JPS6293144A - Electronic copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To minimize the operational time of a suction mechanism and elongate the life of a solenoid by providing a control section for starting the feeding-out of a feed belt a predetermined time after the start of the suction mechanism. CONSTITUTION:The number of copy sets indicated by an operator is stored in RAM element. Next, a solenoid valve is turned on to start a suction mechanism 5' and then a manuscript passage sensor 40 is monitored. The suction mechanism 5' is stopped immediately after the sensor 40 is turned on. And whether or not manuscripts to be next fed out are present on a tray is examined. If they are not pesent, the operation of an automatic original transfer apparatus 1 is terminated if present, ti time is calculated and the suction mechanism 5' is again started after waiting for ti time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application J] The present invention relates to an electronic copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder.

``Prior Art'' In an electronic copying machine, an original is placed on a platen glass and an operator presses a print start button to copy the document onto copy paper.

On the contrary, it is not only time-consuming for the operator to repeat this operation for a large number of manuscripts, but it is also unfavorable in terms of office efficiency.

Therefore, an automatic system that automatically transports originals one by one onto this platen glass, automatically starts printing, and after copying is completed, ejects the original and supplies the next new original. Manuscript II 1 version has been developed.

FIG. 1O shows a longitudinal sectional view of the automatic document feeder 1.

This device is supported by three legs (not shown) and placed at a predetermined position on a platen glass 2. On the top surface of this device, there is a document tray 3 for storing a document 4 to be copied. It is provided. A feed belt 5 is provided at the lower right of the document tray 3 to feed the documents 4 sequentially from the bottom layer. This feed belt 5 has an air suction mechanism 5
' is attached, whereby the leading edge of the lowest document 4 is sucked and sent out in the direction of arrow 6.

A guide plate 7, a feed roller 8 and two pinch rollers 9 are provided in front of the guide plate 7. Further, the claw 11 is in an open state as shown by the broken line.

After the document 4 is pulled out by the feed belt 5, it advances along the guide plate 7, and is conveyed onto the platen glass 2 below by the feed roller 8 and the pinch roller 9.

A conveyor belt 12 is provided directly above the platen glass 2 to convey the original to a final copying position. This conveyor belt 12 conveys the original in the direction of arrow 16.

A registration gate 13 is provided at the left end of the platen glass 2 to stop the progress of the transported original 4 and stop the original 4 at a predetermined copying position.

In addition, a registration sensor 14 is installed adjacent to this, which detects when the leading edge of the original 4 reaches the registration gate 13 and outputs a detection signal indicating that an operation such as starting exposure is to be stopped.

After exposure, the registration gate 13 is opened and the conveyor belt 12 conveys the document in the direction of arrow 16, and the document is discharged to the outside via the guide plate 17 and the discharge roller 18.

In addition, if the original has images to be copied on both sides, the conveyor belt 12 will be reversed after exposure is completed and the image will be moved to the direction indicated by the arrow 2.
The document 4 is conveyed in one direction. The original 4 is fed backward along the guide plate 7, and at this time, the feed roller 8 is also reversed in the same direction. The claw 11 now enters the imaging path as shown by the solid line in the figure.
The original 4 is advanced along the guide plate 22 and sent under the conveyor belt 12 again.

At this time, the document 4 is just turned over, and the side opposite to the previous side is exposed.

In order to synchronize the feeding of the original 4 of such an automatic document feeder, the opening and closing of the register gate 13, and the timing of exposure, this device and the main body of the electronic copying machine are connected by a signal cable (not shown).

FIG. 11 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional electronic copying machine equipped with this automatic document feeder.

This automatic document feeder l is placed above the platen glass 2, and an optical system 26 is placed below.

The image drawn on the original document 4 is configured to be focused on the upper surface of a belt-shaped photoreceptor 27 by the optical type 26.

Exposure is instantaneously performed by a flash light source (not shown).

The photoreceptor 27 rotates in the direction of an arrow 28, is developed by a developing device 29, passes through a transfer device 31, passes through a charger 32, and returns to the exposure section again.

The copy sheets 33 are stored in two paper feed devices 34, and are pulled out one by one, pass through the path indicated by the broken line arrow 36 in the figure, are transferred by the transfer device 31, and are fixed by the fixing roller 37. Thereafter, the paper is discharged onto a discharge tray 40 by a discharge roller 38, but in the case of double-sided copying, it is fed into an auxiliary tray 39 and turned over. Then, copying of the back side is performed again along the path of arrow 36.

Normally, in such an electronic copying machine, when an operator first sets a predetermined number of originals 4 on the original tray of the automatic document feeder 1 and presses a print start button on a console panel (not shown), the originals start as shown in FIG. The paper is fed to a copying position above the platen glass 2 by the feed belt 5, the feed roller 8, and the conveyor belt 12.

The register gate 3 is closed at this time, and the register sensor 14
detects that a document has been sent here and outputs a detection signal. Next, in FIG. 11, copy paper 33
is sent out from the paper feeding device 34, and the flash light source is turned on at a predetermined timing to perform exposure. Then photoreceptor 2
7 is developed, transferred onto the copy paper 33, and the copy paper 33 is discharged as is.

On the other hand, the automatic document feeder 1 moves the register gate 1 after the exposure is completed.
3 is opened, the document 4 is ejected, the registration gate is closed again, and the feed belt 5 is driven to start feeding the next document 4.

In the manner described above, this device automatically copies the set original 4.

"Problems to be Solved by the Invention" In such an electronic copying machine, the air suction mechanism 5' of the feed belt is, for example, a mechanism for reducing the pressure inside a box having a large number of slits on the side in contact with the feed belt. It has become. A separately installed suction pump and this box are connected by a pipe.
The suction action is controlled by opening and closing a solenoid valve inserted into the pipe.

Normally, even if the solenoid valve is opened, it takes a certain amount of time for the suction force of the feed belt to become sufficient.

Therefore, if this solenoid valve is opened after the main unit finishes the copying operation and a document feed start signal is issued, the timing of document feed will be delayed, and sufficient speed cannot be achieved.

On the other hand, if the solenoid valve is kept open all the time during the operation of the automatic document feeder, there is a problem in that the on-time of the solenoid becomes longer and the performance deteriorates significantly. If the solenoid deteriorates, the solenoid valve may not open sufficiently, resulting in a decrease in suction power, which may cause a delay in sending out the document and interrupt the copying process. Moreover, while the suction action is in operation, a relatively harsh noise is generated.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic copying machine in which the operation time of the suction mechanism is minimized, the life of the solenoid is extended, and noise is reduced. It is something to do.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The electronic copying machine of the present invention includes an automatic document feeder that automatically feeds a document onto a platen glass, and an automatic document feeder that feeds the document contained therein. A feed belt that sends out a document toward a conveyance path, a suction mechanism that attracts a document to the feed belt, a document passage sensor that detects the document sent out on the conveyance path, and a control unit that controls these operations. , this control unit starts feeding by the feed belt after a predetermined time after the suction mechanism is activated, stops the suction mechanism when the document passage sensor detects the document, and calculates the next feed start time. This is characterized in that the suction mechanism is activated after a predetermined period of time.

"Function" As described above, in the electronic copying machine of the present invention, the suction mechanism is activated a predetermined time before the original feeding time by calculating the original feeding time, and is stopped at the minimum necessary time after the original feeding time. A document passage sensor is provided on the conveyance path in order to determine the timing of this operation stop. Thereby, the above objective can be achieved.

"Embodiment" (Block Description) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic copying machine of the present invention.

In the figure, the mechanism of the automatic document feeder is almost the same as that explained in FIG.

In the present invention, a document passage sensor 40 is attached to the side of the guide plate 7 of the automatic document feeder that is closest to the feed belt 5.

The detection signal 40' of the document passage sensor 40 is transmitted to the control section 41.
Enter. The control unit 41 includes a CPU (microprocessor) 42, a ROM (read-only memory) element 43, a RAM (random access memory) element 44, and an interface (I/F) 45, and an interface between them. It is composed of a connecting lotus line 46. The interface (1/F) 45 is a circuit that receives input signals from sensors and the like, or outputs various control signals. The CPU 42 is provided to control the operation of each part of the device, and the ROM element 43 stores various programs for the operation. RAM element 44
is provided to temporarily store data necessary for program execution.

The electronic copying machine of the present invention operates as shown in FIG. 2 in principle.

First, as shown in FIG.
sec+11Qmsec). And C.P.
As a result of the calculation in U42, the system restarts after the time t determined. This time t1 expands and contracts depending on the number of copies, etc., and is not necessarily constant.
After 00 m5ec has elapsed, rotation is started and the document 4 is sent out. FIG. 2 shows a command signal for starting rotation of the feed belt 5. The feed belt 5 then rotates about 150 m5ec. As a result, the leading edge of the document 4 is placed on the document passing sensor 4.
0, be sandwiched between the feed roller 8 and the pinch roller 9, and be conveyed to the destination.

When the document passage sensor 40 detects the document 4, its detection signal 40' is outputted to the unloading section 41.

, - detection signals 40' are shown in FIG. 2C. Suction mechanism 5
' is controlled to stop its operation at the timing of the rise of the detection signal 40' of the document passage sensor 40.

In this way, by starting the suction mechanism 5' a predetermined time (600 m5ec on the upper side) before the start of rotation of the feed belt 5, preparations can be made to pull out the document 4 with sufficient suction force. Further, the position where the document passage sensor 40 is installed is appropriately selected, and the suction mechanism 5' is stopped as soon as possible without affecting the feeding of the document.

In this way, the noise of the suction mechanism 5' can be reduced and the performance of the solenoid can be prevented from deteriorating.

(Calculation of 1+) Next, a specific example will be described in which the time period t1 from when the suction mechanism stops operating until it starts is determined.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the copying operation of this apparatus.

This electronic copying machine is of a flash lamp type.1.
The flash interval (inter-exposure @) is 650 m5ec. This device can make 92 copies per minute. In addition, in this embodiment, the number of copies, that is, one original! , %j, and the number of exposures for one is 4 times. The number of exposures is specified by the operator using keys on the console panel before copying, and the value is stored in the RAM element 44 of the control section 41.

The flash lamp is 65 (l) as shown in Figure 3a.
Lights up at a constant cycle of msec. In FIG. 1, when a document 4 is fed onto a platen glass, a registration signal is generated from a registration sensor 14.

If the furanone lamp is turned on while this registration signal is being output, effective exposure is performed. The time when this effective exposure was carried out is indicated by a circle in FIG. 3a.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the automatic document feeder 1 (ADF) converts the document 1 for 1200 msec.

The process is completed, the process waits in the registration state until the specified four exposures are completed, and the operation is repeated.

Immediately after the completion of the fourth exposure, the next document exchange operation begins. At the beginning of this document exchange work, the feed belt 5 shown in FIG. 1 rotates for about 15 Qmsec. Before that 60
Total 71 from 0m5ec to 110m5ec
The suction mechanism operates for 0 m5ec (Fig. 3b). From this figure, it can be seen that the timing t1 of the operation of the suction mechanism satisfies the following equation.

650x5 = 110 + t+ +600 From this, t+ -650 .

t, = 650Xn-60...■ If the calculation is performed according to this formula, tl can be found simply.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the operation.

First, the number of copy sets specified by the operator is stored in the RAM element (FIG. 1) (step 2). Next, turn on the solenoid valve to start the suction mechanism. (Step ■).

Next, the document passage sensor is monitored (step ■).

Immediately after the document passage sensor is turned on, the suction mechanism is stopped (step ■). Then, it is checked whether there is a document to be sent next in the document tray (step 2).

If this is not present, the operation of the automatic document feeder ends, but if there is another document, t and time are calculated (
In step (2), the suction mechanism is activated again after the tl period has elapsed.

(Embodiment 2) This embodiment is intended to explain a method of calculating timing 1 when double-sided copying is performed, and a timing chart thereof is shown in FIG.

The flash operation, its interval, the operation time of the suction mechanism, etc. (FIGS. 5a and 5b) are the same as those in FIG. 3, so their explanation will be omitted.

The automatic document feeder (ADF) can operate to invert the document, as previously explained using FIG. 10.Therefore, as shown in FIG. After the registration of side L), this is reversed and the registration of the other side (side ■) is performed, and then the document exchange operation begins.

At this time, at the same time as the document reversal process is started, a set-up process for reversing the copy sheet and returning it to the transfer position also proceeds on the main unit side.

This is as explained in FIG. 10, but the time required for this is 3500 msec, and the time required for the registration state of side H is longer to wait for this.

From this figure, the following equation can be obtained.

650x10=110+t, ±600 From this, t+ =650X10-710 =650X l-60 Here, if the number of exposures is set as n, 1+ can be expressed as in the following equation.

t,=650 (2n+5)-60・Old・・■ If calculations are performed according to this 0 formula, tl can be obtained.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the operation in that case.

Steps (2) to (2) are the same as those shown in FIG. 4, and the explanation thereof will be omitted, but in step (2), the equation 0 is calculated, and in step (2), the time t determined by this is timed. The following is the same as in the case of FIG.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 7 shows a timing chart of processing when a copy jam occurs in the main body of the apparatus.

The operation of the flash and the operation of the suction mechanism are the same as in the previous example (Fig. 7a, b).

Here, when this device is restarted after a jam occurs, the flash lights up at the same time as the restart, the suction mechanism starts after t5 hours, the ADF completes the setup at 600m5ec, and the main device is turned on. A registration signal shall be emitted.

Further, it is assumed that the number of copies set at this time is 3'' and the restart is performed after a jam occurs after copying one copy.If t is determined from this figure, it is as follows.

t, + 500 = 650 , time ts when restarting after jam
All you have to do is calculate.

- The subsequent tl may be determined by the method described in Example 1.2.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the operation.

First, just before restarting, the number n of copies set and the number m of copies completed are stored in the RAM element (step 2). Next, check whether there is any registration (Step ■). If there is no registration of the document, the same process (process A) as described from step 2 to step 2 in FIG. 4 is performed. If there is no document in the document tray, there is no need to prepare for transporting the next document, so the operation of the automatic document feeder is terminated after copying the document currently being registered (step (2)).

If there is a next document, use FIG. 7 to calculate the time t5 described in step (2), and after the time t5 has elapsed (step (2)), the process returns to the beginning.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for a similar case of double-sided copying.

In this flowchart, steps ① to ② are the same as in the previous example. In step (2), it is determined whether or not side (2) is being registered. If side I is not currently being registered, 1s is determined in the same manner as in FIG. 8 (step ■). Furthermore, if the registration of side I is in progress, then the operation of inverting the original to side (2) is performed, so ts is determined in the same manner as explained in FIG. 5, and the calculation in step (2) is performed.

In this way, the next operation is started after the obtained time (step ■)0 The subsequent operation is the same as that explained in Fig. 6, and the same process (processing B) as in steps ■ to ■ is performed. return.

In addition, if it is determined that the document is not being registered in step ■ in FIG. 9, and if the registration starts from side I, the process (processing B) that is exactly the same as that in FIG. 6 is entered, and the process for side When starting from registration, the processing day is entered after going through the same processing (processing A) as step (2) to step (2) in FIG. 4 for that time.

"Effects of the Invention" The electronic copying machine of the present invention described above can reduce the operation time of the suction mechanism to the shortest time required for high-speed conveyance, prevent deterioration of the suction mechanism, and reduce noise. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the electronic copying machine of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a timing chart explaining its operating principle, and Figs. 3, 5, and 7 show timing and timing of the suction mechanism. t
, and FIGS. 4, 6, 8, and 9 show flowcharts of the operation. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an automatic document feeder suitable for carrying out the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electronic copying machine in which the automatic document feeder is mounted. 1...Automatic document withdrawal device, 2...Platen glass, 4...Document, 5...Feed belt, 5'...Suction Mechanism, 40... Original passage sensor, 41... Control unit. Applicant: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Agent

Claims (1)

[Claims] an automatic document feeder that automatically feeds a document onto a platen glass; a feed belt that feeds the document contained in the automatic document feeder toward a conveyance path;
The feed belt includes a suction mechanism that attracts a document to the feed belt, a document passage sensor that detects the sent document on its conveyance path, and a control section that controls these operations. starts feeding by the feed belt after a predetermined time after startup, stops the suction mechanism when the document passing sensor detects the document, calculates the next feed start time, and starts the suction mechanism a predetermined time before that. An electronic copying machine characterized by being activated.