JPS6154696B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a remaining sheet number display device in a copying machine, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a sheet remaining number display device for a copying machine, and more particularly, when sheets held in a stack are used and the stack height decreases, the device raises the sheets to a predetermined position. The present invention relates to a remaining sheet number display device in a copying machine having a paper feeding device. BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Generally, in a paper feeding device such as a copying machine or a printing machine, a large number of sheets for copying or printing are stacked and held inside the machine, and an automatic feeding mechanism is used to feed them one by one to a processing station. Are known. This type of paper feeding device can hold a larger number of sheets compared to the type that holds sheets in a removable cassette, which is often used in copying machines in recent years, and can continuously feed a large number of sheets. This is useful for high-speed copying machines and the like. However, the machines that hold the sheets stacked inside the machine are
Since the state of the sheets being held cannot be visually observed, there is a drawback that the number of remaining sheets cannot be determined. For this reason, conventional products have been provided with a near-empty display function that displays when the stacked height of sheets falls below a predetermined level, but this does not estimate the approximate number of remaining sheets at the time the display is displayed. However, it is not possible to know the exact number of sheets, and it has the disadvantage that even the approximate number cannot be determined if time has elapsed or the user has changed hands. Additionally, this may cause inconveniences such as setting the number of consecutive copies to be greater than the number of remaining copies. Purpose The present invention has been made with attention to these points, and provides a sheet that can detect and display the remaining number of laminated sheets with high accuracy, regardless of the number initially set. The purpose is to provide a remaining number display device. Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, for convenience, an example in which the present invention is applied to a paper feeding device of an electrophotographic copying machine will be specifically explained, but the present invention can also be applied to other similar devices. FIG. 1 shows an electrophotographic copying machine 1 to which the present invention is applied.
First, the structure and operation of the copying machine will be briefly explained with reference to this figure. A photoreceptor drum 10 is located approximately in the center of the copying machine body.
is supported rotatably in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and around it, an erase lamp 11, a charging charger 12, a developing device 13, a transfer charger 14, a cleaning device 15, etc. are arranged in this order. An original (not shown) is placed on the original placing glass 21, and is scanned by an optical system 20 including a lamp 22, reflecting mirrors m1 to m4, and a lens 23, and its image is sequentially placed on the photosensitive drum 10. projected on. The configuration of the optical system and the scanning operation itself are well known, and therefore will not be specifically explained. The paper feeding device 30 consists of a paper feeding roller 31 and a holding mechanism 32 that holds the laminated sheet (S) and raises the laminated sheet (S) toward the paper feeding roller 31 as described later, and synchronizes with the copying operation. and rotates the paper feed roller 31, thereby feeding out the laminated sheets (S) one by one starting from the top one, and directing them to the photoreceptor drum 10 via the conveyance rollers 33, 34, timing roller 35, etc. and transport it. In the above configuration, the photoreceptor drum 10 rotates with the start of the copying operation, and an image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10 by charging, exposure, and development, and this image is synchronized with the image forming operation. The image is transferred onto the conveyed copy sheet by the transfer charger 14.
The copy sheet after the transfer is separated from the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10, passes through a fixing device 16 to have the image fixed thereon, and is then discharged onto a tray 17. After the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred, residual toner and residual charges are removed by a cleaning device 15 and an erase lamp 11, and the photosensitive drum 10 is prepared for the next copying. Note that M1 is a main motor that drives the photosensitive drum 10, optical system 20, copy sheet conveyance system, etc., M2 is a developing motor, CL1 and CL2 are clutches for scanning and returning the optical system 20, and CL3 is a clutch for scanning and returning the optical system 20. Timing roller clutch and CL
4 is a paper feed roller clutch. FIG. 2 shows details of the paper feeding device section. In the paper feeding device 30, sheets are stacked and held on a paper feeding tray 41 of an elevator device 40, and the elevator device 40 is driven by a motor M3. When setting a copy sheet on the paper feed tray 41, first turn on the tray drawer switch SW9 (see Fig. 3) provided near the paper feed device 30, and then
The motor M3 is driven to lower the tray 41 by the magnet m until the lower limit switch SW5 is turned on. This allows the tray 41 to be pulled out of the machine. Place the sheet in tray 41
When the tray 41 is pushed to a predetermined position inside the machine, the detection switch SW6 is activated to drive the motor M3, and the tray 41 is raised until the upper limit switch SW4 is turned on by the sheet. Sheets are used as the copying process progresses,
The stacking height of the sheets decreases and the lift switch SW7
When the motor M3 is turned off, the motor M3 is operated to raise the tray 41 until the upper limit switch SW4 is turned on. This operation is repeatedly executed during the copy operation. The rotation amount of the motor M3, that is, the rotation amount of the motor M3, that is, the drive shaft of the motor M3 or the shaft 45 driven by this
A pulse disk 42 is fixedly installed to generate a number of pulse signals corresponding to the amount of vertical movement of the paper feed tray 41, and is used to detect the number of remaining sheets, which will be described later. The operations including the paper feeding device 30 of the copying machine 1 described above are controlled by a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as MC) 50 shown in FIG. The switch and drive mechanism are MC5 as shown in Figures 3 to 6.
associated with 0. In FIG. 3, SW1 is a print switch for starting the copying operation, SW2 is a home position switch for detecting the home position of the optical system 20,
SW3 is a timing switch that is activated in accordance with the movement of the optical system 20 and outputs a signal to drive the timing roller 35, SW8 is a switch that requests display of the remaining number of sheets, and Tr1 is a timing switch that outputs a signal to drive the timing roller 35. The transistor Tr2 which performs a switching operation in response to a synchronized pulse signal is a transistor which performs a switching operation in response to a pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the drive motor M3 of the above-mentioned elevator system. Note that the pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the main motor M1 is generated using a pulse disk (not shown) fixed to the drive shaft of the main motor M1, and the pulse signal is generated by using a pulse disk (not shown) fixed to the drive shaft of the main motor M1, and the drive by the motor M1 and the control by the MC50 are combined. The relationship between the pulse signal and the control of the MC50 is shown, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 53-49540, and as briefly explained in the flowchart below, the relationship between the pulse signal and the control of the MC50 is for synchronization. The MC50 control routine is set to be executed after waiting for the output. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, 51 is a preset counter that sets and displays the number of operations of the copying machine 1 in response to input from a numeric key (not shown);
Reference numeral 52 denotes a display means for displaying the number of remaining sheets calculated by a process to be described later. FIG. 4 shows a drive control circuit for the main motor M1, developing motor M2, etc. Output ports PE2 and PE3 of MC50 are each transistor Tr.
3. Connected to the base of Tr4, transistor Tr
3. Switching means S by conduction of Tr4
1 and S2 are turned on, control elements TR1 and TR2 become conductive, and motors M1 and M2 are operated. FIG. 5 shows the charger and clutch control circuit. MC50 output ports PF2, PF3
are high-voltage power supplies for charging and transfer chargers 12 and 14 via transistors Tr5 and Tr6, respectively.
Connected to HV1 and HV2, output ports PE0 and PE
1, PF0 and PF1 are a scan clutch CL1 that similarly moves the optical system 20 in the scanning direction, a return clutch CL2 that returns the optical system 20,
They are respectively connected to a timing roller clutch CL3 and a paper feed roller clutch CL4. FIG. 6 shows a circuit for generating pulse signals synchronized with the main motor M1 and the elevator motor M3, a drive control circuit for the elevator motor M3, and a light emitting diode LED1 for indicating a lack of seats. The main motor pulse generation disk and the elevator device motor pulse generation disk 42 (not shown) each have slits at a predetermined pitch on their outer peripheries, and the light emitting diodes LED 3,
Switching means S3, S4 consisting of a light receiving element PC3, a light emitting diode LED4, and a light receiving element PC4
A pulse signal is generated from the comparators CO1 and CO2 as the pulse disk rotates. The motor M3 is a motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and raises and lowers the elevator device, respectively, by the output of either output port PG0 or PG1 of the MC50. LED1 is a display light emitting diode connected to output port PG2, and is lit to warn of a shortage of sheets when, for example, a value greater than the number of remaining sheets is input to preset counter 51. Ru. As described above, it is associated with copier 1.
The MC 50 controls the operation of the copying machine 1 according to a program that stores the processing procedures shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7a and 7b. First, when the power is turned on, initial settings are performed in a step. The initial settings are copier 1
For MC50, the standard operating modes of the copier 1 are read out from the memory and set, such as number of copies = 1, copy magnification = 1x, exposure = standard, mode = normal copy mode, and set for MC50. Processing such as clearing RAM (random access memory) is executed. In step, the number of motor pulses generated when the paper feed tray 41 of the elevator device moves from the lower limit switch SW5 to the upper limit switch SW4 is set in the memory. This total number of pulses can be determined in advance by calculation or actual measurement. In steps ~, a total pulse counter, a rising pulse counter, and a copy number counter, which perform a counting operation according to a process to be described later, are each cleared to "0". Steps indicate processing for initializing the total pulse counter. Details of the steps are shown in FIG. When the total pulse counter is initially set, that is, when the copying machine is powered on, the paper feed tray 41 is lowered once to the lower limit switch SW5 in steps 〓 and 〓, and then the motor is lowered in steps 〓 to 〓. M3 is controlled to raise the paper feed tray 41 until the upper limit switch SW4 is turned on by the sheet, and during this raising period, pulse signals from the pulse disk 42 rotating in synchronization with the motor M3 are counted. , the number of pulses at the time when the rise stopped is memorized. As a result, the height of the holding sheet when the power is turned on is determined by the relationship between the number of initial rising pulses and the total number of pulses described above. In step, an internal timer is started to define the processing time of one routine of the MC 50. The step is a data input step, and the step is an input processing step for a numeric key (not shown). In steps ~, the number input processed in the step is compared with the remaining number of sheets determined in the step described below, and if the number entered is greater than the remaining number, the light emitting diode is activated in the step.
Lights up LED1 to display a warning of sheet shortage. At this time, a warning of the lack of sheets may be issued using sound generating devices shown at 53 and 54 in FIG. Steps indicate processing when replenishing sheets. Details of the steps are shown in FIG. That is, when there is a shortage of sheets, the user operates the tray drawer switch SW9 (see FIG. 3). When it is determined in step 〓 that the switch SW9 is on, control is executed to rotate the motor M3 of the elevator equipment in the downward direction, and when it is determined in step 〓 that the lower limit switch SW5 is on, step 〓 is executed. The rotation of the motor M3 is stopped with 〓 and 〓, the process of not being able to draw out the tray 41 is canceled, and the total pulse counter and copy number counter are cleared to "0". In this state, the user pulls out the tray, sets the sheets appropriately, and then pushes the tray 41 into the machine again. When tray 41 is pushed in, the detection switch is activated.
When SW6 is turned on and this rise is judged in step 〓, in steps 〓 to 〓, the motor M3 is rotated in the ascending direction of the elevator, pulse counting is performed by the total pulse counter, and the upper limit switch SW4 is turned on. Therefore, the operation of the motor M3 and the counter is stopped. As a result, the same process as the initial setting (step) of the total pulse count described above is executed. Steps indicate the control of the paper feed section 30 during the copying operation of the copying machine 1, and the details are shown in FIG. That is, when the lift switch SW7 is turned off as the number of sheets decreases, the motor M3 is rotated in the upward direction in steps 〓 to 〓, the rise pulse counter starts counting motor pulses, and at the same time the total pulse counter starts adding up. and the sheet number counter is reset. When the upper limit switch SW4 is turned on, the motor M3 is stopped, the rising pulse count and the total pulse count are stopped, and the number of sheets can be counted in steps 〓 to 〓, and the remaining number of sheets is calculated in step 〓. Ru. Here, to explain in detail the calculation of the number of remaining sheets, the total number of pulses mentioned above (set in the step)
is the motor M when the paper feed tray 41 moves from the lower limit switch SW5 to the upper limit switch SW4.
This is the number of pulses generated from the pulse disk corresponding to the rotation of 3, and this is now referred to as Pt (known).
In addition, the initially set number of pulses is determined by the lower limit switch when the paper feed tray 41 is turned on or when sheets are replenished.
The seat rises from the SW5 position and the upper limit switch
This is the number of motor pulses until it is detected by SW4, so if this is Pi, then the seat set height at this time is converted into the number of pulses.
Assuming P0, it is expressed as P0=Pt−Pi. On the other hand, the rising pulse count is the number of motor pulses corresponding to each rising height,
Now, if this is Pn, the total pulse count number Psn is, It is indicated by. To simplify the explanation now

Expressed as [Formula], Ps1=Pi+P1. Therefore, after one upward movement from the initial setting state, the seat height has decreased by P1 in terms of the number of pulses. Therefore, the height of the remaining sheet is
Expressed in terms of the number of pulses Px, Px=P0−P1=Pt−Ps1. Here, the actual number of sheets used for the reduced height P1 can be counted with a sheet number counter, and if n sheets are counted against P1, the remaining number N is the sheet in which the remaining sheets were used. If it is the same type as , it is calculated as follows: N=PxXn/P1=Pt-Ps1/P1×n. Here, Pt is a value that can be determined in advance from the relationship between the upward movement distance of the paper feed tray 41, the pitch of the slits in the pulse disk, and the upward height relative to the rotational speed of the motor M3, so the remaining number of sheets is N is determined by counting Pn, that is, the total sum Psn of the upward movement including the number of pulses corresponding to one upward movement, the number of sheets used at that time n, and the initial setting value Pi, N=Pt- It will be expressed as Psn/Pn×n. In the flowchart of FIG. 10, it is possible to display the remaining number of sheets by executing the above calculation every time the motor M3 operates once, that is, every time an upward movement is performed. However, if all the sheets set initially have the same thickness, then 1
From now on, it is possible to display the remaining number of sheets by simply counting and subtracting the number of used sheets from the number of remaining sheets determined by the previous calculation. In the system shown in Figure 10, when the thickness of the sheet is random,
This has the advantage that the number of remaining sheets can be calculated in a corrected form each time a calculation is executed. The remaining number of sheets can be displayed each time using the display device 52 shown in FIG. 3, but as shown in FIG. 11, if the remaining number display request switch SW8 (see FIG. 3) is operated. It may be displayed at times. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, if the result of the calculation is less than a predetermined number of sheets (for example, 100 sheets), an output indicating the number of remaining sheets may be output. In this way, unlike the conventional near-empty display, it is possible to reliably prevent an accident in which the number of copies is set higher than the remaining number. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the number of remaining sheets becomes less than a predetermined number (for example, 100 sheets), the remaining number of sheets may be displayed or audibly warned at the timing of the end of the copying operation. In the case of display, a lamp indicating the number of remaining sheets may be lit to call the user's attention. Note that the accuracy of the remaining number of sheets calculated by calculation increases as the number of pulses increases relative to the amount of lift of the elevator system, but the period of the pulses depends on the thickness of the sheet normally used and the upper limit of the elevator system. , the lower limit may be determined appropriately within the range of accuracy, taking into account the operating accuracy of the switch that defines the lower limit. FIG. 7b is a flowchart showing an example of controlling the copying operation of the copying machine 1. FIG. Regarding this, the first
This will be briefly explained with reference to the time chart shown in FIG. In the first block of FIG. 7b, when the print switch SW1 is turned on, the main motor M1, the developing motor M2, and the charging charger 1 are turned on.
2. Transfer charger 14, paper feed roller clutch
Activate each CL3 and set the copy flag to "1", which means that the copy operation is in progress.
and start control timers TA and TB. In the second block, the end of the timer TA is determined, the paper feed clutch CL3 is turned off, and the above-mentioned number of sheets count is incremented.
In the third block, it is determined that the timer TB has ended, and the scan clutch CL1 is turned on to start the scan operation, and the motor pulse flag is set to "1". Thereby, subsequent control is performed using pulse signals synchronized with the main motor M1. In the fourth block, during the scan operation,
When the timing roller switch SW3 is turned on as the optical system 20 moves, processing is executed to turn on the timing roller clutch CL3 and set the timer TC. The copy sheet is conveyed by the timing roller 35 in synchronization with the image on the photoreceptor drum 10. In the fifth block, it is determined that the timer TC has ended, and the charging, scan clutch, and timing roller clutch are turned off, and at the same time,
Turn on return clutch CL2. Note that the timer TC may be set variably depending on the size of the copy sheet used. In the sixth block, the optical system returns to the home position with the return operation and the home position switch SW is activated.
2 is turned on, the developing motor M2, transfer charger 14 and return clutch CL2 are turned off, the copy flag is set to "0", and the timer TD is set. In the seventh block, it is determined that the timer TD has ended, the main motor M1 is turned off, and the motor pulse flag is set to "0". The eighth block executes processing for various outputs. The ninth block is the end determination of the internal timer, whereby the processing time controlled by the AC 50 remains constant regardless of the amount of processing. The tenth block is a process for waiting for input of a motor pulse and looping the processing routine when the motor pulse flag is "1". That is, when the set time of the internal timer is t ₀ , the period t of the motor pulse is set to be t〓t ₀ . Note that the timers T-A to T-D, etc. explained in the above flow chart and time chart are executed within the time specified by the internal timer.
It is a digital timer programmed to count up to "1" in one routine of the processing of the MC 50, and the set time is determined by presetting the count number. Further, the counter for counting the number of sheets may be a conventional counter that increments by "1" for each copying operation, as is conventionally known, and may have a form in which the count contents can be determined by the MC50. Good. The pulse signal from the pulse disk 42, which rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor M3 of the elevator device 40, is transmitted through the transistor Tr2 as described above.
It is input to input port PA3 of MC50, but MC
50, each time a pulse signal is input, it is counted using an appropriate RAM, shift register, etc.
It also stores and executes the above-mentioned calculations. MC5
Regarding the pulse signal using 0 and the mechanism and operation for counting the number of copies, this itself is disclosed in the above-mentioned patent application filed in 1983.
-49540, etc., and illustrations or detailed explanations have been omitted in the above embodiments. Effects As explained above, the present invention provides a copying machine having a mechanism that stacks and holds sheets and raises the sheets to a predetermined position when the stacked height decreases due to use. means for outputting a signal synchronized with said movement; means for detecting the number of sheets used before said lifting movement; and means for detecting a signal outputted in conjunction with said lifting movement and outputting a numerical signal corresponding to said lifting amount. means for obtaining a numerical signal corresponding to the remaining height of the held sheet; and the detected amount of rise;
A sheet remainder comprising means for calculating the remaining number of sheets from the number of used sheets and a signal corresponding to the remaining height of the sheets, and a display means for displaying the calculated remaining number of sheets. Since it is a number display device, it is possible to know the number of remaining sheets with high accuracy, and unlike the conventional near-empty display, the number of copies is unknown even if it is displayed, so it is not possible to set the number of copies to be higher than the number of remaining sheets. Inconveniences such as replenishing sheets even though a considerable number of sheets remain can be reliably prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied, FIGS. 2a and b are diagrams showing its paper feed section and elevator mechanism, and FIG. Diagram showing the relationship between
The figure shows the motor drive circuit, Figure 5 shows the clutch and high-voltage power supply control circuit, Figure 6 shows the pulse generation circuit and the drive circuit for the elevator motor, and Figures 7a and b 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the steps in the flowchart of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the steps, and FIG. 10 is the same step. 11, 12, and 13 are flowcharts showing the details of the flowchart shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 4 is a time chart corresponding to the operation of the copying machine. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Copying machine, 30... Paper feeding device, 31... Paper feeding roller, 32... Sheet holding mechanism, 40... Elevator device, 41... Paper feeding tray, 42... Pulse generation disk, 52... Remaining sheet number display device, M3...motor for elevator equipment, SW4...seat upper limit switch, SW5...tray lower limit switch, SW9...tray drawer switch, LED1...light emitting diode for indicating sheet shortage, MC...microcomputer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a copying machine having a mechanism that holds sheets in a stack and raises the sheets to a predetermined position each time the stack height decreases by a predetermined amount due to use, in conjunction with the above-mentioned lifting operation, means for outputting a signal synchronized with the movement; means for detecting the number (n) of sheets used before the movement; Means for obtaining numerical data (Pn), means for obtaining numerical data (Px) corresponding to the remaining height of the retained sheet, the detected rise amount (Pn), and the sheet used. a calculation means for calculating the remaining number of sheets (N) from the number of sheets (n) and the data (Px) corresponding to the remaining height of the sheets by the calculation N=Px/Pn×n; A display device for displaying the number of remaining sheets, comprising: display means for displaying the remaining number (N) of sheets that have been loaded. 2. The remaining sheet number display device according to claim 1, wherein the display is performed when the calculation result is equal to or less than a predetermined number. 3. In a copying machine having a mechanism that stacks and stores sheets and raises the sheets to a predetermined position each time the stack height decreases by a predetermined amount due to use, a signal synchronized with the raising operation is generated. a means for detecting the number of sheets (n) used before the above-mentioned upward movement; and a means for detecting a signal outputted in conjunction with the above-mentioned upward movement and outputting numerical data (Pn) corresponding to the upward movement. means for obtaining numerical data (Px) corresponding to the remaining height of the held sheet, the detected amount of rise (Pn), the number of sheets used (n) and A calculation means for calculating the remaining number of sheets (N) from data (Px) corresponding to the remaining height of the sheet by the calculation of N=Px/Pn×n, and the calculated remaining number of sheets. A display means for displaying the number of sheets (N), and the number of remaining sheets (N) according to the display means
and a display control means for displaying the output of the calculation means on the display means when the operation means is operated. Device.