JPS62297836A - Original carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To copy originals set up on an original setting tray in a specified order by driving an original feeding means, an original exposing means and an original discharging means on the basis of the order stored in the exposing device. CONSTITUTION:Information indicating the copying order of originals is inputted to a copying order memory by alternately depressing a numeral key and a selection key. There are the following four modes for carrying originals in the original carrying device. Namely, an original setting tray (tray A) an original platen, the original platen an original intermediate tray (tray B), the tray B the original platen, and the original platen the tray A. When a print key is depressed, copying processing and paper discharging processing are executed by using these modes in accordance with the order stored in the copying order memory and an original is selectively fed to the original platen. Thus, the originals can be exposed in an optional order.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] 3. Technical Field for Detailed Description of the Invention> This invention provides an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine that is equipped with an exposure unit that exposes a document to light. The present invention relates to a document transport device that transports documents so that the documents are exposed in the order in which the documents are exposed.

<Prior Art and Its Disadvantages> Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines equipped with an automatic document feeder, documents are fed from a document set tray to a document exposure unit in accordance with the order of copying.

However, when copying materials that are a set of multiple manuscripts, the manuscripts are not necessarily copied into pages. For example, only necessary manuscripts of the materials may be copied in the necessary order. In such a case, in the past, the original to be copied had to be manually taken out from the material, copied, and then aligned again in the original order, which was a hassle. There was also the problem of erroneous matching because it was done manually.

<Object of the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide a document feeder that feeds a document placed R on a document theft tray to a document exposure section, an exposure device that exposes the document in the document exposure section, and It is used in an image forming apparatus such as a so-called original circulation type copying machine, which is equipped with a document ejecting means for ejecting documents from an exposure section to the document set tray, and is used for a plurality of originals placed on the document set tray. In contrast, it is an object of the present invention to provide a document conveying device that allows documents to be exposed in any order.

<Structure and Effects of the Invention> The present invention includes a document feeder that feeds a document placed on a document set tray to a document exposure section, an exposure device that exposes the document in the document exposure section, and a device that exposes the document to the document exposure section. a document ejecting means for discharging documents from the document exposure section to the document set tray; a document exposure order storage section for storing the order in which documents are exposed in the document exposure section; The present invention is characterized by comprising means for determining a driving sequence of the original document feeding means, the exposure conveying means, and the original document ejecting means based on the order.

With the above configuration, a plurality of originals placed on the original set tray are transported to the original exposure section by the original transport means, temporarily stopped, and exposed to the originals. After the exposure of the original is completed, the original is ejected to the original set tray by the original ejecting means. In this way, the originals circulate between the original set tray and the original exposure section.

The means for determining the driving sequence of the sheet feeding means, the original conveying means, and the original discharging means determines the driving sequence of each means based on the order stored in the original exposure order storage means. By driving the document feeding means, exposing means, and document discharging means according to this drive sequence, the plurality of documents placed on the document set tray are exposed in the order stored in the document exposure order storage means.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows the structure of a document conveying device which is an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a document set tray 1 is provided above the conveyor belt 5, and an intermediate document tray 2 is provided between the document set tray 1 and the conveyor belt 5 in parallel with the document set tray. As is clear from the figure, the original set tray 1. A document conveyance path for conveying documents is provided between the document intermediate tray 2 and the document table 3. for example,
The original sent from the original set tray 1 is transferred to the transport path 11.
．． The paper is fed to the document table 3 via the paper 12 . The original transported from the original table 3 is discharged to the original set tray 1 via the transport path 14, 15. Further, the conveyance path 16 is a conveyance path for conveying the original sent from the document table to the intermediate document tray 2, and when the separation claw 6 is at the position a, the original is conveyed through the conveyance path 14, 16. The document is transported to the intermediate tray 2.

The document sent out from the document intermediate tray 2 is transported to the conveyance path 1.
The paper is fed to the document table 3 via 3.12.

Paper feed roller 7a provided on the right side of document set tray l
, 7b, and 7c pull out the lowest one of the plurality of originals placed on the original set tray 1 and transfer it to the transport path 1.
Rollers for feeding in one direction, and feed rollers 3a, ab, and 3c, which are similarly provided on the right side of the intermediate document tray 2, feed the lowest document among the plurality of documents placed on the intermediate document tray 2. This is a roller for sending out the paper in the direction of the conveyance path 13. Further, the paper ejection rollers 9a and 9b provided on the left side of the document set tray 1 place the document sent from the conveyance path 15 on top of the plurality of documents already placed on the document set tray 1. Rollers for placing, conveyance rollers 10a, 1
0b is a roller for placing the original sent via the transport paths 14 and 16 on top of the original placed on the intermediate original tray 2.

A document leading edge detection sensor 4 is provided at the left end of the document table 3, and when the leading edge of the document conveyed on the document table 3 by clockwise rotation of the conveyance heald 5 reaches the position of the document leading edge detection sensor 4. , the drive of the transport heald 5 is stopped, and the document is stopped at a specific position on the document table. In this state, the document is exposed by the document exposure means provided at the lower part of the document table 3.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the document conveying device shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the figure, there are four modes in which the document is precipitously fed: (1) Original set tray - Original table; (2) Original intermediate tray for document combining; (2) Original intermediate tray - Original table; (2) Original document center tray for document combining. By selectively feeding originals to the original table using such a mode, the originals can be exposed in any order.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the control section of the document conveying device. The overall control is performed by the program control of the CPU 100, and the control program is written in advance in the ROM10I. RAMIO2 is used as a working area for various flags, counters, etc. when executing the control program. The sensor 103 includes the sensor 4, and is composed of a paper detection sensor and a plurality of other sensors. C
The PU can read the status of each sensor via l10104. Separation claw 6. Drive circuits for driving various rollers such as the paper feed roller 7.8, the paper discharge roller 9, and the conveyance roller 10 are connected to the l10105 and drive each roller based on signals from the CPU. The drive circuit for the conveyor belt 5 drives the conveyance belt based on a signal from the CPU via the ■/○107. The key-operated device 108 is a key-operated device that includes keys for specifying the order in which documents are exposed, and the CPU can read the operated keys via the Ilo 109.

Figures 4 and 5! A1. (B) is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the control section. First, as shown in FIG. 4, keys are read (nlO) and processing is performed according to the operated key. If a number key is operated, the number is placed in buffer IB (n18). When the selection key is operated, the contents of the buffer IB are stored in the memory M (s)
is input, and the value in the memory sm representing the number of copies to be made is incremented (n13=n14). By alternately operating the number keys and selection keys in this way,
Information (pages) representing the copying order of the original is input to the memory M(s). Note that this memory corresponds to document exposure order storage means according to the present invention.

After setting the number by operating the numeric keys, by operating the original number key, the number of originals is set in the memory dm representing the number of originals (n15-+n16).

When the print key is operated, copy processing and paper ejection processing are performed. FIG. 5 (A1. (Bl is a flowchart showing the procedure in detail, and corresponds to the means for determining the drive sequence of the document feeding means, exposure means, and document ejecting means according to the present invention. The meaning of each symbol is as follows.

M(s): Copying order memory S: Memory M blank A(i): Memory representing the stored contents of the original sent tray (tray A) B(i): Memory representing the stored contents of the original intermediate tray (tray B) rn: Memory representing the number of originals stored in l-ray A. n: Memory representing the number of originals stored in tray B. Sm: Memory representing the number of copies. dm: Memory representing the number of originals. Processing (A) involves copying the originals that should be copied while the originals in tray A are being conveyed to tray B, and once all the originals have been copied, the originals remaining in tray A are transferred to the tray. This represents the process of sending R to B.

First, initialize s, A (i), m, and n, respectively (
n20-n23). In other words, set S to 0 and store memory A
Set each value of i=l to sm in the contents of (i),
A value dm corresponding to the number of originals is set for m, and O is set for n. Next, increment S and memory A (m
) is equal to the value of memory M(S) (n24=n25). If these are equal, it indicates that the lowest original among the originals placed on Tray A, that is, the original safety tray, is the original to be copied, and that original is fed to the original table (n26). . Along with this, the number m of originals placed on tray A is decremented, and exposure is performed.

Thereafter, the exposed original f)z is transported to tray B (n
29). Along with this, memory B representing the stored contents of tray B
Shift the contents of (i) (n30). This process of n30 is performed by i executing the process of inputting the contents of B(i) into B(i→-1) until l-n. After that, the data of the topmost original of the originals placed on tray B is input by incrementing the number n of MW originals in tray B and inputting the contents of M(s) into B(1). n31-n32).

In the above processing, the pointer S of the memory M indicates the number of copies s
This is repeated until it becomes equal to m (n33-n24
-...). If the bottom document among the documents placed in tray A is not the document to be copied, then NO.
Then, the document in tray A is transported to tray B (n3
4). Along with this, the contents of B(i) are shifted, n is incremented, and the data of the document newly placed in the process of n34 is input to B(1) (n35-=n3
6 → 37). Further, m is decremented as the number of originals placed on tray A decreases, and as a result, it is determined whether all originals from tray A have been conveyed to tray B (n
38-n39), if YES in n39, it means that there was no original to be copied while conveying the original from tray A to tray B, and the process moves to the process of FIG. 5 [B].

The process shown in FIG. 5(B) is the opposite of the process shown in FIG. Transfer originals remaining in tray B after copying to tray A.
This represents the process of aligning the documents by transporting them to.

First, if the document at the bottom of tray B is a document to be copied, that document is fed to the document table (n45-046). Along with this, the value in memory n representing the number of originals placed on tray B is decremented, and exposure is performed (n47→n48). After that, transport the exposed original to Ray A).n49)
, accordingly, the data regarding 1 to Rei 8 is updated. That is, shift the contents of A(i), increment m,
The data of the document exposed at n4B is input to A(1) (n50→n51→n52).

The above processing is performed using the pointer sM of memory M, the number of copies S
Repeat until it becomes equal to m (n53-n44-
n45...).

If the document at the bottom of tray B is not the document to be copied, that document is conveyed to tray A (n45=n54). Along with this, data regarding tray A and tray B is updated.

That is, the contents of A (i) are shifted, m is incremented, and the data of the document conveyed at n54 is input into A (1) (n55-n 56-n 57). Furthermore, n is decremented, and as a result, it is determined whether n=o, that is, all originals placed on tray B have been conveyed to tray A (n 5 B-"n 59), if YES here. This indicates that there are still documents to be copied in tray A, and the process returns to n25 in the fifth deep hole.

5. If the answer is YES at n53 in FIG. 5 (B) and the copying of all originals to be copied is completed, n=o.
Documents on tray B are sequentially conveyed to tray A. Accordingly, the values of m and n are updated (n61-"n62→n63-n
60). When n=o, it means that all documents have returned to tray A, and the process ends here.

In addition, if all the originals to be copied are copied while the originals in tray A are transferred to tray B in the fifth time (including the fifth time), YES will be returned in n33, but after that, the originals in tray A will be transferred to tray B. Sequentially empty feed to B (n40→n41→n
42-n 43-n 40). In this way, tray B
n6 in Figure 5(B) after transferring all the manuscripts to
Moving on to the processing after 0, the originals in tray B are sequentially fed again to tray A, so that the originals can be placed on l-ray A (original f high seven sort tray) in the original order.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the movement relationship of documents existing in each part of the tray A, tray B, and document table.
This shows a case where five originals arranged in pages are placed on the screen, and 3.5, 2°·1 is specified as the order in which they should be copied.

The third original to be copied first is at the top of tray A, T:8I.
The document in tray A is moved to tray B using modes ① and ② until it is located at S. Further, as shown in state 7.11, the document located at the bottom of tray B is fed to the document table in mode 3 and exposed. Status 0-15
All copy processing ends in the order specified between.

Then, in states 16 to 19, 19. The W-wrapped originals are successively fed to tray B. Thereafter, in states 20 to 24, the originals on tray B are moved to tray A, and the originals are placed on tray A (original set tray) in the original order.

In this way, the originals placed on the original set tray are copied in the specified order, and the originals are placed R on the original set tray in the original order, reducing the trouble of aligning the originals after copying. This also prevents manual errors. In addition, after the copying machine is finished, all originals are ejected to the original set tray without being placed on the intermediate original tray, so there is no need to provide a special structure or mechanism to take out originals from the intermediate original tray. The original can be easily taken out as is, and it is possible to prevent forgetting to take out the original after copying is completed.

In this embodiment, an intermediate document tray is provided between the document set tray and the document table to temporarily store documents when copying in a specified order, or to rearrange the documents. Although this was an example of using an intermediate tray, this document intermediate tray is not necessarily necessary (it is possible to use only a single document set tray and circulate the documents between the document tray and the document table).
It is also possible to copy in a specified order.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a document feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing each operation mode of the document feeding device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control section of the document feeding device. 1
, FIGS. 4 and 5, (B) are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the control section, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the document conveyance procedure.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A document feeder that feeds the document placed on the document set tray to the document exposure section, an exposure device that exposes the document in the document exposure section, and a document feeder that feeds the document placed on the document set tray to the document set tray. a document ejecting means for ejecting documents to a document exposure section; a document exposure order storage means for storing an order in which documents are exposed in the document exposure section; and a document feeding means based on the order stored in the document exposure order storage means. and means for determining a drive sequence of the exposure means and the document ejecting means.