JPS6331976A - Copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To aim at preventing paper-jamming when no staple is present, by automatically changing over the operation mode of a copying machine for next copying operation into a doggy tail mode after completion of the present copying operation when no staple is detected during each of an automatic circulating feed mode and a staple mode. CONSTITUTION:Whether stables are there or not is detected, and if staples are present, an RADF mode and a staple mode are automatically selected, and such a condition is indicated by lamps on a control panel. Further, if no staple is detected, the condition of no staple is indicated on the control panel or another suitable part in order to warn for replenishment of staples. Further, since the binding of sheets of paper by the stapler is impossible, the RADF mode and the doggy tail mode which require no staple are selected, and this condition is indicated on the control panel. Thus, paper jamming due to no staple in the stapler may be prevented, so that the control ability is enhanced, thereby it is possible to ensure a high productivity of copying.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a copying machine, and more particularly to an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) and a copied paper processing device (hereinafter referred to as
The present invention relates to a copying machine that can be applied to a copying machine equipped with a finisher (referred to as a finisher).

(Prior Art) Conventionally, there are copying machines equipped with an ADF and a finisher.

Here, the ADF has a function of sequentially feeding a large number of originals onto a contact glass serving as an exposure section, and for example, two modes are possible for this original feeding mode.

One of these is the circulation automatic feed mode (hereinafter referred to as RADF mode) in which the original is automatically fed in circulation.This mode is convenient for obtaining a predetermined number of copied sheets (hereinafter referred to as copies) one by one in page order. , 1 copy for 1 original
This is performed in combination with a copy process in which a copy cycle corresponding to a copy is repeated a predetermined number of times.

The other is a one-pass automatic feed mode (hereinafter referred to as ADF mode) in which the document is automatically fed in a non-circulating manner.

This is a convenient mode for obtaining a predetermined number of copied sheets (hereinafter referred to as "copied sheets") for each original document, and the originals are intermittently fed one by one to the exposure section. This is performed in combination with a copying process in which the fed original is subjected to a predetermined number of copy cycles (exposure scanning) and then replaced with the primary original. or,
For example, two modes are possible for the finisher.

One is the doggytail mode, in which the copied sheets are sorted one copy at a time using a rocking table that swings intermittently. This is a stapling mode in which paper is bound using a paper binding device such as Staple (trade name).

Therefore, in the above example, in a conventional copying machine,
A total of four selection combinations of modes are possible: two mode selections for the ADF and two mode selections for the finisher.

However, if you do not take measures to check the presence or absence of staples in the stapler in the staple mode, if you perform the staple mode without staples, each sheet will collapse when it is ejected to the paper ejection slot after blank firing. This can cause paper jams (so-called jams).

Furthermore, even if measures are taken to check the presence or absence of a needle, if the copying process is interrupted when the absence of a needle is detected, copying will not be possible until the operator replaces the needle, reducing copy efficiency. This will cause

(Objective) Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent a stapler from jamming when there are no staples, continue the copying process, perform sorting, improve operability, and ensure high productivity. It is in.

(Configuration) In order to achieve the above object, the automatic document feeder of the present invention selectively executes a circular automatic feed mode in which the document is automatically fed in a circular manner and an automatic feed remote mode in which the document is automatically fed in a non-circular manner. The copied paper processing device has two functions: a doggy tail mode in which the copied paper is sorted into individual copies of the original on a swing table; It has a function to selectively execute a stapling mode in which each copy of the original is bound, and also has a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of staples for paper binding, while copying is being performed in a combination of the automatic circulation feed mode and the stapling mode. When the detection means detects the absence of a staple, the first copy cycle is automatically switched to a doggy tail mode after copying is completed and paper binding is performed for the bundle of originals, and copying is continued without interruption. It is characterized by

Hereinafter, a detailed explanation will be given based on one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 8, a contact glass 200 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the main body 2 of the copying machine. An ADF 6 is provided to cover this contact glass 200. Further, a finisher 8 is connected to the left side of the copying machine main body 2.

First, an outline of the structure and operation of the ADF will be explained.The 6ADF is capable of a pressure plate mode in addition to the previously described ADF mode and RADF mode. The pressure plate mode is a mode in which a document is manually set on the document table, and in order to adapt to this mode, the ADF 6 can swing toward and away from the contact glass 200 with one end as a fulcrum.

In FIG. 9, details of the ADF are shown enlarged.

Reference numeral 601 indicates a belt, which has the function of sandwiching the original together with the contact glass 200 and conveying the original according to its rotation, and also functions as a reflection plate and a pressure plate. To the right of the belt 601, there are two document trays, upper and lower, for receiving documents. The upper stage is referred to as a document table 602, and the lower stage is referred to as a document table 603.

The paper feeding operation in the RADF mode is as follows.

In the RADF mode, the original G is set on the original table 602 with the image side facing up. The document table 602 is provided with a document sensor S1 as a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a document. When the document sensor S1 detects that the document G is set, the first mode selection key (switch 5l, which will be described later) is pressed.
RADF/AD by lIl or switch SW3, etc.)
If the F mode is not selected, the RADF mode is automatically selected for the ADF, and the staple mode is automatically selected for the finisher. Then, when the print switch is turned on, the copying process begins. When the paper feed roller 605 rotates clockwise, the bottom original is separated and turns along the guide plate 606, and the paper re-feed roller 6 rotates counterclockwise when feeding paper.
07 to the document table 603. Therefore, the image plane is facing down.

Then, when the rear end of the document passes the document sensor S2 provided on the document table 603, the rotation of the paper refeeding roller 607 is stopped, and then the reverse rotation is started, and the document is placed on the contact glass 203.
lead to lead. When the original is guided to the contact glass 200, the belt 601 begins to rotate clockwise, and the belt 601 takes over the conveyance of the original. The skier 202 is normally located at the first home position HP1, which is the left end of the contact glass 200.
However, when this document is sent to the document table 603, it is already in the second position on the right side of the contact glass 200.
Moved to home position HP2 and remained stationary.

Therefore, as the document moves to the left in accordance with the rotation of the belt 601, exposure is performed by the stationary skier 202. At this time, at the same time that the trailing edge of the first document comes off again, the next document starts to be fed from the document table 602 to the document table 603. Thereafter, the above operations are repeated.

The so-called copied original, which has been exposed, is sent by a belt 601 to a reversing roller 609 and a guide 610, where it is turned, passed over a bell 1, and guided onto an original table 602. Reversal sensor S3 provided in the guide 610 section
Checks for document transport abnormalities. The copied originals are temporarily stacked on an original stop plate 611 rotatably provided on the original platen 602, and wait until all the remaining originals are copied and fed here. And when the copy is finished.

The document stop plate 611 rotates clockwise to release the document stoppage and drop a set of documents onto the document table 602, making it possible to perform the next copying process. The above is an outline of the operation of the ADF in the RADF mode.

Next, an outline of the operation of the ADF in the ADF mode will be explained. In the ADF mode, the finisher automatically selects the doggy tail mode. In the RADF mode, as described above, the scanner 202 is stationary at the second home position HP2, and the original is moved and exposed, but in the ADF mode, Before starting the copy operation, the scanner is in the first home position HPI.

Then, the document is transferred from the document table 603 to the contact glass 2
After waiting for the leading edge of the document to be conveyed to the first exposure reference position SPl, which is a predetermined position on the contact glass 200, the scanner 202 starts exposing the document while moving to the right. do. While being exposed to light,
The manuscript is stationary. After the scanner 202 moves to the right to a predetermined distance suitable for the exposure of the original, it turns and returns to the first home position HPI, and repeats exposure scanning for the specified required number of copies of the same original. Note that the symbol SP2 indicates the movement end position of the scanner 202.

The exposed document is reversed by a reversing roller 609 and a guide 610, passes over a belt 601, is stacked at a document stop plate 611 via a guide plate 606, and is sent to a desk.Overview of the structure and operation of the finisher Explain.

The finisher 8 is a copy outlet 20 of the copying machine main body 2.
It is installed with its entrance aligned with 3'3.

A roller 801 is located near this entrance, and a switching pawl 802 is provided immediately behind it.

The switching claw 802 can selectively swing around the axis between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the imaginary line. Then, a passage to the stapler 804 is formed.

If 2 stapling mode is selected for this finisher, the copied paper will be removed from the copy output port 2.
3 into the finisher 8, and the switching claw 802
Since the drive mechanism of is turned on and is at the position of the imaginary line, it is guided toward the stapler 804. Then, when the last sheet passes through the sensor S3 provided just before the stapler 804, it is aligned by a sheet aligning device (not shown), and then the - set of copied sheets is automatically stapled by the stapler 804. Ru. The stack of sheets thus bound is returned to the conveyance path again by the rotation of the feeder 20805, and is discharged to the paper tray 803 via the sheet discharge sensor S5.

Next, regarding this finisher, doggy tail motor~
When the mode is selected, the copied paper is fed into the finisher 8 from the copy output port 203, and since the drive mechanism of the switching claw 802 is turned off and is in the solid line position, the copied paper goes straight to the paper tray 803. Paper is ejected. ADF
In this mode, when a predetermined number of copies of the same document are stacked on the paper tray 803, the paper tray 803 changes its position within the paper placement plane. That is,
As shown by arrows in FIG. 10, the paper tray 803 is alternately switched between the solid line position and the imaginary line position.

By such a doggy tail operation, the copied sheets are alternately stacked on the paper tray 803 and sorted into predetermined number of sheets. When the doggytail mode is selected in the RADF mode, the position of the paper tray 803 is switched every time a copy of the original set on the original platen is made, so even if paper binding is not desired, the pages can be arranged in order.

Next is the copying machine main body 2, to which an in-shell electrophotographic copying machine can be applied.

The outline is as follows.

The light image of the document irradiated by the exposure lamp 202 passes through the first mirror MLI, the second mirror ML2, the third mirror ML3, the fourth mirror ML4, the fifth mirror hole 5, the sixth mirror ML6, and the lens 204, and then onto the photoreceptor drum. The image is formed on 205.

In the pressure plate mode and the ADF mode, the exposure lamp 201 and the first mirror MLI move to the right by a stroke amount corresponding to the document size to perform exposure scanning. At this time, in order to keep the optical path length up to the lens 204 constant, the second mirror ML2 and the third mirror tag 3 are set to 1/2 of the stroke of the exposure lamp 201, etc.
Moving.

A main charger 206, a developer 207, a transfer charger 208, a cleaning device 209, and the like are arranged around the photoreceptor drum 205 in the order of its rotational direction. code 210°21
Reference numeral 1 indicates a paper feed section, in which copy sheets of different sizes are stacked. When feeding paper, copy paper that matches the original size is selected by the paper source.
21OA or the paper feed roller 210B, and is sent toward the photosensitive drum 205 via the registration roller 212. Then, the toner image is transferred by the transfer charger 208 and sent to the fixing device 218 via the conveyor belt 213, where one image is fixed, and then sent to the finisher 8 from the copy outlet 203. In addition, in the case of double-sided copying, the reversing guide 214 and the double-sided intermediate tray 21
After being reversed through step 5, the toner image is transferred to the back side again through registration rollers 212.

In order to confirm the arrival or presence of copy paper in the conveyance path, a registration sensor S6 is provided immediately before the registration roller 212, and a paper discharge sensor S7 is provided immediately before the roller 216 provided immediately before the copy discharge port 203. ing.

The above is an overview of the copying machine itself.

Next, the operation panel will be explained.

The configuration of the operation panel is shown in FIG. The operation panel 250 is provided on the upper surface of the copying machine main body 2 at any location suitable for operation.

The switch 5till is a mode selection key for specifying the ADF mode, the switch SW2 for the doggy tail mode, the switch SW3 for the RADF mode, and the switch SW4 for specifying the stapling mode. The switches Sw1 and SW3 are called first mode selection keys, and the switches SW2 and SW4 are called second mode selection keys. Further, LP1 to LP4 provided above each switch are indicators that light up when the switch is turned on to notify that the mode has been designated. The lamps LPI and LP3 are the first indicators, and the lamps LP2. LP4 is called a second display.

The switch group SW5 includes, for example, switches for specifying the rate of enlargement, reduction, etc. The switch group SW6 includes switches for specifying the number of copies and the number of copies. Switch SW7 is a print switch that instructs the start of the copy process.

Reference numeral 260 indicates a display section, the details of which are shown in FIGS. 12 to 14.

In FIG. 12, the specified number of copies or number of copies manually entered by the operator using a key is displayed in the "number of copies set by segment" display section. Further, the number of processed copies or the number of copies that have been processed is sequentially displayed in the "number of copies" display section.

Furthermore, the upper counter display section 261 is, for example, 5×10
It consists of a 40-character display consisting of a dot LCD, and the number of processed originals is sequentially displayed on the left side as ``GENERAL COPY'' and the total number of copies as ``TOTAL COPY'' on the right side.

For example, when three copies of a five-page original are specified and one copy is completed, a display as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed.

In other words, the number of set copies is "3" and the number of processed copies is r
lJ, and at that time "Genkou Maisuu" is displayed as r5j
, r total copy" is displayed as "r5". In this case, "number of copies" is the number of copies in the set, "number of copies per copy"
shall mean the number of copies.

This is the 14th copy when the specified 3 copies have been copied.
It will be displayed as shown in the figure. That is, the "number of copies" is displayed as "3", and the "total copies" display is the total of "15", which is the number of original sheets (5) x the number of copies (3).

Next, the control system of the copying machine according to this example will be explained with reference to the professional ivy diagram of FIG. The main control unit 270 is the copying machine main body 2
, ADF 6, and finisher 8. The main control unit 270 is equipped with a microcomputer, and the ADF control unit 27 is in charge of controlling the ADF 6.
1. Operation control unit 27 in charge of controlling the operation panel 250
2. It communicates with a scanner control unit 273 that is in charge of controlling the scanner 202 and the like.

These ADF control units 271. The operation control section 272 and the scanner control section 273 are each equipped with a microcomputer.

The belt 21 is controlled by the ADF control unit 271.
3, a motor M1 as a drive source for the reversing roller 609, a motor M2 as a drive source for the paper feed roller 605, and a motor M as a drive source for the paper feed roller 605.
3. A motor M4 as a drive source for the paper refeed roller 607, a solenoid 5OLI as a rotational drive source for releasing the document stop plate 611, a document sensor S1, a document sensor S2, a reversal sensor S3, etc.

The LCD of the counter display section 261 is controlled by the operation control section 272, and is controlled via the driver 274. Also, the LEDs that make up the lamp LP, etc.

Various key switches and guests are also controlled.

What is controlled by the scanner control section 273 is:

Motor M5 is a drive source for moving the scanner 202. Switch 5WIO is turned on when the scanner 202 comes to the first home position HPI and stops driving the motor M5, and the switch 5WIO is turned on when the scanner 202 comes to the first home position HPI. This includes a switch 11 that is turned on and stops driving the motor M5.

The main control section 270 controls a load group 274 in addition to the above-mentioned control sections. The load group 274 includes the heat source of the fixing device 218 and the exposure lamp 201. The main controller 270 also receives various signals 275 generated according to the copy process.

In addition, there is a sensor S8 as a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of staples in the stapler 804, a registration sensor S6, a switch SW8 for manually binding the paper, a staple limit release switch SW9, a staple solenoid 5QL3 for the paper binding operation. A solenoid 5OL4 for driving the switching claw 802, a sensor S4 that detects the arrival of copy paper to the stapler 804, a paper discharge sensor S5 that detects the arrival of copy paper to the paper tray 803, and a paper tray 803.
The doggy tail motor M6 that swings the doggy tail and the like are also controlled by the main control section 270.

Next, the copy process will be explained according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 1 to 7.

First, in FIG. 1, it is checked in phase Fl whether or not an original is set on the original table 602. If the document sensor S1 detects the presence of m documents, the F2 phase is bypassed and the process proceeds to the F3 phase, where the stapler
A check is made at 804 to see if there is a staple for paper binding. If there are staples, the RADF mode and staple mode are automatically selected, and the lamp LP on the machining panel 250 indicates this. If it is determined in phase F3 that the stapler is out of staples, in phase F16, the stapler out-of-staple status is displayed on the operation panel 250 and other appropriate parts, and a warning to replenish the staples is given. Furthermore, since the stapler 804 cannot perform paper binding due to the lack of staples, phase F17
RADF mode and needle-free doggytail mode are selected, and a message to that effect is displayed on the operation panel 250.

Note that even if no original is set on the document table in phase F1, the RADF mode is set to switch Sυ3.
If selected, the mode setting and display according to the phase 4 or phase F17 are performed after phase F3, depending on the presence or absence of the hands.

Next, in phase F5, the presence or absence of ADF mote selection is checked. Here, if the ADF mode is designated by the switch SWI, the mode set and display in phase F17 is switched to ADF mode and doggy tail mode and displayed in phase F6. Alternatively, if there are no cents for the document, a new process of phase F6 is performed.

Next, in phase F7, it is checked whether the doggy tail mode is selected. If the doggytail mode is not selected, the doggytail mode is set and displayed in phase F8. If it is determined in phase F7 that the doggy tail mode has not been selected, it is checked in phase F9 whether or not the staple mode has been selected. If the staple mode is selected here, the process moves to phase FIO, and it is checked whether or not the RADF mode is selected. RADF
If the mode is selected, it is checked in phase F if there are no staples in the stapler, and if there are no staples, phase F
After displaying "no needle" in step 18, the process moves to phase F13.

If staples are present, the staple mode is displayed and set in phase F12.

On the other hand, if it is determined in phase F9 that no stapling mode is selected, the process immediately moves to phase F13. Further, if it is determined in the phase FIO that the RADF mode is not selected, the process also moves to phase F13.

Phase 2 F13 is a subroutine for checking other inputs, in which setting of the temperature of the fixing device 218, designation of the copy magnification, and manual mode designation using each switch on the operation panel 250 may be performed again. For this reason, phase F5. F7. This is why the mode is repeatedly checked using F9° FIO, etc.

When other input checks are completed in phase F13, a state in which copying is possible is waited for in phase F14.

Next, in phase F14, copying becomes possible, and when the print switch SW7 is turned on, the process shifts from phase F15 to phase F19 in FIG. 2. RA Kano mode or A
If DF mode is specified, phase F20
The document processing mode subroutine is executed.

Here, the subroutine of the "original processing mode" (see FIG. 3) will be explained.

When print switch SW7 is turned on, phase F2
At 01, the motor M3 starts driving, which causes the paper feed roller 6 to
05 rotates, and the document on the document table 602 is transferred to the M stacking table 603.
Start sending it to.

The motor M3 is turned on when the document sensor S2 detects the document, and then is turned off after the paper is sufficiently fed onto the document table 603.
After the determination is made in step 02, the drive is stopped (phase F
203). In this way, when the original is sent to the original platen 603, if the original sensor S1 is still turned on, it indicates that the original remains on the original platen 602, and if the original sensor S1 is turned off, the original remains. It can be seen that there was only one original on the table 602.

If there is only one manuscript, A-Ko mode is sufficient.
There is no need to set it to RADF mode. Also, there is no need to set the staple mode. Furthermore, if the RADF mode and the stapling mode are executed when there is only one original, a large amount of time will be spent transporting the original and copy paper. Therefore, in phase F204, the document sensor S1 is turned on.
When it is off, the original is one sheet, so in phase F206, the setting and display of RADF mode and staple mode are canceled, and in phase F207, the ADF
Sets the mode and displays it. Note that when the document sensor S1 is on in phase F204, there are at least two documents, so phase F20, which is the subroutine "move the scanner to HF2",
Proceed to step 3 and install the scanner 202 in order to use the RADF mode.
is moved to the second home position IIP2.

Here, the subroutine "move scanner to HF2" (FIG. 7) will be explained.

Motor M for driving scanner 202 in phase F2051
5 is turned on to move the scanner forward, i.e., to the right, and the scanner turns on the switch SW, 11. In phase F2053, the motor M5 is turned off, and the second
Position the scanner at home position HP2.

Returning to FIG. 2, in phase F21, it is checked whether the R, 4DF mode is selected. If “no”, phase F
22, it is checked whether the mode is ADF mode. If “No”, it is normal pressure plate mode.

Immediately after moving to phase F26, copy routine 1 is executed. This copy routine 1 is a well-known copy processing routine, and includes control of feeding copy paper from the paper feeding section 210 or 211, device control around the photosensitive drum 20, control around the scanner 202, etc. However, at this time, the scanner 202 is in the first home position HP
Using I as a reference position, exposure scanning is performed by the length of the original inputted in phase F13 and the length determined by the magnification ratio.

When "copy routine 1" is executed in phase F26,
Copy counter 1, which counts the number of processed copies, displays “
1" is added to the copy counter 2 that counts the total number of copy processing (phase F27).
), the contents of the copy counter 1 are displayed on the counter display section 2 in the "number of copies" display section in the display section 260 in FIG.
Copy counter 1 is displayed in the "Total copy" display section in 61.
The contents are displayed.

Thereafter, a copy cycle is performed until the contents of the copy counter 2 and the "set number of sheets" match.

If they match, the process ends and the process moves from phase F28 to phase F2.
Move to 9. At this time, if the doggytail mode is designated, a "doggytail movement" subroutine (described later) is executed in phase F30. If the doggy tail mode is not specified, the process advances to phase F31. If the doggy tail mode is specified, the process moves to phase F31 after moving the doggy tail, if it is the pressure plate mode, all copying ends here, and if it is the ADF mode, the process returns from phase F32 to phase F23.

If it is determined in phase F22 that the mode is ADF mode, the process also proceeds to phase F23, where a subroutine for document transport mode is executed.

Here, the document transport mode subroutine (see Figure 4)
I will explain about it.

Here, as described above, the first sheet of the yK document set on the document table 602 has already been set on the document table 603, so the processing starts from here.

First, in phase F231, the motor M1, which is the drive motor for the belt 213, is turned on, and in phase F232, the old drive motor for the paper refeed roller 607 is turned on. This results in
The original is sent out from the original table 603 toward the contact glass 200. When the leading edge of the document turns on the document sensor S2, the process advances from phase F233 to phase F234, where "1" is added to the count value of the document counter, and the content is displayed as "Returning" on the counter display section 261 in FIG. displayed in the section.

Thereafter, the process advances to phase F235, where it is checked whether the count value of the document counter is ``30J''.

If the count value of the original counter is "30" here, the "30 originals signal" is turned on in phase F244. This "30 originals signal" is necessary information in the staple mode subroutine (see Figure 5).
This routine will be explained later.

Next, the process moves to phase F236, where it is checked whether the mode is RADF mode. Since the ADF mode is assumed here, the process advances to phase F238. Now, when the document is sent further toward the contact glass 200 from the document table 603 and its trailing edge passes the document sensor S2, the document sensor S2 is turned off. If the document sensor S2 is turned off, the rotation of the paper refeeding roller 607 is no longer necessary, so the old motor is turned off in phase F239.

Next, in phase F240, the document sensor S1 checks the presence or absence of a document on the document table 602, and if m documents are present, the drive motor M3 of the paper feed roller 605 is turned on in phase F241, and the 3)), feed the original to the original table 603 (phase F24).
2) Turn off motor M3 (phase F243)
.

If it is determined in phase F240 that there is no document on the document table 602, the process advances to phase F245 and the "document end signal" is turned on.

Returning to FIG. 2, when the subroutine of the document transport mode in phase F23 is completed, the motor old is turned on to drive the paper refeeding roller 607, and after a predetermined period of time after the document sensor S2 is turned on, phase F23 is started. Then, when the original is set on the contact glass 200, a signal indicating "original set OKJ" is output, and in phase F25, the phase F23
1 (see FIG. 4) is turned off, and the document is stopped at a predetermined exposure position on the contact glass 200.

Thereafter, when a predetermined number of copies have been completed through phases F26 to F29, etc., if the doggy tail mode is selected, the process moves to a "doggy tail movement" subroutine of phase F30, and the paper tray 803 is moved. If it is not the doggy tail mode, copying is repeated until the end of the original through phase F31.

Here, the subroutine (6th
(see figure) will be explained.

If it is in the doggy tail mode, the process moves from phase F301 to phase F302, and the presence or absence of the "normal rotation flag set" is checked. If the forward rotation flag is not set,
In phase F303, the doggy tail motor M6 is driven in forward rotation for t seconds to move the paper tray 803 from the existing position to the opposite side and set the forward rotation flag. If it is determined in phase F302 that the forward rotation flag is set, the doggy tail motor M6 is driven in reverse for t seconds in phase F304 to move the paper tray 803 from the existing position to the opposite side and reset the forward rotation flag. do.

That is, the paper tray 803 swings left and right by a fixed amount to sort each copy of a predetermined number of sheets.

Returning to Fig. 2, after executing the "doggy tail movement" routine, if in ADF mode, go through phase F31 and then phase F3.
At step 2, it is checked whether or not the document is finished, and if it is, the above-mentioned operation is repeated, and if not, the process ends with one pass of the document.

Next, the RADF mode will be explained.

If the RADF mode is designated, in FIG. 2, the process moves from phase F19 to phase F20, a subroutine of "original processing mode." When the RADF mode is confirmed in phase F204 by the ON state of document sensor S1, the scanner 202 is moved to the second home position IF5 and becomes stationary in phase F2O3, as described above.

This completes the preparation for the so-called sheet-through mode in which the scanner 202 is held stationary while moving the original for exposure scanning. Here, the scanner 202 was moved to the second home position HP2 near the document table because
In order to speed up the processing time as much as possible, and to prevent the conveyance and speed (scanning speed) of the document from changing after the leading edge of the long document passes through the reversing section formed by the guide 610 at the left end. It's for a reason.

Now, when phase F20 related to the subroutine of "manuscript processing mode" is completed, in phase F21, RAD
It is checked whether the mode is F mode or not, and since it is the RADF mode, it is checked in phase F33 whether or not the mode is the staple mode.

If the mode is not the staple mode, the mode is the doggy tail mode, and the process eventually shifts to phase F53.

In the staple mode, it is checked again in phase F34 whether or not the stapler 804 has no staples. The reason why the needleless check is performed here is because this is the time to start again after copying one copy of the original.

If there is a staple, the process moves to phase F35, where the solenoid 5QL4 of the switching claw 802 is turned on to move it to the position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 8, thereby forming a conveyance path to the stapler 804. After that, the process moves to phase F35.

If it is determined in phase F34 that there is no needle, then in phase F49, the absence of needle is displayed on the operation panel 250 or the like.

The solenoid 5OL4 for the switching claw 802 is turned off, the switching claw 802 is placed in the solid line position, the passage to the paper tray 803 is secured, and the doggy tail mode is automatically set (phase F51). This is because there is no staple, so if the paper is sent to the stapler 804 without binding, it will cause a paper jam when it is discharged.

If there is a staple, the process moves to phase F35 and executes the "original transport mode" subroutine (see FIG. 4), as described above. Here, the refeeding of the original is similar to the operation in phase F23 in the ADF mode described above, and after adding "1" to the original counter in phase F234, it is checked in phase F235 whether or not it is the 30th original. . If it is the 30th sheet, document 30 is printed in phase F244.
The sheet signal is turned on and the process moves to phase F236.

Here, since it is the RADF mode, the paper restart signal is turned on in phase F237. This phase F23
7 is related to copy routine 2 (phase F37) of the main flow in FIG.

That is, in the copy routine 1 of phase F26, after the copy paper is fed, the scanner 202 waits at the registration roller 212 shown in FIG. When a signal is obtained, the registration roller 212 is restarted, and this timing adjustment allows the toner image on the photosensitive drum 205 to be aligned with the copy paper during transfer.

However, in the RADF mode, the scanner 202 is fixed at the second home position HP2, and as in copy routine 1 above, the restart timing of the registration roller 212 is determined based on the start signal generated in conjunction with the movement of the scanner 202. can't get it. Therefore, a signal when the document sensor S2 is turned on is used as a paper restart signal in place of the start signal. This is the reason why the copy routine F37 is provided.

Now, in FIG. 4, when the document sensor S2 is turned off in phase F238, the motor M4 is turned off in phase F239 to stop the paper refeeding roller 607, and at that time, the document sensor S
1 is on, the next original is set on the original table 603 in the same way as in the ADF mode (phases F241, F242, F243).

When this process is completed, "copy routine 2" is executed in phase F37 of FIG. As mentioned above, this Copy Print 2 is different from the Copy Print 1 only in that the paper restart part is different and that the document is exposed by moving relative to a fixed scanner.Other than that, the copy process in the pressure plate mode/ADF mode is different. In accordance with

When the copy routine 2 is completed in phase F37, the copy counter 2 is incremented by 1 in phase F38, and the value is displayed on the "total copy" display section of the counter display section 261 in FIG.

Next, in phase F39, it is checked whether or not the stapling mode is in effect. Here, if it is not the staple mode, it is the doggy tail mode. If it is the staple mode, the process advances to phase F40, where it is checked whether the staple limit release switch is turned on.

This staple limit release switch is comprised of a Diρ switch as one of the various key switch groups SW shown in FIG. If this switch is turned on, it indicates that the stapling limit of 30 sheets, for example, has been lifted, and the "Document 30" limit in phase F41 is released.
The process moves to phase F42 without checking the "sheet signal on", and then repeats the process starting from phase F33 to execute copying until the number of sheets set on the document table 602 is completed. Paper binding is performed for the copies.

Here, the restriction of 30 originals may be lifted as follows:
This is because if the copy paper is thin, it may be possible to bind 30 or more sheets.

If the staple limit release switch is turned off in phase F40, it is assumed that the stapler cannot staple more than 30 sheets of paper.
After copying the first sheet, the copying is temporarily interrupted and one sheet is bound, and after that, more than 30 sheets are copied in the same manner and then the sheets are bound.

Normally, whether the staple limit release switch is on or off in phase F4 (l), the document counter is
Unless the "30 originals signal" is turned on in step F41, the process moves to phase F42, and a document end signal indicating that there is no document on the document table 602 (however, the copied document is stopped by the document stop plate 611) is issued. Copying is performed until the document sensor S1 is turned on, and the "stapling mode" in phase F43 is activated.
Move to.

Here, the subroutine of the "stapling mode" (see FIG. 5) will be explained.

At this stage, copying of one copy of the original has been completed. When the last copied sheet turns on and then turns off the sensor S4 that detects the arrival of the copied sheet to the stapler 804, that is, when the copied sheet passes the sensor S4, the process shifts from phase F431 to phase F432, as shown in FIG. The paper is aligned along with other copied sheets that have already been stored in the paper alignment device that omitted the above, and since the document end signal is turned on in phase F42, the document remaining signal is turned off in phase F433, and therefore, In phase F434, the staple solenoid 5OL3 is turned on to perform paper binding.

Note that if there are 30 or more originals and it is necessary to paper-stitch copies of some (sets) of originals in two or more times, the staple limit release switch is off in phase F40, so the phase Proceed to F41,
Wait for the “30 originals signal” to be turned on and phase F
Shifts to the stapling mode of No. 43.

In this case, if there are 30 originals, phase F43 in Figure 5
3, the original remaining signal is off, so phase F434
If the number of originals exceeds 30, it is determined whether or not to perform paper binding depending on whether the remaining number of sheets is one or two or more. This is because when only one original remains, it is meaningless to paper-bind one sheet of copy paper corresponding to it.

Therefore, in order to make this determination, if there is a remaining document signal in phase F433, the flag for the remaining document signal is turned off in phase F422, and "30" is subtracted from the count value of the document counter in phase F433. Determine whether the value is "1". If the above value is not "1", it means that the stapler 804 has 2 or more copies of 30 sheets or less, so the process advances to phase F434.
Paper binding is performed, and then the ejection feed roller 805 is rotated and sent out (phase F435).

If the value in phase F443 is determined to be "1", there is only one copied sheet in the stapler 804, so paper binding is meaningless, so phase F434 related to paper binding is performed. The paper is sent out by rotating the ejection feed roller 805 without performing the
).

When the paper discharge sensor S5 confirms that the copied paper has passed (phase F436), the feeding roller 805 stops (phase F437).

Thereafter, on condition that the staple limit release switch is off (phase F43g) and that there is a 30-page signal (phase F439), the document table 600
It is checked in phase F440 whether there are any remaining originals, and if there are any remaining originals, the remaining original signal flag is turned on in phase F441, and this routine is ended.

Returning to FIG. 2, after the stapling mode is executed in phase F43, the process advances to phase F44, and if there is no document remaining here, it means that copying of one copy (set) has been completed, so the copy count is set in phase F45. Set the count value to “1”
"Number of copies" on the display section 260.
Display on the display.

Therefore, the copy number display section, which has conventionally been used as a copy number display, is used here as a counter display section for one copy of the original.

Next, in phase F46, the value of the copy counter (displayed on the number of copies per copy display section) is compared with the set number of copies, and if they do not match (see Figure 13), it is necessary to make a predetermined number of copies, so the phase Original release solenoid 5 with F47
The OLI is turned on, the document stop plate 611 drops the group of stored documents onto the document table 602, the document counter is reset, and copying is continued again. It should be noted that the display of the document counter, ie, "Returning" display, may not be reset.

If the verification results in phase F46 match (see FIG. 14), all scheduled copies have been completed, so the solenoid 5OL4 of the switching pawl 802 is turned off and the pawl position is changed to the position shown in FIG. 8. Return to the position indicated by the solid line and end the process.

Note that in the RADF mode, in the case of the doggy tail mode, the process advances from phase F39 to phase F52, where it is checked whether or not the original has finished, and if the original has not finished, the process moves to the original transport mode (phase F36). Repeat etc. When the original is finished and the original end signal is turned on in phase F52, one set of copies has been made, so doggy tailing is performed and sorted in phase F53. Repeat the following steps until the specified number of copies are completed.
Terminate the process.

It should be noted that the stapler 804 can perform arbitrary paper binding offline by operating the manual stable switch SW8.

In this way, in this example, when the absence of staples is detected during copying in the staple mode, the next paper discharge mode is automatically set to the toggy tail mode, thereby eliminating lost time. Furthermore, since the copied sheets discharged to the paper tray are already sorted, binding them with a stapler or the like can be completed immediately. Therefore, the operability is good.

Furthermore, in this example, when the original is placed on the document table, it is automatically set to RAD, which is used frequently and has high copy productivity.
Since the combination of F mode and staple mode is automatically selected (phase F4), operability is improved. Also, RADF
When the mode is specified with switch SW3, the staple mode is automatically selected (phase F10), and when the ADF mode is specified with switch Sw1, the doggy tail mode that generally matches the ADF mode is automatically selected (phase F6).
) Therefore, from these points as well, it is possible to improve operability and copy productivity.

Additionally, - according to internal needs, the stapling mode is set to R.
Selection is prohibited except when ADF mode is selected, doggy tail mode can be selected independently, and sorting is also possible in pressure plate mode.

Note that in the above example, the mode is automatically shifted to the doggy tail mode upon detecting the absence of a needle, but the copying process may be interrupted.

(Effects) According to the present invention, paper jams are prevented when the stapler is out of staples, and the copying process is continued and sorting is performed, so operability is improved and copy productivity is increased. is secured and convenient.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 are flowcharts explaining the copying process of the copying machine according to the present invention, FIG. 8 is an overall configuration diagram of the copying machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the ADF in the same figure. , FIG. 10 is a front view explaining the doggy tail operation of the paper tray, FIG. 11 is a front view of the operation panel, and FIG. 12 is a front view of the operation panel.
14 through 14 are explanatory diagrams of the display section, and FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the control system. 6... Automatic document feeder (ADF), 8... Copied paper processing device, 804... Stapler-1S1...
Original sensor, S8...Sensor (as a means for detecting the presence or absence of a needle). Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 1 Figure 1θ

Claims (1)

[Claims] A copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder and a copied paper processing device, wherein the automatic document feeder has a circular automatic feed mode in which the document is automatically fed in a circular manner, and a circular automatic feed mode in which the document is automatically fed in a non-circular manner. The copied paper processing device has a function to selectively execute an automatic feed mode to selectively execute an automatic feeding mode, and also has a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a document on the document table. It has a function to selectively execute a doggy tail mode in which the paper is sorted into sheets, and a stapling mode in which the copied sheets are bound one by one. When the above detection means detects that there is no staple while copying in a combination of automatic feed mode and staple mode,
A copying machine characterized in that after copying and binding the bundle of originals, the next copy cycle automatically switches to a doggy tail mode and continues copying without interruption.