photoreceptor 1 for the next image formation.

Now, after the transfer, the transfer corona charger 9
The paper 10 that has passed through is peeled off from the photoreceptor and sent to the fixing roller 13 by, for example, heat. The fixing roller 13 heats and fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper 10 and finishes it as a permanent image. Fixing roller 1
The paper 10 that has passed through the paper 10 is delivered to an external tray 15 by a paper delivery roller 14 via a guide plate.

Here, facing the paper output roller 14, the paper 1
0 onto the external tray 15, and the document platen 4
A guide plate 16 is provided to guide the user upward.
For example, if the paper (copy) that has left the fixing roller 13 is to be discharged onto the external tray 15, the guide plate 16 is movably provided so as to be moved to a position as shown by the dotted line. Therefore, if the copied sheet is to be guided to the document table 4, the movable guide plate 16 is located at the position shown by the solid line.

On the other hand, an automatic document feeder 17 is provided opposite to the document table 4 . Automatic document feeder 17
The apparatus is constructed by extending an endless belt 18, which conveys incoming copy paper or the like to the document table 4, around a driving roller 19 and a driven roller 20. Although not shown in the figure, the automatic document feeder 17 is configured to detect the leading edge of the document (copy paper, etc.) being conveyed and stop the document at a predetermined position. Further, when it is desired to operate the copying apparatus shown in the figure only for the copying function, the automatic document feeder is removed or a document insertion slot is provided separately in order to position the document on the document table.

In the figure, reference numerals 21 and 22 refer to the automatic document feeder 17 for copy paper fed through the guide plate 16.
a conveyance roller and a fixed guide plate for guiding the
is a document receiver that receives the document or copy paper after copying is completed.

In the copying apparatus configured as described above, when image information is input as an electrical signal, the photoreceptor 1
The charge on the surface is removed by the action of the static eliminating corona charger, and the surface faces the pin electrode 7 in a clean state free of charge without being affected by the first and second corona chargers 2 and 3. That is, in this state,
Acts as a non-impact printer. Therefore, the above electric signal is applied to the pin electrode 7,
A dot-shaped charge latent image is formed on the insulating layer on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 in accordance with image information. This latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 8. This toner image is applied to the paper 10 fed from inside the cassette.
After being transferred by the action of the transfer corona charger 9, it is fixed as a permanent image on the paper 10 by the fixing roller 13. After the fixing is completed, the copy paper is discharged onto the external tray 15 via the conveyance roller 14. This is an effect when only one hard copy of input image information is required.

Therefore, when several hard copies are required according to the image information described above, the remaining number of required copies is set in the main body of the copying apparatus, for example, the number is set in the copy number designating means. Detecting this, the movable guide plate 16 is positioned at the location shown by the solid line. Therefore, the copy paper on which a dot-like image is formed according to the image information is guided by the movable guide plate 16 and sent to the automatic document feeder 17 via the conveying rollers 21 and the fixed guide plate 22. Automatic document feeder 1
7 transfers the sent copy paper to the endless belt 1
8, the document is conveyed to a specified position on the document table 1 and stopped at that position. In this state, the copying function of the main body of the apparatus is now in operation. That is, a part of the optical system 5 scans the copy paper on the document table 4, and the reflected light image is applied to the photoreceptor 1, which has been uniformly charged in advance by the first corona charger 2, to the second corona charger. The image is formed simultaneously with the action of the device 3. And uniform light exposure lamp 6
By uniformly exposing the surface of the photoreceptor to light, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of the copy paper on the document table 4 is formed on the surface. The latent image is finished as a permanent image on the paper 10 by the actions of the developing device 8, the transfer corona charger 9, and the fixing roller 13, as described earlier in the state in which it is functioning as a printer. The copy paper formed by copying on the document table 4 after passing through the fixing roller 13 is transferred to the conveying roller 14
is discharged onto the external tray 15 via the . The above-described operation is repeated until the number of copies set by the number-of-copies specification means is completed. In addition, movable guide plate 1
6 guides the copy paper on which the image is formed by the pin electrode 7 to the automatic document feeder 17, and then is moved to the position shown by the dotted line.

On the other hand, after the set number of copies have been completed, the copy paper on the document table 4 is ejected to the document receiver 23 by the automatic document feeder 17.

In the present invention, when the printing function is activated, the created copy is placed on the document table 4 as a document, and the second and third copies are easily made by activating the copying function of the device. You can create as many sheets as you need.

Here, when copying a series of slips etc. by making a copy as described above, the second
Different information such as receipt, delivery, and accounting information can be written on the third copy by operating the pin electrode 7 simultaneously with the copying function. This is because the pin electrode 7 itself is configured to directly apply charges to the photoreceptor.

Further, in front of the recording pin electrode 7 (between the uniform exposure lamp 6 and the pin electrode in the figure) is an erasing pin having the same structure as the pin electrode 7, which erases the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 1. It is also possible to provide an electrode to erase unnecessary portions of the copy paper previously formed by the pin electrode 7. Furthermore, a pin electrode 7 is placed on the erased part.
You can also write different information again.

Further, as an embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which the pin electrode 7 for imparting a charge pattern corresponding to image information to the photoreceptor 1 is used as a recording head, but the present invention is not limited to this. The recording head may also be constructed using optical fiber tubes or lasers. In this case, after uniformly charging the photoreceptor 1, a light image corresponding to the image information may be applied to a fiber tube, a laser, or the like.

Furthermore, the copying function of this embodiment includes, after development,
Although this is a PPC method in which a toner image is transferred onto paper, it can also be implemented in a similar manner in a so-called electro-fax method in which a toner image is directly formed and fixed on photosensitive paper.

As explained above, according to the copying apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the copying function, a recording head for forming a charge image according to image information is provided, and the printing function is also provided, and the printing function is activated. After creating a hard copy according to the image information, this hard copy paper is selectively controlled to be used as a non-copy original or to be ejected according to the set number of copies. If a copy is required, the hard copy is conveyed to the document table, and a set number of copies can be easily obtained. In this case, it is sufficient to simply set the number of sheets, and the operation is very simple, eliminating the need for troublesome operations.

In addition, by using the recording head as a pin electrode that can directly apply an electric charge to the photoreceptor, the copy function and print function can be operated at the same time, and when issuing a series of slips, the same part can be used with the copy function and different parts can be pinned. It can be copied using electrodes.

Furthermore, if an erasing head is provided separately from the recording head, it is possible to erase the image of a necessary portion of the document, and to form a different image on the erased portion.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a copying apparatus according to the present invention. 1; Photoreceptor, 2, 3; First and second corona charger, 4; Document table, 5; Optical system, 7: Recording pin electrode, 8; Developing device, 9; Transfer corona charger, 1
0; paper; 11; corona charger for charge removal; 12; cleaning device; 13; fixing roller; 17; automatic document feeder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a copying machine equipped with a printing function and a recording head for obtaining a hard copy according to copying function and image information, a non-copying original placed on a transparent original table is illuminated. an optical means for projecting the image onto the recording medium, a conveyance means for conveying the non-copy original to the normal position of the document table, a setting means for setting the number of copies, and a means for conveying copy paper or hard copy paper onto the document table; a guide means provided between the switching means and the conveyance means for guiding the paper to the document table; and a means for switching the switching means according to the number of sheets set by the setting means when the printing function is activated. Conveyance control means that switches to the table side and conveys the hard copy paper onto the document table via the conveyance means, and the optical means and the copying function that use the hard copy paper conveyed by the conveyance control means as a non-copy original. A copying apparatus comprising: a control means for repeating the copying operation for the number of copies set by the setting means. 2. A copying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is a recording pin electrode that applies an electric charge to a recording medium. 3 Claim 1 characterized in that a recording head for erasing is provided separately from the recording head.
Copying apparatus according to item 1 or 2.