JPS6329260B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Technical Field] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Conventional Example] Conventionally, in printing devices and copying devices, a plurality of visible images have been obtained by operating each step independently or in sequence. In recent years, in order to automatically execute each process, the number of cooperative operations among the processing steps of each process has increased and the complexity has increased. As described above, when the operation of a process step becomes complicated, a problem arises in that the operator does not know which process step is currently being performed. Therefore, it is known that a monitoring section provided separately from the sequence control section monitors the status of the sequence control section and the load and displays the progress status of the sequence control. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, if a monitoring unit for displaying the sequence progress is provided separately from the sequence control unit, accurate display can be achieved, but the monitoring unit does not transmit signals indicating the status of the sequence control unit or the load. This requires input and judgment, which complicates the configuration of the device. Therefore, in order to simplify the display configuration, it is conceivable to connect a display to the operation signal line to the process equipment and display the status using the operation signal output to the process equipment. However, in the case where the status is displayed using an operation signal, the display time becomes short when the operation signal output to the process equipment is instantaneous. For this reason, in devices that display the status using operating signals to process equipment, there are problems in that it becomes difficult to identify the status display of the equipment, and it is also difficult to display a time that is different from the operating signal to the process equipment. . [Objective] It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that eliminates the above-mentioned problems, performs process status display control in addition to sequence control with a simple configuration, and is capable of easily identifying status display. There is a particular thing. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a plurality of process means for image formation, and a display means for displaying a plurality of operation states corresponding to each operation state of the process means. , a timing signal generating means for generating a timing signal for an image forming sequence, a command signal generating means for generating various command signals such as a start command for image forming, and controlling the operation of the plurality of process means to perform image forming. A memory storing a program, an input means for inputting the timing signal and the command signal, a first output means for outputting a signal for controlling the operation of the plurality of process means, and, unlike the first output means, the plurality of displays. a second outputting signal for controlling the display of the means;
digital control means having an output means, the digital control means outputting an operation control signal to the process means from the first output means based on one of the signals inputted by the input means; The second output means outputs a display control means corresponding to the process state to the display means, and the display control means outputs the display control means corresponding to the process state to the first display means.
A configuration in which the first state display of the display means is held and the first state display of the display means is switched to a second state display in accordance with the operation control or input signal of another process means different from the process means involved in starting the display. That is. [Effects] According to the present invention, sequence control and display control can be performed with a simple configuration and control operation, and even when the status is displayed using sequence control, the process status can be displayed without being restricted by the process operation. Can be displayed. [Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows one characteristic automatic printing device 1 of the present invention. A major feature of the automatic printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is that it is configured so that the electrostatic printing master creation process and the electrostatic printing process are executed on one processing stage. The automatic printing device 1 includes an image forming sheet accommodating section 2 that can accommodate an image forming sheet that has been subjected to a master creation process and is to be used as a master, and an image forming sheet storage section 2 that can accommodate an image forming sheet that has been subjected to a master creation process and serves as a master, and an image forming section that exposes an original document that can be reproduced and is placed in a predetermined image forming section. , an exposure section 3 including an exposure means for projecting the image rays resulting from the exposure onto an image forming sheet conveyed to a predetermined position, and a thermal development section 4 including a processing means for subjecting the exposed image forming sheet to a heat development process. , and an electrostatic printing processing section 5 including an electrostatic printing processing means, which is capable of transporting the image forming sheet from the image forming sheet storage section 2 to a predetermined position, and is capable of transporting the image forming sheet from the image forming sheet storage section 2 to a predetermined image forming section. The process involves exposing an original document, projecting the image beam resulting from the exposure onto an image-forming sheet conveyed to a predetermined position, and subjecting it to a thermal development process to create a master for electrostatic printing; Using a master, all electrostatic printing processes can be performed completely automatically according to a predetermined program. The electrostatic printing processing unit 5 includes a charging unit that includes a charging unit that performs charging processing on the created master to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing unit 12 that includes a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image, and a master unit. It has a transfer section including means for transferring the above-developed images onto the transferred transfer paper at appropriate timing, and a separation section for separating the transferred transfer paper from the master. The automatic printing device 1 further includes a fixing section 6 including means for semi-permanently fixing the image on the transfer paper, and a conveying section including means for transporting the transfer paper from the separating section to the fixing section 6. After the transfer paper is sent from the transfer paper handling section 7 to the electrostatic printing processing section 5, it is subjected to final processing in the fixing section 6 to form a semi-permanently fixed duplicate image, and then the paper is ejected. transported to the department. The paper discharge section is composed of a well-known tray or a sorter capable of sorting and storing each of the conveyed transfer sheets having a fixed final image in a plurality of predetermined positions. The functions of each of the above-mentioned processing units are executed under appropriately timed sequence control. The automatic printing apparatus 1 has a central control unit 8 that includes a part of the parts that start, interrupt, restart, stop, and terminate the execution of the processing operation functions of each processing unit by such sequence control. The front panel includes a number of operation switches for executing the functions of each processing section and programming a specific processing section to perform a specific function, and a plurality of display screens for displaying specific purposes, operator instructions, etc. It has a control panel 9. Next, the internal structure of the automatic printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the operation of each processing section will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. The automatic printing apparatus 1 has a rotatably mounted drum 10 at a predetermined internal position, which is a processing stage on which master creation processing and electrostatic printing processing are executed. The drum 10 has an image forming sheet storage section 2.
An image forming sheet S of a predetermined length conveyed from the image forming apparatus 1 is wound and mounted, and subjected to a master creation process to create a master M. The created master M is
Electrostatic printing processing is performed in that state. The drum 10 has, around it, a plurality of processing units for performing master creation processing and a plurality of processing units for performing electrostatic printing processing on the created master. These processing units are organically coupled to perform their functions through properly timed and controlled sequences. The mastering process comprises an exposing section 3 comprising means for exposing the original document and projecting the image beam of the original document resulting from the exposure onto an imaging sheet wound on a drum 10 and the exposed image. This is carried out by a thermal development section 4 that includes means for thermally developing the formed sheet S. The master M produced by thermally developing the image forming sheet is then subjected to an electrostatic printing process to obtain a duplicate image of the original document. The electrostatic printing process is performed by a charging section 11, a developing section 12, a transferring section 13, and a cleaning section 14, which are arranged around the drum 10. The image forming sheet storage section 2 has a structure in which a magazine 15 containing rolled image forming sheets is set at a predetermined position. The magazine 15 is inserted into the support shaft 16 by opening the door on the side panel of the device 1, and passing the leading edge of the image forming sheet along the guide roller 17 to the pair of image forming sheet feeding rollers 18a, 1.
8b to complete the setting.
When the central control unit 8 outputs a master creation processing execution signal to the image forming sheet storage section 2, the control unit 19 includes electrical control means for controlling each processing section in response to the signal. The feed rollers 18a and 1
8b is driven. The leading edge of the image forming sheet is moved by five feed rollers 20a, 20b, which are provided as a pair in the conveyance path.
21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23a, 23
b, 24a, 24b and is guided to the printing drum 10. At this time, the leading end of the image forming sheet S sent out from the magazine 15 is guided through the conveyance path, and when the image forming sheet S is sent out from the magazine 15 by a predetermined length, the cutter 27 is activated by a command signal from the control unit 19. Working and being disconnected. On the other hand, the printing drum 10 is positioned such that its opening 28 comes to the image forming sheet insertion opening 26 so that the leading edge of the image forming sheet can be bitten by the attaching/detaching means 25 provided therein. controlled.
The leading end of the image forming sheet S is inserted into an opening 28 provided in the drum 10 which is stationary in a predetermined state, and is bitten by an attachment/detachment means 25 provided inside the drum 10. In response to a signal indicating that the leading edge of the image-forming sheet is caught in the proper position by the attachment/detachment means 25, the drum 10 begins to rotate at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow shown by the solid line (counterclockwise). As the drum 10 rotates, the image forming sheet is transferred to the drum 1.
The imaging section 29 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the
receives the projection of the image beam of the original document at the position of
Next, a heat development process is performed at a heat development section 4.
an exposure section 3 for exposing the original document and projecting the image beam onto an imaging sheet passing through an imaging section 29;
A document placement plate 30 made of, for example, a transparent glass plate, on which an original document is placed, a movably provided light source 31 for exposure, and an optical system for projecting an image beam of the original document onto the imaging unit 29. It has a system. The optical system is composed of movably installed mirrors 32 and 33, an in-mirror lens 34, and a fixedly installed mirror 35. When the leading edge of the image forming sheet mounted on the drum 10 reaches a predetermined position in the imaging section 29 due to the rotation of the drum 10, the light source 31 included in the exposure section 3 is activated in synchronization with the rotation of the drum 10. lights up, and the movement of the light source 31 and mirrors 32 and 33 is started. As a result, the entire surface of the original document is sequentially projected and exposed onto the image forming sheet at the imaging section 29. When the exposure end signal is output from the control unit 19, the light source 31 is turned off and returned to the initial predetermined position together with the mirrors 31 and 32. The automatic printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 uses a moving mirror type slit exposure method.
Similarly, a slit exposure method using a moving document table is also possible, and in this case, if an optical fiber capable of forming an image is used in the optical system, a smaller exposure section can be constructed. It is also possible to project processed information onto an image forming sheet by employing other photoelectric conversion scanning exposure methods using CRT, laser light, etc. The thermal development section 4 is composed of a roller heating means 36, for example, which is a hollow metal roller having a heater inside and a thin mold release agent layer made of silicone rubber or the like provided on the surface of the hollow metal roller. The heat developing section 4 is provided with a heat shield 37 around the roller heating means 36 to prevent the heat from the roller heating means 36 from escaping to places other than the image forming sheet.
It has a temperature detection means 38 for detecting the temperature of the roller heating means 36 so that the heat development process can be carried out properly. When performing a thermal development process on an image forming sheet, the thermal development section 4 is placed in contact with the drum 10 and rotates following the rotation of the drum 10, as shown by the solid line in FIG. When the thermal development process is not performed, the drum 19 is separated from the drum 19 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Alternatively, the roller heating means 36 may be of a type in which an electric resistance layer having an appropriate resistance value is provided on the roller surface and heat is generated by supplying electricity to the layer. Alternatively, as the heat development section 4,
Instead of the conduction heating method as described above, a radiation heating method using infrared ray generating means or the like may also be employed. In this case, it is necessary to devise a radiation generating means so that substantially little or no light in the wavelength range to which the image forming sheet is sensitive is irradiated onto the image forming sheet. When employing the heat development process using the conduction heating method described above, in order to prevent heat from dissipating into the drum 10 and lowering the surface temperature of the roller heating means 36, the image forming sheet will not be sufficiently heat developed. In order to avoid using materials with low thermal conductivity, the material for the drum 10 is as follows:
It is desirable to select a material with low thermal conductivity. Further, the drum 10 may be configured to have a conductive layer on its surface in order to effectively perform electrostatic printing processing. An example of such a structure as the drum 10 is a drum whose base material is made of hard phenolic resin or polyamide resin, and whose surface is provided with a conductive layer with a small heat capacity made of a thin metal film, a conductive polymer, etc.
There are metal drums whose surface is coated with a Teflon layer filled with conductive powder such as copper powder. As detailed in the above explanation, in the master creation process, while the image forming sheet is wound around the drum 10, the image forming section 29 exposes the image beam of the original document from the exposure section 4. This is achieved by heat development processing in the heat development section 4. The master M, which is created by subjecting the image forming sheet to a master creation process, covers the opening 28 of the drum 10 at its rear end. As described above, since the leading and trailing ends of the master overlap, the developer is transferred to the opening 2 of the drum 10 during development processing at the 12th position of the developing section, which will be described later.
8 is prevented from entering the inside of the drum 1.
This has the effect that charging treatment is prevented from being applied directly to the zero surface. In this manner, the image forming sheet is subjected to the master creation process on the drum 10, and once the master is created as specified, the master on the drum 10 is subsequently subjected to the electrostatic printing process. That is, when a command signal to execute the electrostatic printing process is output from the control unit 19, each processing section arranged around the drum 10 operates according to a predetermined program to execute the electrostatic printing process. . After the master is created on the drum 10, the potential detection means 39 detects the exposed area (the exposed area) within a reference area previously provided at a predetermined position on the master so that the electrostatic printing process can be performed under optimal conditions. The charging potential of each of the exposed area) and the unexposed area (portion that was not exposed to light) or the exposed area is detected, and the charging area (secondary charging) 11 and the developing area 1 are activated in accordance with the detection signal.
It is also possible to control the processing conditions for either one or both of the above. The electrostatic printing process is performed by processing units such as a charging unit 11, a developing unit 12, a transfer unit 13, and a cleaning unit 14, which are arranged around the drum 10. The charging unit 11 is for charging the surface of the master on the drum 10 so as to form an electrostatic latent image thereon, and for example, corona discharge means, roller charging means, etc. may be employed. The developing section 12 is a section for visualizing the electrostatic latent image formed on the master using powder such as toner.
In the figure, three developing sleeves 53, 54,
55, a powder supply screw 58 equipped with a pick-up sleeve 56 and a powder guide plate 57 below the developing sleeve, and three stirring screws 5.
A developer station 12 is shown having 9, 60, 61. The powder concentration is detected by a disk-shaped concentration detection section 64. The transfer section 13 has a function of transferring the powder image on the surface of the master developed in the developing section 12 onto the transfer paper conveyed from the transfer paper handling section 7, and uses, for example, corona transfer, roller transfer, etc. A charged transfer means or the like is employed. When a charging transfer means is employed as the transfer section 13, it also has the function of charging the master surface, so in such a case, the charging section 11 can be omitted and the transfer section 13 can also serve the purpose. . That is, in this case, at the position of the transfer section 13,
At the same time that the powder image on the master is transferred onto the transfer paper, the master surface is charged to form an electrostatic latent image and is ready for the next development process. The cleaning section 14 has a function of removing powder remaining on the surface of the master after the transfer process, and is, for example, a cleaning section having a fur brush 62. In addition, a cleaning section having a cleaning means such as a cloth or a blade may be used. Powder adhering to the fur brush 62 is shaken off by the flicker rod 63 and sucked from the suction port 70. The cleaning section 14 may be omitted if necessary. Further, the cleaning operation is not performed constantly while the drum 10 is rotating, but is performed every rotation of the drum 10.
Alternatively, it may be performed intermittently, for example, once every 1,000 revolutions. When the electrostatic printing process executed according to a predetermined program is completed, the master on the drum 10 is removed from the drum 10 and stored in the discharge master storage section 40 if there is no need to perform further electrostatic printing process. . The departure of the master from drum 10 is
In response to the master ejection signal, when the drum 10 slowly rotates in the direction opposite to that during printing (in the direction of the dotted arrow in the figure), the rear end of the master is now free, so the rear end of the master is moved by the roller 65, 66 into the master discharge port 41, where a pair of master discharge rollers 42a, 4
2b toward the discharge master storage section 40. On the other hand, the rear end of the master is the master outlet 4.
This is accomplished by releasing the attachment/detachment means 25 when the master is guided into the interior of the master or when the rear end of the master is bitten by the master discharge rollers 42a and 42b. The transfer paper is transferred from the transfer paper handling section 7 to the paper feed roller 4 according to well-timed sequence control.
3. The registration section 44 reliably transports each sheet one by one in the direction of the transfer position. At the transfer position, the registration unit 44 uses transport rollers 67a and 6 to ensure that the powder image formed on the master is transferred to a predetermined position on the transfer paper.
7b, timing rollers 68a, 68b, conveyance rollers 69a, 69b, and conveyance belt 70 are arranged so that they are operated in appropriate timing with the rotational speed of the drum 10. The transfer paper on which the powder image has been transferred from the transfer section 13 is separated from the master surface on the drum 10 by the separation section 45 and is transferred to the fixing section 6 for subsequent processing. The separation part 45 has a spring 7 on at least one side.
1 is connected and both ends are fixed. Separation belt 72
It is made up of. The transfer paper separated from the master in the separating section 45 is conveyed to the fixing section 6 by a conveying means constituting a conveying section 46 to be subjected to a fixing process. The conveying unit 46 is composed of a suction conveying means 73 and a conveying belt 74, and the transfer paper is absorbed by the side opposite to the transferred image side while being fixed by the conveying belt 74. part 6 direction. The conveyor belt 74 is designed to contact only the opposite ends of the transfer paper so as not to disturb the transferred image on the transfer paper. The conveyance section 46 includes a jam detection means 47 that detects when the transfer paper is jammed in the conveyance section 46 or when the conveyance is delayed. In the event of smearing or a delay in conveyance, processing operations related to the conveyance of the transfer paper or electrostatic printing processing should be performed to prevent the transfer paper from being conveyed from the transfer paper handling section toward the conveyance section 41. The entire operation seems to be temporarily stopped. The fixing unit 6 includes an infrared transmitting roller 7 rotatably mounted and having an infrared generation source 75 inside.
6 and a plurality of driving rollers 7 having internal heating means 77, 78 such as heaters for driving the rollers.
9, 80, a rotatably installed roller 81 for pressing the conveyed transfer paper against the infrared transparent roller 76, and a release agent coating roller for providing a release agent on the surface of the infrared transparent roller. Contains 82. The powder image on the transfer paper is transferred between the infrared transmissive roller 76 and the pressure roller 81 with the powder image side facing the infrared transparent roller 76 when the transfer paper that has undergone the transfer process is conveyed to the fixing section 6. As the paper passes through the transfer paper, it is irradiated with infrared rays generated from the infrared transmissive roller and at the same time is semi-permanently fixed on the transfer paper by the action of conductive heat on the surface of the infrared transmissive roller. a plurality of drive rollers 79;
80 functions to drive the infrared transparent roller 76 and also functions to heat the surface of the roller. These drive rollers are configured such that a heater or the like is provided inside the hollow metallic roller, and the surface is coated with a heat-resistant, releasable elastic material such as silicone rubber. The infrared transmitting roller 76 is not fixed by itself, but is supported in a predetermined position by a plurality of drive rollers 79 and 80 and a pressure roller 81. The fixing section 6 includes a jam detection means 48 that detects when the transfer paper is jammed or delayed in the fixing section 6. At this time, the predetermined pressure between the pressure roller and the infrared transparent roller is released, and at the same time, the heating means in the drive roller and the infrared ray generation source in the infrared transparent roller are turned off. The fixing processing temperature is controlled by detecting the surface temperature of the infrared transparent roller by the fixing temperature detection means 49 provided near the surface of the infrared transparent roller, and in response to the detection signal, This is achieved by controlling the heating temperature of the heating means. The transfer paper on which the fixing process has been performed and a fixed image has been formed is transported by a transport means 50 located at the lower left of the fixing section 6 and stored in a transfer paper discharge section 52 . A jam detection means 51 is provided in the conveyance path of the conveyance means 50, and when the transfer paper becomes jammed in the transfer paper conveyance path from the fixing section 6 to the transfer paper discharge section 52, it performs electrostatic printing processing. It functions to temporarily stop the operation of some or all of the plurality of processing units to be executed. Sequence control in this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 3 shows the operation panel in the printing apparatus of this embodiment, located at 9 in FIG. In the diagram, SW is the power switch, MSW is the master creation switch, PSW
is the print start switch, PSS is the print stop switch, MRS is the master ejection switch,
SELCT is a mechanical three-digit number setting device, the N+1 button sets +1, the N-1 button sets -1, and DIS is 7.
This is a 3-digit segment indicator. CJ, MJ, CT are copy paper jams, image forming member (master) jams,
This is an indicator (light emitting diode) that shows copy count up. The detection target is shown in FIG. The photoelectric switch PH has a lamp and a light receiving element, and is configured so that the light receiving element detects when the lamp light is blocked by an image forming member or copy paper.The ultrasonic switch US has an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic micro. It is configured so that the receiving element detects when the ultrasonic waves are blocked by the copy paper.
The magnetic switch HAL is composed of a Hall element provided at HAL1 to HAL4 positions of the main body and a magnet provided so as to traverse the element by rotation of the drum. A general control sequence is shown in the system flow of FIG. That is, the sequences include master check, image forming member mounting, master creation, printing, and master separation. This control is performed by a 4-bit parallel processing system manufactured by INTEL.
Computer system MCS- using CPU4040
An example will be explained using a circuit according to No. 4. The PROM is a programmable read-only memory in which the control procedures (flows) shown in FIGS. 7-d to 7-f are sequentially stored as codes (instructions, data) starting from address 0. RAM is a read/write memory that temporarily stores data during execution of the above flow, and input ports #0 to 9 are input ports for inputting information necessary for control, and input data is input using a port select signal and an AND condition. It consists of a gate circuit for capturing data, and each of the detection targets described above is connected to each of the four bits. Output ports #0 to #9 are output ports for controlling the operation of objects to be controlled (loads), which are comprised of latch circuits operated by port select signals, and each of the objects to be controlled is connected to each of the four bits via an amplifier. In this example, as shown in Figure 4-b, output ports #0 to
A sheet number display is connected to #2. In addition, output ports #3, #4, #5, and #9 have forward rotation relays K.
1. Process equipment such as reversing relay K2 is connected. Also, output ports #6, #7, #8 have
A display device such as an LED is connected. That is, in the computer system of this example, the operation of the process equipment is controlled through the output ports #3, #4, #5, and #9, and the display is controlled through the output ports #6, #7, and #8. The CPU is a processor, and manual MCS−
4 for details (Figure 6). The memory interface is provided for selecting input and output ports and specifying PROM addresses. The decoder uses 4 bits to select input and output ports #0 to 9.
It is a 16-bit converter, and the buffer is a memory that temporarily stores data from the input port or to the output port. As is well known, the CPU inputs the clock φ obtained when the power is turned on and starts the program counter (8th clock).
(Figure) counts the clocks and outputs address data specifying address 0 of the ROM at a predetermined number of clocks from D ₀ to _{D 3} , and sends the instruction stored at address 0 of the ROM to the CPU via the interface. The instruction is decoded by an instruction decoder, and the CPU's accumulator ACC and registers are decoded by the instruction decoder.
Form output data and address data in IR,
Alternatively, output the IR address data sequentially from D ₀ to _{D 3} and specify and select the input/output port using the upper 4 bits via the interface, or output the output data or input data from the selected port. This is something you can input. In this example, RA is 4002 and interface is
4289, PROM 1702A, decoder 3205, buffer DM8093, gate 8234, and latch 3404. The detailed control procedure will be explained with reference to the time chart of FIG. 5, the flow chart of FIG. 7, and the circuit diagram of FIG. 4. First, turn on the main switch SW to turn on the drum motor M ₂ , heat development heaters H ₁ and H ₂ , and fixing heater.
H ₄ , H ₅ , and H ₆ operate to generate clock pulses for CPU run. (Reset) The CPU reads address 0 of the ROM, decodes the instruction code, and sequentially specifies (selects) output ports #0 to #9.
Then, it outputs output data (0000) and resets output ports #0 to #9. Next, after T ₁ hour, input port #5 is read and it is checked whether the initial reset signal (IR) has changed from H to L (described later). This IR signal is a signal that maintains a high level while the transient phenomenon at power-on is stabilized, and is obtained from an external capacitor charging signal. (Master Check) When the reset signal IR is determined to be L, the program proceeds to a check routine to detect whether the master is attached to the drum. First, the LED 6 indicating the check routine is turned on, the relay K ₁ and the clutch CL 3 are turned on, and the drum motor M ₁ is activated to rotate the drum in the normal direction (arrow in FIG. 2). When the drum rotates three times and print position HAL2 is detected three times, relay _K1 is turned off, motor _M1 is stopped, and LED6 is turned off. Then read the input port of master detector PH5 and
Check if 5 is H. The master has a black check zone for master detection, so it can be distinguished from the white drum surface. When the presence of the master is detected, LED7 lights up,
Move to the sequence that determines whether the print button or separation button is pressed (in the flow
Jump to step A001). When it is determined that there is no master, LED8 is lit, relay _K2 is activated, motor _M1 is reversed, and the drum is moved from print position HAL2 to grip position HAL1.
Start moving up to Furthermore, solenoid SOL4 is activated to open the gripper, and solenoid SOL5 is activated to apply a pin to the drum to fix the drum. Then, the routine proceeds to a routine for determining whether the gripper portion has reached the grip position HAL1. That is, when the drum rotates at the grip position, the pin is inserted into the gripper that has been opened first, so that the drum is fixed. Relay K ₂ and clutch CL3 are turned off. Next, the routine proceeds to a routine that determines whether the heat developing device has reached a predetermined temperature, and an input signal (DUP = H) to input port #8 obtained by detecting the temperature
Proceed to a routine that reads input port #3 to which the switch MSW is connected. (Master installation sequence) When the master switch MSW to input port #3 detects an input signal by turning on, it turns off LED8 and displays the master creation sequence.
Turn on LED1. Then, the clutch CL2 is actuated to drive the feed roller 17 and start feeding the image forming member. Next, after time _T2, the input port #4 is read to determine whether the image forming member has reached the detection unit PH1. If the master is normally fed, there should be an image forming member at PH1 after _T2 , so if the master cannot be detected, the process moves to the master jam processing sequence (jumps to the MJAM step in the flow). After PH1 detects H, it specifies input port #7 of master detector PH8 provided near the gripper of the drum to check for arrival of the image forming member. When PH8 is H, solenoids SOL4 and SOL5 are turned off, the image forming member is held between the drum grippers by the spring force of the grippers, and the drum is made rotatable. and
Turn off LED1, turn on LED9, and clutch CL2
is turned off to stop conveyance of the image forming member, and the solenoid is turned off.
Turn on SOL1 to operate the cutter and cut the image forming member. (Master formation sequence) Next, after T ₁ hour, SOL1 is turned off, and after T ₁ hour, solenoid SOL6 is turned on, the pressure roller is pressed against the drum, solenoid SOL2 is turned on, the thermal development roller is pressed against the drum, and then the clutch is closed. Turn on CL3 to rotate the drum forward and attach the image forming member to the drum. Detector PH2 due to drum rotation
When the image forming member is detected (H), the lamp L1 is turned on and the motor M6 is driven to move the exposure optical system to scan the slit exposure and expose the original image on the image forming member. Subsequently, the image forming member becomes a master by being thermally developed by a thermal developing roller. When the drum rotates once and the master is detected by PH2, PH2 becomes L, so the lamp _L1 is turned off, the motor M6 is turned off, and the optical system is returned to its original position. Then, after _T3 hours, solenoid SOL2 is turned off and the thermal developing roller is separated from the drum. Also, turn off the solenoid SOL6 to separate the pressure roller from the drum. Thereafter, it is determined whether the drum has come to the print position, and when the detector HAL2 is H, a master check is performed again by the detector PH5. When PH5 is H, relay _K1 is turned off to stop the motor and drum, and then proceed to the next print preparation step. At this time, the indicator LED9 is turned off and the indicator LED7 is turned on. (Print sequence) Read input ports #0 to #2 and store the 3-digit number of prints in RAM. At the same time output port #0
Display it via ~2. Next, it is determined whether the output WUP from the temperature detection element of the fixing device is at the H level indicating a predetermined temperature. If H, the detector US3 detects whether there is copy paper in the tray.
After confirming (CPO=H), it is determined whether the print switch PSW is turned on (H). WUP,
When CPO is L, printing will not start even if PSW is pressed. Even if the conditions are met, the master isolation switch
Press MRS to separate sequence (step A003)
Transfer to. If neither PSW nor MRS is pressed, read the number of sheets set value and check the temperature check paper again. When PSW is turned on (level H), LED ₇ is turned off,
Lights up LED ₄ to indicate that it has entered pre-rotation mode. Then, clutch CL4 is turned on to connect the drum from motor _M1 to high speed motor _M2 . When it is detected that the drum has rotated once and reached the print position HAL2, the high-voltage power supply HVT connected to each charger is turned on, and the developing motor _M4 that stirs the toner is turned on. Then, the drum rotates once more, turning off LED4 and turning on LED3 to indicate that the print mode has entered. Next, display DIS to count and display the number of copies.
0 is displayed. This method is performed by storing 0 in index registers IR4 to IR6 in the CPU and outputting them to output ports #0 to #2. When the paper feed position of HAL 3 on the drum is detected, the paper feed clutch CL5 is turned on, the constantly rotating paper feed roller 48 is lowered, and the copy paper is fed to the drum. When drum position HAL3' is detected, CL5 is turned off. At this time, the copy paper is placed on the registration rollers 73, 7.
4 and reaches the paper detector PH ₆ . At this time, if _PH6 is L, the process moves to the step of the copy paper jam processing routine CJAM. At the same time, when _PH6 is H, it is determined by _PH5 whether the master has come off the drum, and when PH5 is L, the process moves to the step of the master jam processing routine MJAM. When normal, registers IR4 to _IR6 are incremented by 1 to remember that one sheet of copy paper has been sent. Then output the contents of IR _{4 to 6} to output ports #0 to 2,
Display 001. Then, the dial setting values input to input ports #0 to #2 are read into the accumulator ACC of the CPU, and the values are compared with the values in the registers IR0 _{to IR2} to determine whether they match. If they match, the paper feed ends and the process goes to the print end mode; if they do not match, it is determined whether the stop button PSS has been pressed from the operation panel, and if PSS is H, the process also goes to the end mode.
Even if PSS is L, if there is no paper on the copy paper base (CPO is L) or the fixing temperature is low (WUP is L), the process also proceeds to the end mode. If the count has not increased and the above conditions are sufficient, the process moves to the paper feed timing reading routine (checking HAL3) again. Stop button PSS holds it when pressed. (Print end sequence) Here, LED3 is turned off and LED5 is turned on to display the end mode. Then, the drum is rotated one revolution and the high voltage transformer HVT and developing motor _M4 are turned off at the printing position HAL2. Rotate the drum one more time and tighten the clutch CL4 at the same position.
turn off to stop the drum rotation. Thereafter, the LED 5 is turned off and the LED 7 is turned on to indicate that printing is possible, and the process shifts to the aforementioned print mode (step A001). (Separation sequence) When the separation button is pressed in the print mode (MRS is H), the process moves to step A003 of the separation routine. Relay _K1 is turned on, motor _M1 is activated to rotate the drum once, and when drum print position HAL2 is detected, relay _K1 is turned off to stop the drum, and relay _K2 is turned on to start rotating the drum in reverse. Then, turn off LED7 and turn on LED2 to display the separation mode. When the drum print position HAL2 is reached after one rotation of the reverse rotation, solenoids SOL4 and SOL5 are turned on, the gripping force of the gripper is eliminated, and the pin is activated. This reversal causes the tail of the master to enter the discharge port and separate the master. When the drum reaches the drum grip position HAL1, a pin is inserted into the drum, the gripper is opened, and the master is ejected from the drum by the ejection roller. When this position HAL1 is detected, relay _K2 and clutch CL3 are turned off, stopping the drum rotation.
PH5 detects whether the master is still in the drum. Master jam routine when PH5 is H
Transferred to MJAM. Furthermore, a master detector US ₂ installed at the master discharge port
Determine master separation by , and similarly if US ₂ is L
Transferred to MJAM. When it is detected that the copy paper has been definitely ejected, K2 is turned off after T4, and the process moves to master creation step A002 to prepare for the next master creation. (Copy Paper Conveyance) After the copy paper has been fed, the copy paper is sent to the transfer section after the transfer timing is set by a register roller that is mechanically connected to a drum and operated. Copy paper is judged to be jammed by check pulses CJP1 and CJP2. FIG. 8 shows a circuit that forms a check pulse and inputs it to the interrupt terminal INT and input port #7 of the CPU. When CJP1 outputs, when INT becomes H, the contents of the CPU's accumulator ACC and carry flag FF are saved to RAM, and the current program counter address is saved to the stack pointer. Then, a jam is determined by reading the address of the ROM storing a routine for determining whether the terminal CJP1 of input port #7 is H or not and a routine for determining whether paper has been detected by the discharge detector US1. At this time, if US1 is L, the process moves to the CJAM routine. Conversely, if US ₁ is H when an interrupt input is made by CJP ₂ H, it is determined that the copy paper is stopped on the detector.
Transfer to CJAM routine. When normal paper feeding is determined, the save address and ACC contents are recalled and the main program is executed using a command to return to the main program. In Figure 8, A ₁ is an oscillator, A ₂ is a frequency divider, and A ₃
is a counter, A ₄ is a decoder, A ₅ is an inverter,
_A6 is a shift register, _A7 is a NAND gate, and _A8 is a NOR gate. FIG. 9 is a time chart showing the circuit operation. In other words, when HAL4 is detected for the second time, check pulses CJP1 and CJP2
to occur. The A ₂ divider is set to generate 16 pulses for the length of the paper. (MJAM step) Specify output ports #3 to #9, output 0, and clear all bits of those ports. Then, the LED indicating MJAM is lit and the device is put into a HALT state. (CJAM step) Same as MJAM step output ports #3 to #9
Clear, turn on the CJAM LED, specify output port #4, turn on SOL3, release the pressure on the fixing roller, and bring it to HALT.
The HALT state is released by turning off the power switch. The program code for the above control is MCS−
4 and the flowchart in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the L reset signal IR of input port #5 is input, the indicator LED6 (output port #7) indicating the master check routine is lit, and the relay K1 (output port #3) is turned on. Turn on. and print position HAL2
(Input port #3) is detected three times, LED6 is turned off, and on the condition that there is no master, LED8 (output port #8) is turned on and relay K2 is activated. Also, master switch MSW (input port #3)
When it detects an input signal caused by turning on, LED8 is turned off, LED1 indicating the master creation sequence is turned on, and clutch CL2 is actuated. When the input of master detector PH8 (input port #7) is determined to be H, LED1 is turned off, LED9 is turned on, and solenoid SOL1 (output port #5) is turned on.
Also, when the print position HAL2 is H, the LED 9 is turned off and the LED 7 (output port #8) is turned on on the condition that there is a master. Also, in the print sequence, when level H is input to the print switch PSW (input port #5), LED7 is turned off, and LED4 (output port #6) indicating that the pre-rotation mode has entered is turned on.
Turn on clutch CL4 (output port #3).
When the print position HAL2 detects that the drum has rotated twice, LED4 is turned off and LED3 (output port #6) is turned on. That is, in this example,
Output port #3, based on a signal for sequence timing such as reset signal IR and print position HAL2, or one of various command signals such as master switch MSW and print switch.
By setting the latch circuit of one of the output ports #4, #5, and #9, an operation control signal is output to the process equipment to control the process.
By setting the latch circuit of one of the output ports #6, #7, and #8, the LED
Outputs display control signals to. And that LED
The LED display is maintained and switched to another LED display in response to operation control of another process equipment or signal input.
As a result, even if the process operation control when lighting the LED is short, the process status display is maintained, and the process status can be displayed without being constrained by the process operation. Figure 5-a is based on the time chart in Figure 5 to clarify the relationship between the above-mentioned LED display switching, process equipment operation control, and input signals.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing operating process equipment and input signals related to LED switching. According to FIG. 5-a, the relationship between the above-mentioned display switching, operation control, and input signals is clearly shown. The reset and master check sequences will be explained according to the program code list (Table 2). At step B001, when the CPU reads the LDMO and decodes it using the decoder (ID), the accumulator
Set (0000) to ACC. Next, when FIM0 and 0 are decoded, 0000 and 0000 are written to the pair of 0 and 1 in the index register (IR) of the SCRATCHPAD memory.
Set. When SRCO is read, the port #0 of the contents of IR0 is specified, and when WRR is read, ACC (0000) is output to output port #0. When ISZ is read, IR0 is +1,
0001, read the SRC again, and port #1 is specified. Then, (0000) of ACC is output to output port #1 by WRR. IRO is 0 (+1
This routine is repeated until the output becomes 0 (16 times) to reset the output ports #0 to #9. Then read JMS T ₁ and when it is decrypted
Store the address of the current step at the top of STACK POINTOR (SP) and move to the timer _T1 subroutine. +1 SP when you finish a subroutine
and return to the B004 routine. Similarly, FIM0 and 5
When read, IR is set to 5 and 0. SRC0 is
When read, input port #5 is specified by IR. When RDR is read it causes ACC #5
Data WUD, PSS, PSW, IRS are stored. Next, when RAR is read, the contents of this ACC are rotated to the right by 1 bit. In other words, through the arithmetic unit ALU
Set the rotational carry (CY) contents to the Flag flip-flop. Since the initial reset signal corresponds to the 4th bit, 1 is generated in FF by clockwise rotation when the reset signal is input.
When JC is read, it is determined whether 1 has occurred in the above FF. When FF is 0 (CY=0), that is, the reset signal has disappeared, so proceed to the next step, and when FF is 1, repeat the steps from FIM0 and 5. Next, store (0010) in ACC using LDM2,
FIM0 and 7 store 7 and 0 in IR, SRC specifies output port #7, WRR outputs the contents of ACC, outputs 1 to 2 bits of output port #7, and turns on check mode indicator LED6. do. Next, by FIM Then, in the same manner as described above, the relay _K1 is turned on, the motor _M1 is rotated forward, and the process proceeds to a subroutine (POS) for detecting the print position HAL2, and the motor M1 is rotated counterclockwise twice. The JNC instruction checks whether there is a carry and determines whether the second bit is 1. If 1 is detected, the ISZ instruction is used to register the register.
Add 1 to the contents of address “E” in the IR and repeat the POS routine until it becomes 16. 16, in other words, when the code becomes 0, the program advances to B006. In other words, the drum rotates three times, and the program advances to the step where relay K ₁ and LED 6 are turned off. Thereafter, the program proceeds to a subroutine that reads PH5, rotates the contents of ACC in the same way as described above, and when a carry is detected by the command of JC, turns on LED7 and shifts to print routine A001. When it is determined that there is no master on the drum, that is, there is no master on the drum.
Proceed to the step of turning on LED8 and relay _K2 to reverse the drum. Furthermore, by the command of LDMX “C”, it goes to ACC (0011)
is stored and sent to output port #4 by FIM0 and 4.
Output the contents of ACC and turn on SOL4 and SOL5 to prepare for master installation. After executing the subroutine for detecting the grip position HAL ₁ , proceed to the next master creation routine A003. Table 3 shows the subroutine of T ₁ , POS. Tables 4 and 5 show component attachment, master formation, and master separation code lists. Based on the above program example, the remaining flows are omitted because they can be modified. Figure 10 is an example of the circuit of each detector, and figure a is PH,
b is for obtaining the US signal, and c is for obtaining the HAL signal. Q ₁ is a phototransistor, Q ₂ is an operational amplifier, Q ₃ is a voltage conversion transistor, USO is an ultrasonic vibrator,
Q ₄ is an AC amplifier, D ₁ and C ₄ are rectifiers, HALL is a Hall element, and Q ₅ is a Schmitt trigger circuit.

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【table】 [Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the automatic printing apparatus of this embodiment, FIGS. 2, 2A, and 2B are longitudinal sectional views of the first embodiment of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the apparatus of this embodiment. 4-a, 4-b, and 4-
Figures bA and 4-bB are examples of control circuits in this embodiment, Figures 5A, 5, and 5B are operational time charts in this embodiment, and Figures 6A,
Figure 6B, Figure 6 is a circuit diagram inside the CPU, Figure 7-
Figure aA, Figure 7-aB, Figure 7-a, Figure 7-bA,
Figure 7-bB, Figure 7-b, Figure 7-cA, Figure 7-
Figure cB, Figure 7-c, Figure 7-dA, Figure 7-dB,
Figure 7-d, Figure 7-eA, Figure 7-e, Figure 7-
Figure eB, Figures 7-f are control flowcharts, and Figure 8.
The figure shows a jam check circuit, FIG. 9 shows a time chart of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 shows an example of a detection circuit. 2 is an image forming sheet storage section, 4 is a thermal development section, 5 is an electrostatic printing processing section, 7 is a transfer paper handling section, and 8 is a central control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of process means for image formation; a display means for displaying a plurality of operation states corresponding to each operation state of the process means; and timing for an image formation sequence. A timing signal generating means for generating a signal; a command signal generating means for generating various command signals such as a start command for image formation; a memory storing a program for controlling the operation of the plurality of process means to perform image formation; An input means for inputting a timing signal and the command signal, a first output means for outputting a signal for controlling the operation of the plurality of process means, and, unlike the first output means, a means for controlling the display of the plurality of display means. and a digital control means having a second output means for outputting a signal, the digital control means controlling the operation from the first output means to the process means based on one of the signals inputted by the input means. outputting a signal, and outputting a display control signal corresponding to the process state from the second output means to the display means, and causing the display controlled first state display of the display means to be held; An image forming apparatus characterized in that the first state display of the display means is stopped and switched to the second state display according to operation control of another process means different from the process means involved in starting the display or an input signal.